Well, it seems that it is time to start debating yet again. Should there be instant replay in Major League Baseball? I for one say no. But I'm open to discussing the idea.
I have long been a fan of the limited challenge system put in place in pro football. I even think it should be used in at least the Division Championship & BCS championship games at the college level. I was pleasantly surprised by the efficiency of the replay system used in college & professional basketball.
But I must draw a line in the sand when it comes to instant replay in baseball. What in the world are they going to review in baseball? The strike zone called behind the plate? What are they going to do when the umpire calls a ball, the replay ump calls a strike? Change the call of course, but how many times will the league allow this per inning? Per game? What if the replay reviews show the ump is calling one team’s strike zone tightly & the other teams loosely? Will they pull that ump in the middle of the game or inning?
Let me be really honest here. Football coaches are not expected to go out onto the field, get in the official’s face, and kick dirt on his shoes because he does not think he is getting a fair game. Baseball managers can, and should do this. It is part of the culture of baseball. Always has been, and always should be.
Instant replay also brings in the inevitable “player begging” for a call. It is one thing for the captain to dispute a call. Like the manager going out onto the field, that is what is expected during a game. There is enough “drama” whenever the batter thinks the call should have been a ball – or the pitcher thinks it should have been a strike. I see this expected “drama” becoming a pouting fit where the umpire is skipped over to go directly to the “Instant Replay Official.”
In a game that has built in "drama" allowing disputed calls from players & managers, leave the technology out and the "drama" in. Who would remember Lou Piniella or Tommy Lasorda, if they had not been allowed to throw their fits and kick the dirt on the officials? And those 2 are just recent examples.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Separately, I would divide baseball into two sections: the regular leagues, and the asterisk leagues. Let the naturals play the regular leagues with non-enhanced abilities. The asterisk leagues would house the hormonally enhanced, the bionic, and the robotic pitching machines.
I should be the Commissioner of Baseball.
I love watching a good touchdown.
Post a Comment