Big news from baseball this past week as Major League Baseball has decided that, starting in 2014, they will expand the use of instant replay. This will be done to limit the amount of incorrect calls made by umpires. Currently, replay is only used to determine if a home run has been hit or not. Starting next year, anything can be reviewed. Each manager will have 1 challenge over the first 6 innings of a game and will have 2 challenges from the seventh inning until the completion of the game. All calls that are challenged will be reviewed by a crew in MLB Headquarters in New York City, which will make the final ruling.
In this article, I will give you reasons why I think this is a great decision and reasons why I think this is a dumb decision.
Pros:
1. Get the Calls Right- This is the most obvious one. We will never have to worry about a bad call made by an umpire. Remember when Armando Galarraga lost his perfect game because of a bad call by Jim Joyce? We will never have to worry about that again with instant replay.
2. Everybody else is doing it!- The NFL has a replay system that has been in place for many years. The NBA uses replays during close calls in the last few minutes of the game. The NHL reviews close calls to determine if there has been a goal or not. It is about time for MLB to follow their lead and do the same.
Cons:
1. Eliminates some of the human nature of the sport- One of the best aspects of baseball is the human element of the sport. It is what has made baseball so compelling. We have never seen technology become a factor in baseball and it will be weird to see it happen.
2. Less Arguments- Some may see this as a good thing but with instant replay means that there will be less arguments between players/coaches and umpires which the fans love to see. There will still be arguments about balls and strikes but it will not be the same.
Overall, I think this can be a good move for Major League Baseball. We should give it a chance and see what happens before we make judgments. Some may hate change but sometimes we have to adapt to the world that we live in.
Until next time,
Nathan Krispin
Red, White and Orange Sports
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