Quote:
Originally posted by Jurassic Referee
Quote:
Originally posted by WhatWuzThatBlue
'Getting the call right' is about making sure that the call that should be made gets made.
Bob Davidson who was charged with making the call and is desgignated as crew chief, saw it much differently. He was convinced that the player gained an unfair advantage and when asked, went to his partners and informed them of what he saw, then he penalized it. As proferred before, in real time this play was much more difficult.
As for replay, I've mentioned it before and I'll reiterate; it is a necesary evil of the future.
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There's the problem right there though, imo. The call that should have been made didn't get made. Davidson properly (I guess) interjected himself into the play, but he still didn't get the play right. Now, I certainly can't really knock Davidson for that either. Bottom line, it's a judgement call- and there ain't an official in the world in any sport that can truthfully say that they've never been wrong on a judgement call. Now, after Davidson kicked the call though, should Knight have come to him and said "Who there, Big Guy, I'm sure that he didn't leave early"? And, if he did, where do you go from there? As I said, can you end up getting this call "right" now without using replay? Or do you simply end up going with the person who (shoulda) made the original call- Davidson- and get the call wrong?
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J.R., I can't believe that we are actually dialoguing without catty remarks...what is going on? Let me try to answer your points. The idea that the umpire gets the play right versus ignoring it is the basis for the principle I espouse. I have never championed changing calls just to insert yourself into the game. If you truly believe that the call was made incorrectly AND the rules allow for conferencing/debate, you should do it. The MLB rules require it now. In Davidson's opinion, the runner left early. It is and will forever be his call to make. Can we all agree on that? Knight made this a cluster f--- by jumping in when he shouldn't have. While Davidson may have taken the shaft for this call, it would have all been on him. Now, he has to clean up his partner's mistake and right the wrong. Again, I never said that the call was correct or not. I simply said that the calling umpire did not get the chance to make it until after Knight SNAFU'd it. Getting teh call right is more about talking it over and having the crew chief do what is appropriate. In this case, it was his call in the first place. If Knight had waited until Davidson had signalled, it would all be moot. Could Knight have told Davidson that the runner was fine? Certainly, but after getting his hand smacked so publicly, he probably bowed to the greater ego. After the game, Knight was quoted as saying that he should never have made the appeal call. That is all I'm concerned with.
Without replay, Davidson's call would stand up. The only reason we are debating this is because it was stop actioned to death. However, the use of instant replay for contests like these and plays like this is obvious. A thirty second look by the umpire in the booth and it is all over. While judgement is the human part of the game, technology has advanced to make an umpire better, not weaker. Look at the NFL and those guys don't make calls with replay in mind. They call the play and if it is challenged, then the scrutiny begins. Baseball at this level will use some sort of replay in the future, count on it. There is simply too much money at stake.
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[Edited by bob jenkins on Mar 16th, 2006 at 08:39 AM]