Instant Replay by Christian

Hello everyone, its Christian Hartnett here. So a lot of people have been talking about implementing instant replay in baseball and, frankly, I don't agree one bit. My biggest issue with instant replay is that it will make baseball games even longer than they already are. Almost every game at least one manager comes out to argue a call, sometimes more than one time a game. There would be too many replay requests, and where do you draw the line? Which calls can be reviewed and which can't? There really is no way to determine which plays or calls can be reviewed by instant replay because most of the time the smallest instances decide the outcome of the game. Why should homeruns be replayed and not checked swings? It just wouldn't be fair.

In my mind, the beauty of baseball is its subjective nature. Let me explain. Since baseball relies on the decision of an umpire, it is up to the umpire to DECIDE what HE THINKS happened. Does every play have a definite result? No. Instant replay may show that a player was tagged out before he slid into the base, but if the umpire signals that he is safe, HE IS SAFE. There are no ifs, ands, or buts. That is the way it is. And that is the beauty of baseball.

As an Angels fan, most of my fellow Angel lovers would call me crazy. Remember the call in Game 1 of the ALCS against the White Sox? Remember when we saw that Josh Paul had indeed caught that strike three pitch in the dirt? Remember when umpire Doug Eddings was the most hated man in Orange County? Yes, I do admit to cursing Doug many times for that missed call. But I will not admit to crying out for instant replay in baseball. That play should not have been replayed, Doug just should have made the right call (the right call in MY mind, remember?). But that is the game of baseball, and I wouldn't have it any other way.