Two minutes after the call was blown, MLB Network analysts were already talking about should instant replay be expanded. I believe so. It is the 21st century, Bud Selig. We need to get calls right. How many more perfect games, playoff games, World Series games, heck, REGULAR GAMES are going to have to be tainted by the so-called "human element" of the game.
I love baseball, and I believe umpires should stay a part of baseball. I love the history of baseball, and the fact that it's a pure game (although that might have been changed in the past 20 years or so). That's why in constructing my instant replay proposal over the last 20 hours, I've taken all of that into account. Here it is:
1.) Put a fifth umpire in a replay booth up on the press box level with access to all the replay angles we see daily on TV.
2.) Have the crew chief or home plate ump, just one of the umps, on the field with an earpiece that communicates with the replay umpire.
3.) Allow each manager to have 2 challenges for the first 8 innings of the game, which are allowed to be used for anything EXCEPT balls and strikes.
4.) Once the 9th inning starts, all challenges must be made by an umpire, sort of like the NFL, where only refs can review within 2 minutes of completing each half.
That's it. I know I'm going to be criticized for this, but our beloved game of baseball has a problem, and it is imperative that a solution is reached. Obviously, managers might just throw challenges for anything. Then you could make it one challenge. Make it one challenge for the whole game, 9th inning on included. This is just a quick fix to a problem that just cost one pitcher baseball immortality, and who knows? Maybe it'll cost the Yanks a world series title.
Feel free to comment or yell at me below, this is just my thinking on how it can and SHOULD be fixed.
As I said, it's the 21st century, let's get calls right.
