If they want to 'preserve' baseball they should have never outlawed spitballs, nor should they ever have installed stadium lights.
Sheesh. I really like the idea of an instant replay. Don't they kinda do the same thing when they appeal to the 1B or 3B umpires on a checked swing??
Possum said:
As a former umpire, I like to believe the men in blue are infallible. It is not the ball going over the fence that makes it a homerun. It's the umpire calling it a homerun that makes it a homerun.
Seriously though, homerun calls are the only plays that I would advocate using it for. It happens so rarely that you don't have to worry about it slowing down the game, and it's really the only call where the umpire is making the call at a long distance and has no chance to get into the proper position to make the call. But if you start then it opens the door to using it for other plays.
As a practical matter, the best thing would be to have a fifth crew member that would be in charge of replay, but I'm not sure MLB would be willing to pay for this. I heard one umpire suggest this as a way to ease older umpires into retirement since apparently a lot of them struggle financially after retirement.
miles said:
Yeah, I think I'm with you Brian. I would not have a problem with replay on boundry calls, as the article calls them (homeruns, foul balls, fan interference, etc.), but I would really hate to see every close tag at the plate replayed over and over and over.
Does the NFL allow the use of instant replay to determine the spot of the ball? I can't remember. It seems like that is kind of analogus to the types of judgement calls that need to be preserved in baseball if they go to replay.
On a similar but kind of unrelated note, I once read an article abot how the official rules of baseball can be interpretted to contradict themselves on what happens when there is a tie play, despite the common misconception that "a tie goes to the runner." Some guy pressed the issue before the rules committee and they determined that there is no such thing as a tie play in baseball. Crazy!
Possum said:
NFL does allow replay for determining the spot of the ball.
I'm in favor of limiting it beyond "boundary" calls to homerun calls only. Foul balls could only be reversed if it was a fair call that was actually foul. If the call is foul, you couldn't reverse that because the play would have stopped. Plus, I think that this call is a lot easier to make for the umpire, and I think they are pretty good at it.
As for the contradiction on "tie goes to the runner," no where in the rule book is this stated. The rule book says that the ball must BEAT the runner to the base. So if it were in fact a "tie" the runner would be safe because the ball had not beaten him to the bag.
Possum said:
Oh, and just for fun, my favorite rule in the MLB rulebook:
7.08(i) [Any runner is out when-] After he has acquired legal possession of a base, he runs the bases in reverse order for the purpose of confusing the defense or making a travesty of the game.
miles said:
I'll have to dig up that book and tell you which rules the article specifically mentions. I think the one you've quoted is the rule that most people associate with the "tie goes to the runner" cliche, but there's another rule that implies that the runner is out unless he or she arrives before the ball... totally contradicting the more famous rule. I'll find it.
I guess the article is about 5 years old by now too. They may have straightened out the language by now....
Possum said:
I could only find my 2003 rulebook last night. Once I track down my 2007 copy, I'll look to see if there is a difference between the two.
Brad said:
Hey, sorry for my absence the past months .... after my comp got robbed, all my bookmarks were gone too, and even though I know how to find you guys site (google, baby!), it's not as convienent as clicking a bookmark.
So 2 things:
1- Miles, THANKS for trying to call me so often! I'm actually a little busier now, so the weekends I am often out of my apartment during the day. But most nights by 9.30 or so I'm back home.
2- Regarding replay, I think it should be used only in limited fashion... not to call ball or strike, but fan interference, or fair/foul, etc. But unlike you guys, I am definitely not a baseball fan. So I'll be content either way. :) (Isn't it nice to give your opinion on an issue that carries zero weight personally? Just think it through and rationalize, and presto!)
If they want to 'preserve' baseball they should have never outlawed spitballs, nor should they ever have installed stadium lights.
Sheesh. I really like the idea of an instant replay. Don't they kinda do the same thing when they appeal to the 1B or 3B umpires on a checked swing??
As a former umpire, I like to believe the men in blue are infallible. It is not the ball going over the fence that makes it a homerun. It's the umpire calling it a homerun that makes it a homerun.
Seriously though, homerun calls are the only plays that I would advocate using it for. It happens so rarely that you don't have to worry about it slowing down the game, and it's really the only call where the umpire is making the call at a long distance and has no chance to get into the proper position to make the call. But if you start then it opens the door to using it for other plays.
As a practical matter, the best thing would be to have a fifth crew member that would be in charge of replay, but I'm not sure MLB would be willing to pay for this. I heard one umpire suggest this as a way to ease older umpires into retirement since apparently a lot of them struggle financially after retirement.
Yeah, I think I'm with you Brian. I would not have a problem with replay on boundry calls, as the article calls them (homeruns, foul balls, fan interference, etc.), but I would really hate to see every close tag at the plate replayed over and over and over.
Does the NFL allow the use of instant replay to determine the spot of the ball? I can't remember. It seems like that is kind of analogus to the types of judgement calls that need to be preserved in baseball if they go to replay.
On a similar but kind of unrelated note, I once read an article abot how the official rules of baseball can be interpretted to contradict themselves on what happens when there is a tie play, despite the common misconception that "a tie goes to the runner." Some guy pressed the issue before the rules committee and they determined that there is no such thing as a tie play in baseball. Crazy!
NFL does allow replay for determining the spot of the ball.
I'm in favor of limiting it beyond "boundary" calls to homerun calls only. Foul balls could only be reversed if it was a fair call that was actually foul. If the call is foul, you couldn't reverse that because the play would have stopped. Plus, I think that this call is a lot easier to make for the umpire, and I think they are pretty good at it.
As for the contradiction on "tie goes to the runner," no where in the rule book is this stated. The rule book says that the ball must BEAT the runner to the base. So if it were in fact a "tie" the runner would be safe because the ball had not beaten him to the bag.
Oh, and just for fun, my favorite rule in the MLB rulebook:
7.08(i) [Any runner is out when-] After he has acquired legal possession of a base, he runs the bases in reverse order for the purpose of confusing the defense or making a travesty of the game.
I'll have to dig up that book and tell you which rules the article specifically mentions. I think the one you've quoted is the rule that most people associate with the "tie goes to the runner" cliche, but there's another rule that implies that the runner is out unless he or she arrives before the ball... totally contradicting the more famous rule. I'll find it.
I guess the article is about 5 years old by now too. They may have straightened out the language by now....
I could only find my 2003 rulebook last night. Once I track down my 2007 copy, I'll look to see if there is a difference between the two.
Hey, sorry for my absence the past months .... after my comp got robbed, all my bookmarks were gone too, and even though I know how to find you guys site (google, baby!), it's not as convienent as clicking a bookmark.
So 2 things:
1- Miles, THANKS for trying to call me so often! I'm actually a little busier now, so the weekends I am often out of my apartment during the day. But most nights by 9.30 or so I'm back home.
2- Regarding replay, I think it should be used only in limited fashion... not to call ball or strike, but fan interference, or fair/foul, etc. But unlike you guys, I am definitely not a baseball fan. So I'll be content either way. :) (Isn't it nice to give your opinion on an issue that carries zero weight personally? Just think it through and rationalize, and presto!)