Instant Replay

A friend emailed me with this link asking for my thoughts on the issue of Instant Replay in Baseball. I'm fine without it, all things considered. Below is my reply:

I see it only being used in the case of HOME RUNS: whether or not a HR is fair or foul, or whether it is a ground rule double (and falls out of play) or a homer, or if there was fan interference. Sometimes those calls are tough to make even in slowmo. HRs occur often 200 feet or more from the vantage point of the umps, and aresometimes hard to tell with the naked eye. The homerun is the most impactful of baseball plays, and it would be the only case I'd agree to.

I don't ever agree with it being used to determine base running calls, balls and strikes, etc. That's a judgment call and always has been. And, the umps get the calls right 95% of the time. Plus, the calls always tend to even out in the end. One will go your way when it shouldn't have.

I'm fine without Instant Replay. I'd rather be without it than have a completely overregulated and technologized sport. I don't know how it could work like the NFL's "challenge" calls, either. Baseball is just a different game, it's more crisp and easier to call than football. Plus, baseball is criticized for being a "slow" game as it is, and this would only slow it down even more.

What are your thoughts?

In other baseball news, my beloved Gamecocks failed to clinch their fourth-consecutive College World Series berth. Still, an "off-year" for the Gamecocks is a regional berth and a 41-23 record. Not too shabby. So of course, I'm cheering for the Huskers all the way! (A reminder to check out the Huskers.com site--it is superb to any college athletics site in every way).