There has been a good discussion on changing of calls and IMO the BIG reason for the change in attitude of ML umpires over the past 10 years is TV.
Fox now has the K Zone and when a pitch is close and either F1 or B1 complains they show the pitch over and over again.
For those who watched the Twins / Yanks game the other night, remember the close play at second involving AROD where AROD thought he was safe. Fox showed that play "10 ways to Sunday"
Therefore, in Summary I think the change in attitude is not as Peter suggested "the fall of the Umpires Union" but the increased TV exposure on Every play. Also for those traditionalists out there, Get Ready because it's just a matter of time before baseball adopts some form of instant Replay. You might think this is ludicrous but I thought the same about the DH rule in the American League.
Pete Booth
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Peter M. Booth
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