Home » Sports » Baseball » Head to Head: Baseball video replay

Head to Head: Baseball video replay

Miguel Cabrera fielded the ball, and threw it to Armando Galarraga for the out, completing Galarraga’s perfect game. It was the third perfect game in 20 days. What a great moment for baseball.

Except on that fateful June night, the umpire called the batter safe.  The call was so badly blown that umpire Jim Joyce tearfully apologized for his mistake.

That game was one of the most glaring examples of a blown call leading to a public outcry for instant replay being used in baseball.

So what does Major League Baseball do about it? Absolutely nothing. How many more awful calls have to happen before they realize how important video replay is?

Baseball purists argue the human element of umpires is part of the game, proving that baseball purists are morons. The human element is simply a nice way to say mistakes. And when those mistakes inevitably change the outcome of an important game — like say a World Series game — it becomes a serious problem.

There is also the argument that instituting replays would slow the game down far too much. Apparently people aren’t aware of how much time pitchers take between each pitch. An umpire could easily take a look at the replay in that time. They just have to put an extra umpire in the media box with a video screen and have him in radio contact with the umpires on the field. Problem solved. There is no way that process takes away from all the high–flying action that occurs in baseball.

I’m not saying that every play should be reviewed. But that’s why the NFL has a challenge system. Give the managers the ability to challenge and review one or two plays a game. Maybe then the managers won’t rush onto the field yelling obscenities, kicking dirt and throwing the bases around, ultimately accomplishing nothing.

Perhaps sometime soon, the powers that be in the MLB will move into the 21st century and start realizing how important the use of video replay is. And then we can all enjoy watching the players on the field decide the outcome of the game, rather than the umpires.

—Daniel Da Silva

I like it when Daniel calls me a moron — it reaffirms my sense of worth in the general cosmos. But on to the topic at hand.

Daniel writes, “There is no way [video replay] takes away from all the high–flying action that occurs in baseball.” I like that line. It’s a great line. The underlying sarcasm also indicates a mindset shared by a lot of people about the game — they’re not fans of it.

These are the people who complained the puck was too hard to see at NHL games, so there should be a highlight to make the game easier to follow. They’re the ones who think the intricacies of a baseball game all boil down to hitting the long ball.

Incidentally, these are also the fans who’ve never been to a dusty Triple A game in the middle of the country in late summer to see the roots of the game. It’s not just about “The Show,” it’s about heart and tradition.

Baseball is, more than anything else, about tradition. Here in London we have the oldest continuously–used ball diamond on the planet. The game that is played now is virtually unchanged from the days of Ted Williams or Ty Cobb.

Sure, other sports have their great traditions and great heroes. But find me a former NHL or NFL player who could hope to compete in the league the way it is now?

What does all of this have to do with video replay? Once you add that in to the game — yes, I know they already use it for home runs — it’s only a matter of time until it extends to bang–bang plays on the base path. Eventually we’ll wind up with an automated system for calling balls and strikes.

But we shouldn’t — the human errors of umpires are as much a part of the game as the Green Monster at Fenway. If you’re so worried about umpires changing the outcome of the game, make sure they’re held to the same standards as players. Right now, few people know about the disciplinary action taken against umpires for poor performance, while everyone knows when and why a player has been sent down to the minors.

I’m constantly surrounded by people who view tradition the same way they’d view a bug they’ve just stepped on. It doesn’t always make sense, and sometimes there are more rational courses of action. But like tradition, baseball comes from the heart, and some things just shouldn’t change.

—Mike Hayes

Follow the Gazette on Facebook and Twitter.