Game five of last night’s ALCS game between the Yankees and Angels was fascinating not just because Los Angeles staved off elimination, doing it in comeback fashion late.
During the middle innings, when it looked as if the Yanks were in control of the game, Fox Sports announcers Joe Buck and Tim McCarver talked about use of video review in major league baseball. Each stated, and I agree, that the umpires in this series have had, for whatever reason, a difficult time getting calls right.
Buck and McCarver’s discussion got started when Johnny Damon was called out on a close play at first base. Instant replay showed that Damon was clearly safe.
McCarver admitted that, had he been asked a week ago whether he was in favor of video review, he’d have said no. Last night he reneged, the result of several missed calls by the umpiring staff throughout this Angels-Yankees series.
The stakes in the post season are just too high, McCarver claimed, to not get the call right, especially with the technology available. He also stated that baseball is losing credibility with its fan base when calls like the one last night aren’t overturned. I don’t agree with McCarver’s last sentiment.
If you’ve read my profile, you already know I’m a self-professed purist of the game, but you don’t have to be a purist to know that video review in baseball is just wrong. They already review balls hit near the top of the outfield wall to determine whether it was a homerun or a ball still in play.
This summer, twice in one game, I had to endure the umpire leaving the field to head to the clubhouse to review the play in order to make a call on such fly balls. With the technology available today, you’d think the umpire could simply receive a text message from an official in a press box and never leave the field. Fans wouldn’t even have to know the play was under review.
But now Buck and McCarver are trying to sell me, and Major League Baseball, on the importance of getting the calls right, especially this time of year. They referred to the NFL and their use of video review, calling it a success.
The big difference between the NFL and postseason play in baseball is that, in the NFL they don’t play a seven-game series. A team has one game to advance to the next round. It’s more important in the NFL to get the call right because a missed call can result in the losing team heading for the golf course.
In baseball, a missed call rarely determines the outcome of an entire series. In baseball, a missed call is part of the game. The home team may get the shaft one night, but they’re often the recipient of an errant call the next night. In this year’s ALCS, the bad calls have pretty much been evenly distributed between both teams.
Consider also that video review will take manager ejections out of the game entirely. No longer will we see Lou Piniella sprint from the dugout to turn purple as he argues a call, spittle flying. You might as well take fighting out of hockey. With video review, a manager will casually stroll out to simply ask the home plate umpire for a review.
And where do you draw the line with video reviews? Do you call balls and strikes from the centerfield camera?
The strike zone arguably changes from umpire to umpire, from pitcher to pitcher. How many times do we hear an announcer say that if a pitcher showed better control he’d get the close pitches? All hitters want is consistently, which is what I want. If Justin Verlander isn’t getting the outside strike, Zack Greinke better not be.
Do you include fan interference plays? How about foul tips? A batsman who claims he was hit by a pitch and the umpire can find no evidence of shoe polish on the ball? Checked swings?
You could argue that a runner called out at first who is safe kills a potential rally. You could point out that a bad call on a sliding play at second or third base could change the outcome of the game for either team; that a runner safe at home but called out takes a run off the scoreboard.
The truth of the matter is that baseball is a kid’s game, no matter the stakes in October. How often does an official scorer score a hit for the home team on an opposing infielder’s error, if only to benefit his batting average?
There is, and there should remain, a human element to officiating in baseball. Players slump; why shouldn’t an umpire be allowed an off day?
I’m not arrogant enough to think Major League Baseball, or commissioner Bud Selig, reads my articles here at Bleacher Report , but if they should, consider this: If you’re considering use of video review for postseason play next year, or any future year—please don’t! Not if you value the integrity of the game.
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