INSTANT REPLAY

Jonathan Rossini

         

“After further review, the ruling on the field stands.  The ball will be placed on the one and a half yard line and no touchdown.”  This statement is common for a Sunday morning in the fall and into the winter, but is never heard from Spring Training until Game Seven of the World Series.  Some people are tired of hearing statements by umpires, but I think they are needed in every single sport, especially baseball.  Instant replay is necessary in Major League Baseball.

          Through over one-hundred seasons of Major League Baseball, replay has not been used and 2008 is the year to start.  There have been far too many blown calls by umpires this season.  The fact that only each umpires perspective is what matters is completely absurd.  What happens if one umpire makes the correct call, another makes the wrong call, and the other two were skipping in La-La Land?  Odds are, the umpire who made the incorrect call will have the final decision because he has the best view of the play.  If instant replay had been applied to make the correct outcome, the umpires could see the play from multiple angles again and again, and save their time of complaining, “I got it right!  No I got it right!”

          Within the past month, I have seen five homeruns that have been called incorrectly.  This statistic is hard to believe.  I thought Major League umpires have been training for years to make a game perfect.  I know that there is human error involved, but when a ball visibly bounces off of a pole, isn’t it a homerun.  This Wednesday, recently struggling Dustin Pedroia hit a screamer down the right field line that began to tail.  It obviously hit the Pesky Pole but instead was ruled a foul ball.  Would this have ended his slump?  Umpires botched another home run call when Cleveland’s Ben Francisco hit a shot that cleared the fence in the sixth inning. Television replays showed that Francisco’s ball was clearly a home run. Instead of being a three-run shot that got the Indians within 12-9 to the Texas Rangers, it was ruled an RBI double.  These are just two examples of umpire’s stupidity and lack of discipline this season.  The New York Yankees might not have won the 2000 World Series if it weren’t for that stupid kid reaching out over the fence.

          When is it alright for the umpires to use replay?  This is going to be a major question if it begins to be used in the majors.  I know coaches are going to come out arguing balls and strikes, the always do.  The old phrase should be used for these situations, “Don’t argue balls and strikes.”  If there is a questionable catch, use it.  If there is a disputed homerun call, use replay.  All possible human error can be eliminated if just a small amount of MLB’s income is set aside for replay booths.  Major League Baseball should start to exercise instant replay at the beginning of the 2009 season.

Steroids

Steroids in Baseball

 

 

 

 

In the world of baseball there are many allegations stretching from betting on games to the steroid scandal.  The MLB does not do a good job of managing their franchise.  Commissioner Bud Selig is not doing enough to straighten out his league.  Compared to the NFL, NBA and MLS, Major league baseball is a laughing stock of American Sports.  I understand that those other organizations have their problems (Spy Gate and Tim Donaghy) but the MLB is far more ahead of them in troubles.  Steroid allegations are a key problem with the MLB and will end up killing the majors.  Steroids need to be completely abolished from the Majors.  Are steroids ruining baseball?

          Steroids are ruining the correct brand of baseball that should be played at a high level.  Last season an astronomical amount of homeruns were hit by players that were allegedly taking a performance enhancer.  Last season in the Mitchell Report, eighty six names were listed including thirty one all stars and seven former Most Valuable Players.  This is astounding.  Of those eighty six players, two cooperated with Commissioner Selig.  Both Jason Giambi and Frank Thomas had agreed to speak with Selig.  This is amazing because information from two people isn’t going to go very far.  Some players have came out and admitted their performance enhancer use while others continue to deny allegations that many people know are true.

          The discipline system in Major League Baseball has just met the standards that it should.  During the 2002 season, the suspensions were not going to do anything.  In one case, you weren’t even suspended.  In order of offenses, counseling, fifteen days, twenty five days, fifty days, and one year.  What I get out of this system is you can take steroids until you get caught once so you will only have to go to counseling.  In January of 2005 the system had an overhaul that didn’t change much.  All that this did is move every suspension up one offense and made your fifth offense be the commissioner’s decisions.  This wasn’t going to do anything for people, just a little slap on the wrist.  I really like the system put into place right now for this season.  Your first offense will cost you fifty games, second will be one hundred games, and your third is a lifetime ban.  This is how the system should have been in the first place.

          Steroids being completely taken out of baseball would be nearly impossible, but making the discipline much harsher is a good way to slow it down.  I know there are players that continue or are starting to juice right now and I don’t accept that.  Bud Selig has begun to take steroids out of baseball but will need to do more to do it completely.  Steroids are a big distraction in the league and have partially taken my interest away from the majors.  I don’t like watching a game and I think it is the homerun derby.