Quote:
Originally posted by PeteBooth
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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I hate to say it Pete, but you may have hit the nail on the head! At one time, we were respected for making a decision and sticking to it. It may not have been the decision that everyone liked but we were the "judge & jury" on the field. Today, everyone pisses and moans about every damn call that is made. Replays in NCAA & MLB games have everyone questioning what we do.
The thing that people forget is that they see the play 3 or 4 times from different angles and in slow-motion. We get to see the play from 1 angle, in real time and only once! We make the decision in a fraction of a second, run it over in our heads for another fraction of a second and then make the call.
The game was designed for us to make the call as we saw the play. It was never designed for "getting together" to make a decision. There are only a handful of things that we are supposed to "get together" for and very few of those things are for rendering calls. The game was never designed for instant replay either. And on the subject of instant replay, where will it end? Home runs, interference calls, obstruction, pitches, tags, catches? They all warrant "instant replay".
Very simply put, if "instant replay" has to come to baseball, let them put everything under the camera's watchful eye. The game will take hours to complete and the fans will stop going to the parks because of the duration of the game. Oh I know, let's also set time limits just like other sports! Then we can all put on striped uniforms and white knickers and huddle after every call. Also, let's use whistles! That will help the TV cameramen and wake up the fans.
Let's get realistic here, people. There is entirely too much "huddling" to get a call "right" and too much pissing and moaning. None of these ideas will help the game. Oh in the short term, everyone will think that it is good because we finally get the call "right". But in the long run, we will be taking away from the game the most important element - "the decision of the umpire is final!"
[Edited by ozzy6900 on Oct 12th, 2004 at 07:32 AM]