Baseball Needs Instant Replay

How many calls do baseball's umpires have to miss for the powers that be decide maybe it's time to use Instant Replay?

On ESPN's Sunday Night Game of the Week, a ball hit, by Carlos Delgado, off the top of the wall just inside the foul pole, initially ruled to be a home run was changed to a foul ball. (In the next day's NY newspaper the umpire who first ruled homer apologized for missing the call. A lot of good that does Carlos Delgado.)

On ESPN's Monday Night Game in Houston, a ball hit to the right and above the yellow line. The ground rules for this park clearly state that where the ball hit is to be ruled a home run. Fortunately for Geovany Soto, he wasn't waiting around for the umpires to bungle another call, as the rookie catcher raced around the bases for an inside-the-park home run. As it turned out, the umpires never admitted to missing the call but the batter hustled and got his homer anyway.

On Tuesday, in a game at Coors Field, Bengie Molina hit a frozen rope off the top of the yellow padding in left centerfield and the umpires ruled it a ground rule double. Many replays showed the umpires to be incorrect, yet again.

Yo, powers that be, you've done enough to squash the steroids thing, even though it was you who let it get out of control in the first place (wink, wink). Now it's time to install Instant Replay so that the proper call can be made. Please don't let the umpires influence your decision to use INSTANT REPLAY. They're all a bunch of Judge Ito's who wouldn't know if they stepped in IT, even if a swarm of flies buzzed profusely around them because of the unmistakable stank on their shoe.

Just the mere fact that they do not own up to missing calls is not something that should be rewarded. It's something that should expedite the movement of installing the instant replay.

Let's FIX the problem please!


Kevin Marquez