Instant replay has been instituted into the game, at least in an experimental stage for the remainder of the season. There were a lot of debates on whether or not baseball should adopt instant replay. In my opinion, every other major sport has some sort of instant replay (hockey, basketball, football and tennis) -- so why not baseball?
I even think that some forms of replay are already in use during games; for example, whenever it's needed to determine if a ball should be ruled a hit or an error. I know it's supposed to be the official scorer's ruling, but players watch the scoreboard in stadiums waiting for the ruling and sometimes it will take until after the next at-bat to make a decision. So I assume official scorers must view something that causes them to take so much time, and aren't just relying on their discretion.
I understand that people think baseball is such a traditional sport and that we need to keep it that way. That if we start with this experiment of instant replay for home run calls, it will open up the door for all other forms of instant replay to be used during games. I think there is a risk, but with all the technological advances from the creation of baseball to today, why not take advantage of things that can help get the calls right?
Remember, this is still just an experiment and may not even be around in the 2009 season, and hopefully we can have a few cases the rest of this season to see if it's even worth it. We almost had one against the Royals a few games ago when
Placido Polanco hit a home run foul, which on TV looked fair. I thought our game would have been the game to break history and be able to use instant replay, but the umpires on the field ruled the ball was foul and there was no need to go and view it again.
Some people feel that instant replay will make the game even slower than it already is. For sure the game would slow down if the umpires have to go off the field to view a home run call from different angles to make a decision. That's why I suggest having the umps meet in the middle of the field, and having the video staff at the stadium play all of the different replay angles on the stadium's giant video screen (Wrigley Field is the only stadium in the majors that doesn't have one). This way, not only will the umps see it, but both teams and fans will see it and the decision -- either home run or not -- can be made. I know this will never happen, but I think it's a good idea.
Of course, this would cause some drama if a home run went against the home team, but it would be a fun idea to get everyone in on the viewing. This idea isn't that far off, either, because all of the suites and concourses in stadiums have TVs and those TVs show all the replays. So maybe, just maybe, this might work.
Curtis Granderson
