So I'm torn. I want the umpires to have the tools to effectively call the games. But I don't want 3 hour games to turn into 4 hour games. While it didn't factor in the win loss column, in the Mets-Yankees game yesterday, a Carlos Delgado home run was waved off even though it was real.
Ever since Jeffrey Maier stole caught a fly ball that was potentially in play in the ALCS from the Baltimore Orioles, I've wanted instant replay in the majors. Who knows, without that call, maybe the Orioles win the ALCS over the Yankees and win the World Series. The Peter Angelos hate meter would drop about 5% and instead of the 25 year anniversary of Baltimore's last World Series Championship, it would only be the 12th.
Some might say to cap it like the NFL. You can have X number of replays per game. I'm not happy with that, but I don't want it abused by managers.
In the end some sort of instant replay is needed.
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I think the answer to the problem needs to be addressed two ways: 1. allow replays only on disputed home run calls, 2. stop building stadiums with ambiguous home run fences. Drawing a line on a wall and asking the umps to make a call as to weather a ball hit the wall above or below the line can be a very difficult call to make (see Houston's ballpark formerly known as Enron Field).
If MASN can generate a computer graphic for balls and strikes, then why not provide umpires with a computer generated like gps device that has a computer generated foul pole that can show a graph on both sides of the pole and which side of the pole the ball passed?
It wouldn't be much different than a first down line for football, but would be a an enhanced foul pole. Imagine it something like tennis where a replay can show whether the ball is in or out.
Speaking of updated technology we still don't have flying cars or clean nuclear fusion to solve our energy problems, but when do you think we'll have airport security like Arnold in Total Recall? I mean shouldn't that technology be pretty close. The only way Arnold penetrated the security was with an exploding head that could talk so since that doesn't appear feasible, I'm all for the walking x-ray machines.