Hey Bud Selig - Pon de Replay

Armando Galarraga only managed a smirk after Jim Joyce ruined his perfect game with 2 outs in the 9th
Replay. The long argued topic in Major League Baseball is once again taking the forefront after Jim Joyce clearly missed a call that cost Armando Galarraga a spot in baseball history. Galarraga would have become the 3rd pitcher in 25 days and just the 21st ALL-TIME to throw a perfect game. This was his shot at avoiding baseball mediocrity. And he delivered - but Jim Joyce blew the call.

This shot clearly shows Galarraga beat Jason Donald to the bag and it's not even close.


This next shot shows Galarraga with the ball in his glove and his foot on the base before Donald's foot reaches the base. That's an out in my book.

I have always been a baseball purist. I believed the game was perfect the way it is and should avoid changing at all costs. I was against MLB using replay for controversial home runs and I never thought I'd see the day where I argued for the use of more replay systems in Major League Baseball but today my opinion has changed. After watching countless blown calls, some insignificant, others monumental, I believe baseball should, nay, needs to implement replay for more than just home run calls. There have been far too many blown calls in recent memory that have cost players and teams a potential place in history.

I know, I know, using replay for fair/foul and safe/out calls might lengthen a few games here and there and shortening game time is all people seem to be concerned about these days; but wouldn't you rather get the call right and the game last an extra 5 minutes than blow a potentially career or franchise changing call? Hell, the "perfect" game tonight only lasted 1:44 and the game probably would have taken the same amount of time had they used replay because Galarraga would have never had to face the 28th batter.

I'm not here to completely ridicule the umpires because they are humans and we all make mistakes but wouldn't a system with little to no mistakes be better for everyone? Football uses replay. Basketball has it. Hockey uses it. Hell, even tennis uses replay. Baseball is still stuck in the Windows 95 age and refuses to break into the era of new technology with the big boys. I'm not suggesting baseball use replay for strikes and balls, rather add it for safe/out and fair/foul calls in addition to the already present home run calls. What would it hurt? After watching last years playoffs my opinion on implementing replay began to change. It seemed as if every game umps would blow easy calls that had a huge impact on the series. It wasn't just the 2009 playoffs either, there have been huge calls blown by umpires over the past 25 years that could have all been corrected with a simple replay.

In game 2 of the 2009 ALDS Mauer led off the top of the 11th with an apparent double. Instead, 3rd base umpire Phil Cuzzi ruled it a foul ball when it was blatantly fair.

You can clearly see where the ball hit, inside fair territory

Mauer ended up singling but a double may have won them the game. After Mauer, Kubel singled which probably would have brought him home but instead he was at 2nd. Next Cuddyer singled (which would have definitely scored Mauer if he had not on the play before) but again he could only advance one base. The bases were loaded and then the Yankees got 3 straight outs without letting Minnesota score. In the bottom of the 11th Teixeira hit a solo HR to end it. Instead of going back to Minnesota tied 1-1, the Twins went back down 0-2 and lost game 3 to end their season. The Yankees went on to win the World Series and Twins fans were left wondering "what if?".


Everyone remembers the name Jeffrey Maier. On October 9, 1996 Derek Jeter was at-bat with the Yankees trailing 4-3 in the 8th inning of the 1st game of the ALCS. He hit a fly ball to deep RF that was interfered with by 12 year-old Yankee fan Jeffrey Maier. Maier reached over the wall, into the field of play and caught the ball. Umpire Rich Garcia ruled it a home run and the Yankees went on to win the game, that series and the 1996 World Series. If home run replay had existed back then who knows how the series would have turned out.


October 6, 1985 - Game 6 of the World Series between the Cardinals and the Royals. The Cards were up 3-2 in the series and 1-0 in the 9th inning. Jorge Orta led off the 9th for the Royals and hit a slow grounder to 1st (almost an exact copy of the play tonight). The first baseman tossed it to the pitcher covering 1st. Don Denkinger, the 1st base umpire, called Orta safe and the Royals went on to win the game 2-1 and game 7 11-0 for their first and only World Series. Another easy situation where replay could have prevented Denkinger from receiving death threats and Cardinals fans from drowning their sorrows with Budweiser.

Again, umpires make mistakes. We all do. Umpires get pummeled after games where they make terrible calls and most times it is rightfully so. Sometimes they lose their jobs. Replay would get rid of all of that. 95% of the time umpires are right but that 5% is where a little bit of modern technology can help correct the flaws. It is time to add replay to baseball.