It’s time for expanded replay in MLB NOW
The Tampa Bay Rays were the recipient of yet another really bad call by an umpire this season tonight. Now, at the end of the game the ruling at the time did not make a difference in the outcome, but this simply illustrates the problem with the game of baseball as it stands currently.
With the score Atlanta 3, Tampa 0, Hank Blalock is on third with 1 out when the Atlanta pitcher serves up a wild pitch. Blalock heads home and is tagged late as the pitcher covers the plate, but is called out. This is just another example of why the game of baseball is flawed.
I can’t watch every MLB team on television as I cover 28 NFL teams for various sites around the internet, but just as every other adult male in America, I saw the screw up with umpire James Joyce and Detroit pitcher Armando Galarraga and the non perfect, perfect game. Bud Selig could have made the correct call and overturned Joyce in that game but as usual, he sat on his hands.
Selig and Umpires like Joe West who seem to take the game into their own hands, wish to speed up the game. Instead of speeding up the games, how about getting some calls correct first guys? Yesterday, a house caught fire in my neighborhood. Instead of neighbors checking on everyone, 50 people were angling with their cellphones and iPhones to capture pictures and video to send off on the internet and local news stations.It was quite sickening to watch as the house burned to the ground.
Why is it that fans in the stands of MLB games now have more technology in their pockets than is available to the umpiring crew of a MLB game? The camera angles are already there for the umpires to use. If I can see a streaker head on to Tropicana Field from three different camera angles, why can’t we review a call at the plate? Or a blatant case of fan interference?
I’m not advocating a radical change in balls and strikes behind the plate, but why can’t baseball institute a system like the NFL allows their head coaches? Give the managers a set criteria of what plays they could challenge, and give them the red flag and allow them up to two challenges a game. After all, aren’t we trying to speed up the game? Tonight’s fiasco with the bad call on Hank Blalock could have been avoided with Rays manager Joe Maddon tossing out the red flag, a video review and awarding the Rays with a run scored. Instead we have to go through this antiquated process of the manager running out on the field and strutting around the umpire shouting obscenities at one another for 12-15 minutes. Nothing is accomplished, the umpire assumes the position of a Supreme Court Justice and generally tosses the manager, and play proceeds with nothing changed.
In today’s world where you are video taped running a red light, taking money out at the ATM, exiting your hotel room, neighbors video your house burning to the ground and any or all of it can be posted to Youtube within minutes, don’t you think Major League Baseball could come into the 20th Century, let alone the 21st Century? Are you listening Bud Selig? No, it’s after 8pm, Wheel of Fortune is over and he’s napping.
Rayscentral Final Rant about Non Perfect Game
Wow, as I was preparing to write a column for RayCentral.com about the poor officiating in Tampa Bay Rays games last week, a category 5 hurricane named Jim swept over the game from sea to shining sea. Everyone had an opinion on what should be done regarding the not so perfect game. So, as the dust settles on this matter, I’ll issue my final opinion on this egregious error in baseball.
MLB baseball is a game filled with problems currently. True baseball fans, as much as they longed for Bud Selig to do the right thing and overturn the game ruling awarding Armando Galarraga the perfect game, you knew it wasn’t going to happen. Selig is a spineless, useless commissioner which has helped to create many problems facing baseball currently. Instead, Selig has adopted the Congressional approach to things, more hearings, more committees, more reviewing and a possible expansion of instant replay. That’s special.
A portion of Selig’s statement said, ” While the human element has always been an integral part of baseball, it is vital that mistakes on the field be addressed. Given last night’s call and other recent events, I will examine our umpiring system, the expanded use of instant replay and all other related items.” I have no doubt in my mind that Selig will overturn no stones, issue a statement to a baseball subcommittee and address the issue sometime at a later date.
Perhaps Selig’s comments will address umpiring concerns such as Joe West, who now suddenly has taken to interpreting the rule book all to himself? If you are a Yankees/Red Sox fan? Are you a White Sox fan? Hawk Harrelson calls West out. Joe West has his own publicist, and is currently using his position to promote himself as a country music star. I’m not kidding. Would that work in the NFL? I think not. So yes, baseball has many issues they need to address.
What I found interesting was the National media telling fans that, the blown call was not a big deal. In fact, the imperfect perfect game made us stronger. Hmm.
The first is a video I saw this morning between Mark Haines and Erin Burnett on You Tube. The duo host a show on CNBC prior to the opening of the stock exchange. I read a blog this morning about how Mark Haines is a sexist, because of his remarks. Watch the video and make your own conclusion.
Burnett was wearing a white jacket, and perhaps she should stick to dark clothing as her bleeding heart will spot up her coat. Ms. Burnett stated in the clip, “who cares about the money?” The situation was “handled beautifully.” It’s a really good thing that Armando Galarraga isn’t Burnett’s boyfriend, because she demands a lot of money to be with her. In 2008, Burnett wrote a column for Men’s Health magazine titled 8 Ways to Impress Me. Interesting that everything Burnett demands involves a lot of money but a hug for Galarraga is sufficient for him, no hugs for Burnett.
Then this morning I read an op-ed piece in our locally owned Gannett paper by columnist Chuck Raasch. Raasch’s column was the final straw in my decision on this non-perfect game as he opined that the blown call was a “Nobody’s perfect” moment for Galarraga and Jim Joyce was “classy” in admitting he blew the call and had tears in his eyes. Wow Chuck, that’s a hell of an assumption that Joyce was “classy” in admitting he blew the call. The blown call has most likely been viewed by 70 million people by now, what the hell was Joyce going to say? I made the correct call?
Raasch is obviously another “seasoned journalist” which has a great dislike for bloggers like myself. His column continues, “Before you expand too much outrage over a blown baseball call or join the cheap seats vilifying Joyce in the blogosphere, remember: This is not about plugging an oil gushing hole a mile deep in the ocean or preventing a war between Iran and Israel.” Before you go throwing bloggers under the bus Chuck, you might want to get your facts correct. The oil spill is nearing my backdoor is in the Gulf of Mexico, the last time I checked, the Gulf was not an ocean. Then again, we peon bloggers aren’t as educated as you big time journalists, we’re just noise in the background as newspapers continue to go broke.
According to Raasch, Galarraga should be more proud of the tears from Joyce and the hug, than getting his name in the “dusty record book.” Well Chuck, the dusty record book only contains 20 perfect games in baseball’s history, quite a feat for a game that has been keeping records since the late 1800′s. Not to mention that Galarraga’s perfect game would have capped a trio of perfect games with in the past 30 calendar days, something which has never been accomplished in baseball history.
Raasch then tries to morph umpire James Joyce into author James Joyce of Ulysses, I suppose after all is said and done, Chuck would most likely like to give Armando Galarraga a certificate of participation from his game and move on. After all, there can be no winners and losers in life, only equal participants. Sorry Erin and Chuck, life doesn’t work that way, what did you two have to go through to achieve your status in life?
Interleague Play MUST Go!
The Tampa Bay Rays head into their first interleague series this weekend against the Houston Astros. Baseball is a game filled with traditions, superstitions and endless debates. Who was the greatest hitter, greatest pitcher, DH or no DH and for decades owners discussed interleague play.
I know Commissioner Bud Selig wants to hide but t’s time for MLB to write this crap off as a failed experiment. Sure, there are a couple of interleague matchups which generate some interest. The Yankess and the Mets. The Cubs vs the White Sox. Then you have some matchups which create some geographic interest such as Oakland vs San Fransisco, Houston vs. Texas and Los Angeles vs. Los Angeles.
The majority of the matchups however, make no rivalry or geographic interest. Take for instance the league leading Tampa Bay Rays. Interleague play was started in 1997 as a way to create more interest in the game when MLB was coming off a debilitating strike. Tampa already has issues drawing fans to Tropicana field playing regular AL opponents, and this years interleague opponents won’t have the turnstiles twirling either.
As usual, the Rays play a home and away series with Atlanta and Florida. The Marlins barely draw enough during their own home games to pay for the ice used by the vendors to chill the beer they sell in the stands. The other two home series against National league teams are against San Diego and Arizona. How were these teams selected? Too bad Alaska and Hawaii don’t have NL teams that could visit Tampa.
If MLB were to return to a balanced schedule where AL teams played AL teams all season, you might actually increase attendance. For instance, the Rays play the Oakland A’s seven times this year. If you want to catch them in Tampa, you’ll have to wait until 2011. The season is 40 games old and the A’s have already played their 2 game visit to Tampa at the end of April.
Baseball has a lot of issues regarding how to improve attendance and Bud Selig should start by doing away with this insanity known as interleague play. Let the National League and American League meet in the World Series, the way it ought to be. Now about that DH thing………….
