It has been brushed aside with all the hoopla surrounding A-Rod, Torre, and Steroids, but in case you haven't noticed baseball is considering implementing instant replay. I'm on the fence about this. On the one hand I think that it is about time, but only for instances involving home runs and foul balls. Anyone who watched the post season this year would agree that the calls were just awful. On the other hand what we don't need is managers asking for an instant replay everytime there is a questionable ball or strike. I love baseball, but frankly the game is long enough as it is. If they were to review every call a game would take longer than an 8 part TV miniseries about paint peeling. Plus instant replay takes away the human element to the game. There is something that just feels right about seeing a call, knowig the umpire got it wrong, and calling him an idiot for it. To put it plainly, Baseball isn't football. Although this quote is talking about batters, I think that it also applies to umpires and gets to the heart of why instant replay in baseball seems so sterile and industrial to me:
What is both surprising and delightful is that spectators are allowed, and even expected, to join in the vocal part of the game.... There is no reason why the field should not try to put the batsman off his stroke at the critical moment by neatly timed disparagements of his wife's fidelity and his mother's respectability. ~George Bernard Shaw
So fine, we'll test out the replay in situations that don't delay the game and don't call into question every single pitch. I reserve the right to change my mind on this after it is implemented.
In other news the Yankees are going to offer A-Rod arbitration. I love this! Sure there is a slight risk that A-Rod will come back for one year and make more money, but I don't think anyone in their right mind actually believes that will happen. It's a really smart move when you consider that the Yankees will be able to pick up a first-round draft pick and a sandwich pick. In fact that is how we aquired Chamberlin and Kennedy two years ago.
5 comments:
I don't know much about rules and such, but you're right, the game would take forever if replay were allowed on every call.
Maybe they should only be allowed a certain number of replays per game?
Besides, if they have instant reply, we can't blame the umpires for a "bad call" if our team loses!
It's not for balls and strikes/safe or out. It's for fair and foul balls. That's my understanding.
Also;
The Angels are going after Cabrera as an option to ARod. How sweet is THAT?! He's going to get stuck with offers for less than the Yankees were going to pay him!
That is my understanding too, and so long as that is the case I'm fine with it.
I know, I love it so much. You know that right now A-Rod is throwing a purple lipped temper tantrum.
See.
Karma my friend is a bitch.
My father is an umpire and from what he's been telling me they have been fighting this tooth and nail... obviously.
But it should only be used for fair/foul balls. Which would be better for the game.
Your father is an umpire? Really? That is awesome. In the majors?
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