I have spent some time watching professional baseball and have come to the conclusion that the administrators of the game have made it SUCK. Teams can now have umpires calls checked and have the home office review video and uphold or overturn the call made on the field.
After umpiring the game for 20+ years at many levels, I can say that umpires get few calls wrong, and what I have seen with this review process supports my opinion (as most calls are not over turned and the arbiter had it right). Hopefully they will see this and get rid of this stupid allowance and return the game to the players and officials involved in the contest. This needs to be quickly before this trickles down to youth sports and parents are coming out of the stands with their cell phones with different angles of the play and pleading for Johnny or Missy to have the call reversed in their favor.
Sports are a peoples' game, that should have many aspects of human error built into it. Whether it is the players making the mistake, the coach or manager's bad decision, or an official missing a call, it is all part of the game. Allowing any and everyone to dictate the calling of the game makes the contest inane. This is not a court of law, with people pleading their viewpoint.
The thing that has destroyed most professional sports has been instant reply, slo-mo, reverse angle, and jumbotrons in every stadium. Before the dust has even settled and the official has finished his call, it is replayed for all to see. Whatever happened to the game being played out on the field? Now it is played through video tape in a control room, and decided by those not even on the plane of play.
No comments:
Post a Comment