Ever notice that chirp?

[GlennCraven]

It keeps happening during the soundtrack of my games, and oftentimes something ridiculous happens soon after.

This time, bases loaded, two outs, bottom of the ninth and Jonny Venters has the hitter down 0-2.

Chirp!

Next pitch goes back to the screen to score the tying run.

Maybe I should have gone to the mound or something to break the cycle. But I never know what's going to happen after the beep, just that some sort of play will usually take place (i.e., not just a called ball or strike with no action) and that play very well might be a loony one.

Anybody else ever notice that chirp, or beep, or blip, in the soundtrack during games?

[khucke]

Interesting observation (or better listenisation). I will try to heed the chirp if it's in the game (and outside your head).

[CHCfan]

I definitely know the sound you're talking about, but I haven't been paying any attention to what it might correlate with. Going to play a few games right now anyway-- I'll see if it comes up.

[GlennCraven]

Thanks to you both.

Venters got out of the ninth with the game still tied, so I paid attention during the 10th and the chirp returned twice.

We took the lead in the top of the 10th (to no particular sounds of birds or beeps). In the bottom of the 10th, Delmon Young leads off against Venters with a single. Venters strikes out Juan Miranda swinging on three pitches, then retires Reid Brignac on an 0-2 lazy fly to center.

Chirp!

Infield single on the next pitch for Desmond Jennings.

Tampa Bay pinch-runs for Delmon Young at second as I change pitchers to Eduardo Sanchez, thinking Venters may be jinxed at this point and desiring a right-hander to face Sean Rodriguez (and hopefully not the forthcoming Evan Longoria and Ryan Lavarnway).

Rodriguez singled to left and the tying run scores to the roar of the home fans, but no singing of birds or cheers from R2-D2. With the winning run on third, Sanchez pitches around Longoria.

First pitch to Lavarnway seemed to coincide with a chirp, such that I wasn't sure whether the "ball one" call in the narrative came before I heard the sound, or slightly after.

Next pitch a line-shot single to center, walk-off for the Rays.

Very small sample, but I'll be paying closer attention now.

Edit: Next game was crazy -- Yankees hit three-run and two-run homers in the top of the eighth to overcome a three-run deficit (the first by a lefty who normally struggles against left-handed pitching), but give up six in the bottom of the ninth (the last four on a two-out walk off slam by Chipper Jones) and our Royals win it. However, no chirps, the entire game.

[JohnHoward]

That's almost certainly the jinx chirp. Good on you for recognizing that Venters was jinxed and putting in Sanchez, but then the next chirp re-jinxed him. I would start a spreadsheet and track the chirps, unless you think that might be a double-jinx.

By the way, when I watch the Braves I hear a similar sound every time they show an intense close-up of Fredi Gonzalez trying to figure out what's happening in the game, but it sounds more like "derp" than "chirp".

[The Wolf]

It's "Herp derp."

[silvam14]

Need a larger "Chirp" sample size.

[Orcin]

Originally Posted by silvam14

Need a larger "Chirp" sample size.

Post of the Year so far.

[The Wolf]

Originally Posted by silvam14

Need a larger "Chirp" sample size.

Herp Derp "Chirp."

[GlennCraven]

Originally Posted by JohnHoward

That's almost certainly the jinx chirp. Good on you for recognizing that Venters was jinxed and putting in Sanchez, but then the next chirp re-jinxed him. I would start a spreadsheet and track the chirps, unless you think that might be a double-jinx.

By the way, when I watch the Braves I hear a similar sound every time they show an intense close-up of Fredi Gonzalez trying to figure out what's happening in the game, but it sounds more like "derp" than "chirp".

Funny, but the chirp does occur during games, others have heard it. I don't know WHY it occurs (blip in the soundtrack?) but I do intend to pay attention.

As for being "jinxed," I didn't mean BY the chirp. Or that it's even signal that something bad is about to happen to you. (I said "ridiculous" things seem to happen, but that isn't necessarily one-sided.)

Mostly, once a guy has given up a couple of baserunners in my experience -- especially if you have already gone out with a "visit the mound" and settled him down once -- you'd better get him out of there.

If they're roping him, that's one thing. You need a new pitcher anyway. But if they get on base by bleeders, bloopers, two-strike hit-by-pitches, whatever, then I figure it just ain't his day -- the jinx.

Tampa loaded the bases in just such fashion in the ninth, but after a mound visit (coincidence?) following the wild pitch, he got out of it. When it started again in the 10th -- a seeing-eye single to lead off the inning, a mound visit prior to two straight dominant outs on six pitches, then an odd scratch single, I'm thinking about a new pitcher even if the next three hitters aren't right-handed.

So now the question is, have you heard the chirp?

[scott1964]

Should be replaced with beep, beep

[JohnHoward]

Originally Posted by GlennCraven

then I figure it just ain't his day -- the jinx.
So now the question is, have you heard the chirp?

Sorry, I was just having some fun.

I play with the sound off. Maybe that's why I dominate!

[GlennCraven]

Originally Posted by JohnHoward

Sorry, I was just having some fun.

I play with the sound off. Maybe that's why I dominate!

I'm not mad or nuthin'.

I love playing with the sound on and wish there were even more sounds. And that I could understand what someone in the crowd is saying at one point when they're booing. (It sort of sounds like he says, "They said he didn't strike at it," but I'm hardly certain of that.)

All said, I've played two more games now without hearing a chirp at any time.

I also wonder whether it happens if maybe I accidentally click at the exactly "right" moment (to clear the PBP and go to the next pitch or something) and cause a blip in the soundtrack. ... Plus I'm playing on a Mac, so it's possible the sound doesn't happen on a PC. ... I'm open to all possibilities.

I just know it happens and I'm wondering if I can correlate it to any other goings-on in the game to explain why or when.

[cblacker]

I know what you are talking about and I hear it occasionally. At one point, I thought it may have been indicating that a reliever was warmed up and ready to come in, but when that proved not to be true, I didn't think about it much. I would be very suspicious of any correlation due to how easily confirmation bias could creep in.

[GlennCraven]

Originally Posted by cblacker

I know what you are talking about and I hear it occasionally. At one point, I thought it may have been indicating that a reliever was warmed up and ready to come in, but when that proved not to be true, I didn't think about it much. I would be very suspicious of any correlation due to how easily confirmation bias could creep in.

I've started keeping track. That will eliminate or at least somewhat mitigate any confirmation bias. At the end of this season at least (another 100 games or so) we should have dozens or hundreds of chirps and I'll know what the situation was prior to the sound, what I did (clicked "pitch around" or whatever) and then what happens immediately after.

Oddly, after hearing the chirp three times in two innings in the game that prompted this post, I've played two complete games (with a LOT of runs scored in both of them, mostly by the Yankees) and haven't heard the sound at any point in the last 18 innings.

[krr1313]

I have an old sound mod that I always install after a few days with a new version because I cant stand the guitar (I do mostly historical). The chirp is not present with this mod.

If I remember correctly the chirp comes after one of the guitar sound clips plays....is it possible that clip has some silence, then ends with that sound?

[Simmo13]

Oddly, after hearing the chirp three times in two innings in the game that prompted this post, I've played two complete games (with a LOT of runs scored in both of them, mostly by the Yankees) and haven't heard the sound at any point in the last 18 innings.[/QUOTE]


That's because Markus knows you're listening for it now

[GlennCraven]

Originally Posted by krr1313

I have an old sound mod that I always install after a few days with a new version because I cant stand the guitar (I do mostly historical). The chirp is not present with this mod.

If I remember correctly the chirp comes after one of the guitar sound clips plays....is it possible that clip has some silence, then ends with that sound?

I'll keep an ear out for that.

Meanwhile, after three "chirpless" games, the sound returned just one time in Game 4 since I've been tracking.

It was the top of the 8th, 3-2 Minnesota, one out and Justin Morneau on second after a double. The chirp happened immediately following a 2-0 strike from Jonny Venters to Josh Willingham, Venters' 25th pitch since entering the game. Nobody was up in the bullpen (ragged after our staff gave up an astonishing 42 runs in the last four games).

Though I'd used "pitch around" on the pitch prior, I resorted to a regular "pitch" command on the next delivery. Wish I'd have pitched around again, as Willingham doubled in a run.

After a mound visit, Venters struck out Chris Parmalee on three pitches and got Brandon Phillips to ground out weakly to second on a first-pitch "pitch around."

I don't recall the guitar clip during that sequence, but I'll listen much more closely for it next time.

P.S. I can see how it would be annoying to have the electric guitar sound effect during historic games. Really anything before the 1970s (earliest) or 1980s. Ideally there would be different soundtracks, cued-up pre-game with the historically accurate clips used depending on the date of the ball game.

[Mt Fire Fighter]

The extra 'chirp' that I have heard sounds like normal computer notification sounds by I never figured out why they were sounding during the soundtrack.


John

[funkadillo]

Me thinks you're way overestimating the importance of this chirp.