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Desperate Cry For Help

It’s 2013 where you can speak to your phone and it types a message, with television screens with 3D technology and the best displays available, yet it seems in one portion of our life we are stuck in the old days. Baseball can be looked at like that old man who’s afraid to embrace change, and won’t move forward with the time, still driving his late 50’s era car and a kitchen that resembles the scenes out of Mad Men. Every sport except baseball has now fully embraced video replay and are using it to their advantage to improve the game, leaves fans and teams happy, and most of all correct mistakes. In baseball the decision to review a play comes solely upon the umpire crew chief, and once the review has been made their call stands, there is no official reviewer who’s sole purpose is to get close calls correct and assist the call, it’s all on the ump. It was long enough before baseball even had replay use, but there is always room for improvement. This last week we’ve seen yet another cry from the sport providing all the reason in the world to expand current replay use.

Wednesday night in a close game between the Oakland A’s and Cleveland Indians, a winner emerged based off a highly controversial call. It was the top of the 9th inning in a 3-4 Indian led game. With two outs and chances dying by the second, Adam Rosales steps up to the plate and drives a deep ball to left field. In a blur of green railing and seats, the ball ricochets hard back onto the field, and everybody except four people think it’s a home run and tie ball game. Unfortunately the four people who disagree are the most important in the situation, the umpires. We were fortunate enough to have the umpires at least go in and take a review of the hit which they ruled a double as Rosales stood stranded on second, feeling like he’d be making his way home in a few moments after a rectified call. Everybody in the stadium was expecting the call to be over turned, and none so more than closer Chris Perez who described the play as “Off the bat, I thought it was a homer. It sounded like a homer”. When the umps emerged Rosales was ready assume his trot home, but the umps returned and told Rosales to stay put, that the right call had been made.

Oakland manager Bob Melvin was immediately enraged -as he should have been- and rushed out onto the field to have a chat with Angel Hernandez who made the original call. It wasn’t long before Melvin was tossed, as his efforts of persuasion were futile. After a heated exchange Melvin made his exit and play resumed.

Have you ever heard of the term the ball doesn’t lie? Well it seemed that the baseball gods were trying as hard as they could to make right of the atrocity that had taken place on the diamond, and Perez seemed to lose control of the ball. He followed the double up with hitting Eric Sogard, and then walking John Jaso to load the bases for Seth Smith. However Smith was unable to bring justice himself and ground out to Perez who took the ball to first himself.

Not that additional footage was needed for either side who both seemed well aware of the home run, and were reacting to what would have been the new game plan -as Terry Francona was seen looking over the scorecard ready to adapt to a tie ball game- when the call had been made. It was only conclusive for the players who watched the footage themselves. Perez evens stated ” Luckily, the call went in our favor. I don’t think I’ve ever been on the other side of a replay like that. It’s part of the game and we’ll definitely take it”.

Angel Cabrera refused to say much other than based off the TV and footage he used to make the call, there was not conclusive enough information to overturn the call, even though everybody and their mothers were able to see the clearly right call. Maybe he had Justin Masterson on his fantasy team, and couldn’t stand him not getting the win?

In a feeble attempt to correct the wrong doing, Oakland had only hoped that MLB officials would overturn the call. Come Thursday morning officials said a mistake had clearly been made, but there would be no overturning, and that’s the right call. As bad a refs and umps can be it’s important that the organization stands by them, and when it wasn’t a game winning home run, it’s not like they could have given a win to Oakland, as the Indians still had the bottom of the 9th had it been a tie game. As messed up as it is, it’s just how it had to be handled. That doesn’t mean making changes to avoid a future situation shouldn’t be made.

The time is now to assess the current replay use and expand it, for the simple measure of improving the game. More than a handful of people are upset with the call, and extremists trolls of the internet going as far as writing in message boards that they’re giving up MLB based off the call. A little extreme, but they’ve got a point, it’s a bullshit call that was gotten wrong even after review. Adding an official who’s sole purpose is getting those right, might want to be considered. The umps are good at looking at things in real time -or maybe not even that-, clearly not in replay form.

Umpires are having a rough week, as last night another botched call was made when an illegal pitching move was made in the Angels and Astros game when Wesley Wright came in from the bullpen and threw a few warm up pitches before being replaced by Hector Ambriz without ever facing a batter. Luckily the Angels went on to win the game and avoid too much controversy.

 

 

 

(Photo source) http://media.zenfs.com/en_US/Sports/AP_MLB/201305082043746338549-p2.jpg

Author: Tyler Arnold

My name is Tyler Arnold, I am the founder, co-owner, and editor-in-chief of The Runner Sports. Sports have been my life since I was young, so here I am doing the only sensible thing, making a career of it. I love it all, and will watch any and every game I possibly can. Thanks for your readership.

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