Is it? This was just a bad call in a mid-season game not a reason to expand the cause for replay in baseball.

The Pujols HR review took 4 minutes. Without replay there surely would have been a rhubarb that would have lasted nearly that long with fingers in the face, ejections, bumping, suspensions. Now, waiting through a review has less entertainment value than watching the ground crew rake the infield. But it does lend to more civility. Ironically both of these game deciding replays from the same night were inconclusive. And in both cases, if the "expected call" were made, it would have been the better call. If baseball does expand replay, the red flag idea would probably be best. You get one a game. You lose it if the manager gets ejected for arguing a call inappropriately - after all, he could have just thrown out the flag. And he'd best save it for when it really matters.

Sorry,

I think you are wrong about a lot of things....

1. Civility in MLB is a big problem, and it has to do with the overpaid egos of the players and to a lesser extent managers. It also has to do with a bunch of losers on ESPN who try to sensationalize every possible mistake a TV camera finds.

I love to listen to Marty Breneman do a Reds radio game. Problem is these days all he can is complain about umpires every day. I can't remember the last time I heard his compliment a crew or umpire, or admit his opinion was wrong when replay showed it to be correct. People with big egos accuse umpires of having big egos.

2. Ejections may have happened, but nothing else you said would have occurred. If the Commissioner's Office was serious about civility, they would start cracking down on players, coaches, and team reps who throw umpires under the bus as often as they can to cover their own mistakes.

3. Maybe the 'expected call' would have been the right call here, but F2 screwed up this play and caused the problem to begin with. He never should have let the runner get to the plate until he knew the umpire called him out. Why is it a player gets to assume something when it's not clear it is what happened? If he didn't hear out after the tag, or heard no tag or no call, then tag him again and make sure the PU sees it. But don't start crying how you got cheated because you didn't make the right play to begin with.

4. Your plan is awful. So a team throws a flag (ha! ha! just like Little League) in the 3rd and the reply shows them to be right. Now you are taking away their right to throw the flag in the 9th on a close play when the winning run is scoring or a HR is or isn't a homer? That solves all our problems.

5. The real problem in all this are the jerks who throw umpires under the bus every time a call doesn't go their way, and the clowns who spend all night with an Excel spreadsheet, a few camera angles off Youtube, and too much time on their hands in their parent's basement. Life is unfair, even in Baseball. they need to get over themselves and play the game.

Here is my opinion in one sentence: Every single person who is complaining about the umpires, and this call in particular, and who have never umpired a baseball game, need to kindly and quickly STFU.

Amen, screw the bat. The umpire isn't the designated field bat boy. Only time he should ever move a bat is when he has plenty of time to do so, while not affecting his play in any way.

How is this just like Little League? The flag in LL is for a runner leaving base early.

I like the Charles Barkley-style school of umpiring: each umpire should be allowed to beat the cheese out of one manager or candy-a$$ player per game when they argue too much.:cool:

sadly that is the state of the game
 

That is what baseball has become. They think replay has worked in football, (it has not) and they think it works in basketball, (it does not), so now they are moving on to baseball.

I too listen to a lot of game, many on the radio, and the announcers have gotten really bad about calling out an umpire. Many times when they don't have a clue what they are talking about.

I know they are paid by the team, but I think they should spend more time calling out the players who don't make the "routine play."

Thanks
David

Have you ever been critical of the President of the United States? If so, using your logic, you are out of line in doing so unless your name happens to be Jimmy Carter, George Bush, or Bill Clinton.

apples and oranges

He blew the call and Steve is 100% right. STFU! This is a site for umpires to discuss rules, mechanics and ideas that help umpires improve their officiating skills.

We can care less about some meda talking head, Fan, coach or opinionated idiot that has never "walked the walk" but, believes they should be allowed to "talk the talk".

Yours truly,

Jimmy Carter, George Bush, and Bill Clinton