Instant replay has taken the fun out of baseball
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What's the most exciting play in baseball? Many would say it's a play at the plate. Not anymore however, because a combination of instant replay and the Buster Posey rule have made it so that the umpires original call has less meaning than a September game between the San Diego Padres and Colorado Rockies. In fact, many fans don't even react to the call anymore because they know that it won't be decided until everybody huddles around the official Samsung fanny pack to wait for New York to determine whether the player is safe or out, and/or whether the catcher broke one of 125 rules governing the placement of their body during a reactionary split-second play.
For anyone who isn't familiar with the Buster Posey rule, don't bother familiarizing yourself with the Buster Posey rule, because you won't be able to figure it out anyway. In fact, Major League Baseball still hasn't figured it out either, because the interpretation seems to change daily, so much so that I've hear about 30 different broadcasters try to guess the outcome, only to be left scratching their heads most of the time. The main thrust of the rule is that catchers are no longer allowed to block the plate, runners are no longer allowed to touch the catcher, managers are no longer allowed to know what the fuck is going on, and umpires are just there to look stupid while their call gets overturned.
But it's not just plays at the plate the get the replay treatment. Most games will have more than a couple video reviews, slowing down immensely a game that is already widely criticized for moving too slowly. At first, replay seems to be a good idea, because arriving at the correct call is the most important thing right? Well if getting the call right is the most important thing, then why do teams lose their ability to challenge after they get one wrong? If getting the call right is the main priority then every call should be reviewed. But wait, after the 7th inning all calls can be reviewed? And umpires can decide to review at any time? And teams can counter-review? I'm confused. This current system is borderline ridiculous, and usually proceeds in the following manner:
Step 1. Umpire blows the call (or doesn't).
Step 2. Offensive player involved emphatically signals to dugout that he was safe. Defensive player involved emphatically signals to dugout that he was out.
Step 3. Panicked managers and coaches mill around on the dugout steps for an undetermined amount of time while team employees watch some video of the play.
Step 4. Running out of time, team employee makes snap decision to tell manager whether or not to review the play.
Step 5. If it's gonna be reviewed, manager slowly makes way to the umpires to tell them they need to have a look.
Step 6. Umpires slowly walk to the officially sponsored Samsung replay fanny pack and relax for a number of minutes while New York decides what to do.
Step 7. Call is overturned (or not). Game resumes, usually 5-10 minutes after the play occurred.
Not only is this system clumsy and slow-moving, it also takes away one of the most entertaining parts of a baseball game: the umpire-manager argument. Managers don't really argue any more because there is no point. And while some say that arguments aren't an essential part of Major League Baseball, I emphatically beg to differ. Heated arguments are baseball's equivalent to fighting in hockey. Everyone gets out of their seat and cheers when a red-faced manager runs onto the field to confront an umpire. Some of the games most entertaining and iconic moments have happened during these heated exchanges. It's a part of baseball I miss. I also miss the finality of a call made on the field. It was exciting to see the umpire make a call. Now it's just an interim call, and the real drama is sucked out during a waiting game.
Human error is part of sports, on behalf the players and the officials. It's heartbreaking to lose a game on a blown call, but it's just as heartbreaking to lose a game on some technicality. A player coming up from a pop-up slide is a good example of this. Replay has allowed teams to challenge calls when a player is clearly safe, but his foot leaves the bag by a quarter of an inch, for a quarter of a second. Is this in the spirit of the game? The answer is no. And don't even get me started on the Chase Utley rule, which is infinitely more disgusting than the Buster Posey rule, and has changed the game as we know it. Every team has been burned in a crucial situation because a player made an "illegal" slide into second base, even though it didn't change the outcome of the play.
Baseball has always been my favourite sport, and part of this is because it is the sport that is truest to its roots. Equipment has changed dramatically in golf, hockey and tennis. But in baseball they still use leather gloves and wooden bats. The NHL changes 15 rules per year. MLB never did. Until now. And the game is no better for it.
For anyone who isn't familiar with the Buster Posey rule, don't bother familiarizing yourself with the Buster Posey rule, because you won't be able to figure it out anyway. In fact, Major League Baseball still hasn't figured it out either, because the interpretation seems to change daily, so much so that I've hear about 30 different broadcasters try to guess the outcome, only to be left scratching their heads most of the time. The main thrust of the rule is that catchers are no longer allowed to block the plate, runners are no longer allowed to touch the catcher, managers are no longer allowed to know what the fuck is going on, and umpires are just there to look stupid while their call gets overturned.
But it's not just plays at the plate the get the replay treatment. Most games will have more than a couple video reviews, slowing down immensely a game that is already widely criticized for moving too slowly. At first, replay seems to be a good idea, because arriving at the correct call is the most important thing right? Well if getting the call right is the most important thing, then why do teams lose their ability to challenge after they get one wrong? If getting the call right is the main priority then every call should be reviewed. But wait, after the 7th inning all calls can be reviewed? And umpires can decide to review at any time? And teams can counter-review? I'm confused. This current system is borderline ridiculous, and usually proceeds in the following manner:
Step 1. Umpire blows the call (or doesn't).
Step 2. Offensive player involved emphatically signals to dugout that he was safe. Defensive player involved emphatically signals to dugout that he was out.
Step 3. Panicked managers and coaches mill around on the dugout steps for an undetermined amount of time while team employees watch some video of the play.
Step 4. Running out of time, team employee makes snap decision to tell manager whether or not to review the play.
Step 5. If it's gonna be reviewed, manager slowly makes way to the umpires to tell them they need to have a look.
Step 6. Umpires slowly walk to the officially sponsored Samsung replay fanny pack and relax for a number of minutes while New York decides what to do.
Step 7. Call is overturned (or not). Game resumes, usually 5-10 minutes after the play occurred.
Not only is this system clumsy and slow-moving, it also takes away one of the most entertaining parts of a baseball game: the umpire-manager argument. Managers don't really argue any more because there is no point. And while some say that arguments aren't an essential part of Major League Baseball, I emphatically beg to differ. Heated arguments are baseball's equivalent to fighting in hockey. Everyone gets out of their seat and cheers when a red-faced manager runs onto the field to confront an umpire. Some of the games most entertaining and iconic moments have happened during these heated exchanges. It's a part of baseball I miss. I also miss the finality of a call made on the field. It was exciting to see the umpire make a call. Now it's just an interim call, and the real drama is sucked out during a waiting game.
Human error is part of sports, on behalf the players and the officials. It's heartbreaking to lose a game on a blown call, but it's just as heartbreaking to lose a game on some technicality. A player coming up from a pop-up slide is a good example of this. Replay has allowed teams to challenge calls when a player is clearly safe, but his foot leaves the bag by a quarter of an inch, for a quarter of a second. Is this in the spirit of the game? The answer is no. And don't even get me started on the Chase Utley rule, which is infinitely more disgusting than the Buster Posey rule, and has changed the game as we know it. Every team has been burned in a crucial situation because a player made an "illegal" slide into second base, even though it didn't change the outcome of the play.
Baseball has always been my favourite sport, and part of this is because it is the sport that is truest to its roots. Equipment has changed dramatically in golf, hockey and tennis. But in baseball they still use leather gloves and wooden bats. The NHL changes 15 rules per year. MLB never did. Until now. And the game is no better for it.
