All
of you baseball purists out there can rest easy, at least for now. And for all you progressives screaming
for expanded instant replay, it might be a good time to crank up the
volume.
Major League Baseball Commissioner
Bud Selig commented on the subject this afternoon at a sport and society conference
at St. Norbert College. “I’ve had
very, very little pressure from people who want to do more,” said Selig, who
instituted instant replay near the end of the 2008 season to review whether questionable
home run balls actually cleared the fence, were fair or foul, or were subjected
to fan interference. Prior to this
move, Selig was hesitant to adopt instant replay, but finally succumbed to
pressure after a series of botched home run calls that season eventually left him
no choice but to take action.
Instant
replay in baseball has been the topic of heated debate, dating back to when the
technology first became available.
Selig’s reluctance to expand instant replay can be attributed to the
game’s already slow pace, a concern that I share.
My
biggest concern, however, has nothing to do with the pace of the game. Baseball, unlike many other sports, is
a game wrapped in rich traditions.
Part of this tradition is umpires, who have existed since the game’s
most primitive times back in the early 19th century. The further expansion of instant replay
will ultimately lead to the extinction of these officials.
While
Selig seems to be in no hurry to expand instant replay, Major League Baseball’s
latest collective bargaining agreement contains language that mandates its expansion. This is rumored to include, but not be
limited to, trapped balls, fair-or-foul calls down the lines, and fan
interference around the entire playing field.
My
fear is that replay will eventually be expanded to judgment calls like balls
and strikes, and safe or out calls.
Soon enough, video replay will no longer be ‘replay’ at all, but THE way
to make the call. When that day
comes, baseball will no longer have any use for its umpires.
Umpires
are an important element of the character baseball has enjoyed over the
years. Some of my most memorable
moments occurred when hot-heads like Bobby Cox and Lou Panella came rushing out
of the dugout to argue face-to-face with umpires, going on tirades after being
ejected from the game. Even
moments like Armando Gallaraga’s near perfect game (the one where Jim Joyce
botched a call that would have ended the game) warmed my heart when Gallaraga
handled the situation with such grace and even carried the line-up
card out to Joyce before the next game of the series.
While
it is true that instant replay will ensure a correct call on nearly every play,
I think it is important to remember how integral the human aspect of the sport
is. After all, there is even a
place in the box score for player errors.
To err is to be human.
Bryan Cornet
KIN 577
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/selig-no-more-mlb-replay-173248758--mlb.html;_ylt=Ap7h6cQjTYCnZkZEIReN5C45nYcB
No comments:
Post a Comment