GolfHos

It seems all the sports talking heads are now weighing in on the issue of whether or not baseball needs instant replay because of the call at the plate to end Monday's one-game playoff.

While nobody is saying that instant replay should be implemented for calling balls and strikes, some are advocating it for disputes that call into question foul vs. fair balls or home runs vs. in-play balls.

What do you guys (those who give a rat's ass about baseball) think?

no

*feces*, they already ruined the game with playoffs, bandbox parks, lively balls and a strike zone that amounts to not much more than a softball league 'On Demand' rule to jack up offense, why not continue the downward spiral into sportstainment...

I'd really prefer they didn't, but I wouldn't have a huge problem with fair/foul and homerun/fan interference type replay.  I would have a problem with safe/out replay though. 

Anyone who has watched any amount of baseball knows that a 6-4-3, 4-6-3 double play only requires the shortstop or 2nd baseman to be in "the vicinity" of 2nd base, and lots of groundouts have the 1st baseman pulling his foot early.  If replay came along, I have a feeling it would make an already slow game slower reviewing these types of plays. (that being said, Holiday was out, and it sucks that the Padres season had to end that way)

Baseball has far too many judgement calls for replay to work.  I'm not really a fan of instant replay in any sport for that matter.  But a baseball game by nature has calls go certain ways for many reasons that shouldn't be reviewed. 

I remember a game my high school junior year.  It was the championship game in a tournament in Tyler, TX.  We had our best player on second base and a guy on third with two outs down by one run.  Guy hits a single to left field scoring the runner at third and here comes the play at the plate.  Our guy dove head first at the plate as the ball was getting to the catcher blocking the plate.  Our player did a pop up slide and stood up at the plate and was called safe just beating the tag.  Later on the bus he told us that he didn't even get the plate, but it sure looked like it with all the dirt flying in from his head first pete rose style pop up slide to win the game.  He was called safe by making a great slide sort of foolin the ump.  This kind of play is what baseball is all about.  Instant replay would kill the gamesmanship IMO. 

Although I'm generally inclined to think that more technology is better than less technology, I don't think instant replay can be applied fairly even in the two cases that I mentioned above.

If a ball is called fair, but it turns out to be foul, the game situation can be reset. However, if the ball is called foul and it turns out to be fair, what does the umpire do? Does he automatically award just a single? What if the ball landed deep in the right field corner and might have been a triple? What if the ball landed deep in the right field corner and might have been a triple if not for the Ron Cey, penguin-like gait of the baserunner who would probably have been thrown out had he even thought about trying for 3rd?

The same issue comes up for home run vs. in-play balls. If the ball is called in-play, and play is allowed to continue, you can check to see if the ball should have been a home run. However, if the ball is called a home run, but it turns out that the ball never left the ball park before dropping back into play, what do you do? You have no idea how the situation would have played out.

IMO, the only way this could work fairly is if the umpires always erred on the side of calling every close-call fair ball or in-play in order to let things play out. However, I don't like the idea that technology would cause the umpires to call plays differently than if the technology were not there to begin with. Furthermore, I'd hate to think that on these plays that would eventually be ruled foul or a home run that a player could get injured simply because the umpire chooses to call the play in a certain way in order to defer the ultimate decision to replay.

I concur... good post

I agree.

Look at college football now it seems the refs can't make a close call anymore knowing it will be reviewed in the booth.  So they make the call as it can be reviewed instead of going with their gut. 

no

Replay in baseball?  No, for reasons previously stated.

Funny.  You are all the same guys* that back in '99 said "What are they thinking?  This is gonna ruin the game!  Don't they have any respect for the sanctity of the game?  It's about tradition!"

And are the same guys, who in '07 are on their hands and knees in front of the screen screaming "Throw the damn red flag!  Throw it!  What the hell is he thinking?  I can see it hit the ground.  Everyone in the stadium can see it!"  As well as "Get up there!  Go! Go! Damnit!  Snap it! Snap it for crying out loud!  What a bunch of idiots, he's gonna figure it out.........Good good good!  Ha too late to throw it!  Woo hoo."


Times change.  The game changes.  Designated hitter anyone?  Wild Card?  7 Game series?

"...If there is one thing the history of evolution has taught us it's that life will not be contained. Life breaks free, expands to new territory, and crashes through barriers, painfully, maybe even dangerously."

Dr. Ian Malcolm


*non gender specific

Hey, I'm for it!!!  ;D

no, but i do think they should automate the strikezone with cameras/computers.  just leave umps to call the safe/out  etc