If major league baseball had instant replay for plays at the plate, the Colorado Rockies and San Diego Padres might still be playing.
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The debate continues as to whether Stillwater native Matt Holliday did or did not touch home with the game-winning run in Monday night's riveting play-in game at Coors Field.
Imagine the chaos had home-plate umpire Tim McClelland gone to the videotape. The spontaneity of advancing to the playoffs would have been replaced with a disgustingly painful wait.
More than likely, we would have wound up with a dreaded "inconclusive evidence” ruling, which I assume would be followed by a formal shrugging of the shoulders from McClelland.
So, was Holliday safe or out?
He was safe.
Why? Because that's what McClelland casually signaled, with Holliday flat on his back and Padres catcher Michael Barrett about to apply the tag.
The less instant replay there is, the better.
Get rid of replays, period, in every sport.
Add replay to baseball and the games would last six hours.
Human error is a vital element in sports, and in life.
Geezers like me got along just fine with blown calls in sports before technology took over, and we can get along just fine in the future.
With instant replay offering a bailout clause, officials have become cowardly, lazy and hesitant. Knowing they have the final say might sharpen their skills.
And is there anything more infuriating when the wrong call stands after replay?
Baseball has long reflected the passage of time. But let's hope the grand old game stays far away from the instant replay era.
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Of course baseball would be too long with the instant replay rule -- mainly because it's too long already. If anything, baseball should have time limits for many parts of the game, to help speed it up.
But some sports simply need it. Throughout my 30+ years of watching sports, I can't count the number of times I've seen on the replay that the ref/ump was so far wrong, and I sat there, sick to my stomach at the call, and how the course of the game was changed with an officiating mistakes.
On the other hand, the greatest teams have risen above the "blown call" syndrome, and dominated despite officiating mistakes.
San Diego catcher Michael Barrett, right, tries to put a tag on Colorado's Matt Holliday as Holliday scores the winning run Monday night in Denver. Holliday was ruled safe, but questions remain if he ever touched home base in the 13th inning of a one-game playoff for the National League wild-card. ASSOCIATED PRESS
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Thank you for joining our conversations on NewsOK.com. We encourage your discussions but ask that you stay within the bounds of our terms and conditions. Please help us by reporting comments that violate these guidelines. To review our rules of engagement, go to Commenting and posting policy.
Leave a comment. Log in below or sign up (it's free).Editor's note: It is not our intent to offer comments on crime or fatality stories.
But some sports simply need it. Throughout my 30+ years of watching sports, I can't count the number of times I've seen on the replay that the ref/ump was so far wrong, and I sat there, sick to my stomach at the call, and how the course of the game was changed with an officiating mistakes.
On the other hand, the greatest teams have risen above the "blown call" syndrome, and dominated despite officiating mistakes.