By Trevor:
Okay so we are about a month into the young season and we have already seen what the “mighty REPLAY” can do. And honestly, it can be very helpful. I’ve seen more than a few questionable calls made in the right. But truthfully, there are still some issues with the replay system. I have 3 issues that I see….
#1 – This isn’t baseball –
Baseball has always been a sport that is judged by the (human) umpire. There are judgment calls that the umpire makes that have always been a part of the game. Take two different plays for instance, the “ballpark rule” and “rewarding a great play.” The ballpark rule is where the umpire may knowingly see the 2nd baseman/shortstop miss the bag on a double play but still calls out the runner. This is usually to protect the position player that is turning the double play. And the “rewarding” call is when a player makes an absolutely amazing play and the call at first is extremely close, the umpire still calls out the runner to reward the fielder for an amazing play. These both are a huge part of the game of baseball. If you asked any player about these they would nod in agreement.
#2 – Slows the game down –
As a player and forever lover of baseball I know that the game takes a while. Games on average last around 3 hours. But when you add replay on every close call or at least half of the close calls, the game gets extended for 4 hours or more. Now I love watching the game, but it’s different when you are spending 5-10 minutes reviewing a play. A couple things happen when a play is review… first, the pitcher can lose his rhythm or his edge. He is warm and in the groove, and a 5-10 break to review a play can take him out of his rhythm. It’s not good for the game. The second part is the players on the field. When they are taking 5-10 minutes for a review they lose their mental edge. Their focus is skewed and distractions are sure to arise. As a player, you want to move all the time and have the game progress. But replay has the potential to add another half hour to hour to each game. I’m not a fan of this affect.
#3 – They still don’t get the call right –
I’ve seen a handful of calls to this point that still haven’t been the right call even after 10 dudes in New York have reviewed it 80 times in 10 minutes. I’ve still seen pretty simple calls still get blown with replay. Now, human error is a part of the game…umpires are human. But when replay is put on display, it amplifies the human error part of the game. Baseball is not a game of perfection, and that’s what makes it perfect. Replay is causing more scrutiny and issues for umpires.
I’m all for going back to the old days where umpires made the calls without cameras and replays. Honestly, replay isn’t the worst thing to happen to baseball (the Yankees are) but it still has issues and causes concern for not only the players but also the fans. This is just one fans take on the replay…what’s yours???