Bob Davidson, the plate umpire for Sunday night's game between the Mets and the Yankees, admitted he blew a home run call that could have turned out to be much more important than it was in the end. Here was one more example of how, in 2008 -- with the improved technology that we have today -- a blown call easily could have been corrected with a brief glance at an instant replay monitor.
To review: The left-handed hitting
Carlos Delgado whacked a line drive into the left-field corner, toward the foul pole. The ball went into the stands, and Mike Reilly seemed to hesitate before jabbing his arm toward fair territory. Reilly immediately began moving toward the infield to consult with the other umpires, and if you were an amateur lip-reader, you could see he asked the other umpires whether they saw the play fair or foul. At least two umpires -- including Davidson -- indicated to him that they thought it was foul. So Reilly reversed the call.
To continue reading this article you must be an Insider
Buster Olney
