Un-Athletic Replay

Nobody is perfect. Baseball is a wonderful example of how imperfect someone can be and still be considered great.  Think about it; a hitter that hits .300 is considered a great hitter. Ted Williams hit .406 in 1941 and is considered legendary.  What have you done recently that someone said, “Gee, you were only 40% successful. Outstanding!” In school, 40% is easily a failing grade.  A team can have a fielding percentage of .970 and be considered terrible. (See Angels, Los Angeles) Meanwhile, doing most things at a 97% rate is great.

 

Umpires are human beings as well. They can make mistakes, like calling a strike a ball, or missing a tag applied to a runner. Human error will always be part of the processes of baseball. Normally, I’d give an umpire the benefit of the doubt, reason that he’s made numerous good calls against a few bad calls, and call it a day. There’s one area however, where I can’t give an umpire that kind of leeway.

 

Instant replay.

 

Instant replay was introduced to baseball so that the most crucial of calls can be seen again, in real time or slowed down, so that umpires can make the right call. The right call can make the difference between winning and losing.  As the Athletics learned Wednesday night, umpires can even mess up calls with the aid of technology.  Umpire Angel Hernandez blew the call on Adam Rosales’ game tying HR in the top of the ninth of the A’s tilt with the Cleveland Indians.  He originally ruled it a double, then claimed that the video replay was “inconclusive” and upheld the call of a double.  The A’s lost the game by a run, instead of being able to extend the game to the bottom of the ninth.  It’s not a guarantee that they would’ve won, but at least the game would be decided on the field.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kNYAI-d8UA

Many people will dismiss this as grumbling over one game in May, with seemingly little impact on the big scheme of a 162-game regular season, but in reality, this blown call means so much more.  After a 12-4 start, Oakland has went into a free fall, going 6-13 since. At 18-17, the A’s are 3.5 games back of the Texas Rangers in the AL West and 2.5 games back of the New York Yankees for the second wild-card spot.  The AL is going to be extremely strong at the top of the standings. Detroit and Texas should win their relative divisions and there’s going to be a 3-way brawl between Boston, Baltimore, and New York for that division crown. That means Oakland will have to contend with two of those teams as well as a possible surprise playoff contender like Kansas City or Cleveland for two wild-card spots.  Every game will count.  If you think it doesn’t, look at last season. Oakland won the AL West with a 94-68 record.  If this would’ve happened last year, Oakland would’ve finished 93-67, which would’ve placed them in a tie with Texas and the Baltimore Orioles…they would’ve had to play a one game playoff for the division, and if they lost, a one game playoff with Baltimore for the wild-card spot.  Say they lost those…then Oakland potentially loses a playoff spot on an umpire’s blown call.  What’s to say that same scenario won’t happen this year and the A’s are looking at the playoffs from home because they lost a game in May on an instant replay blunder?

 

Angel Hernandez, sometimes 97% isn’t good enough.
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