WisconsInnovation

5 comments:

1. Seamus Mehls said... December 9, 2010 at 4:04 PM

   I definitely think it is time to introduce a higher level of instant replay to baseball. So far instant replay has overturned numerous wrong calls in the home run department. Why not expand it to save wrong calls in other parts of baseball too?
   
   I understand that many baseball purists don't like the idea of instant replay because it slows down the game and goes against the traditionalist views, but I think it is about time. Instant replay is used successfully in football and tennis (and to a lesser extent basketball), so why not baseball? I don't think that more subjective rulings like balls and strikes should be reviewed, but safe/out calls, catch/not a catch, etc. are objective and the correct answer can easily be found via video review. When we have the right answer sitting on our TV's at home, I think that the umpires (whose job is to ensure the game is FAIR) should have access to the technology to make the game run smoother.
   
   Instant replay wouldn't be the first innovation to be introduced into our 'nations pastime.' Larger gloves and metal bats (for younger ages) have made baseball a better game. On the negative side of course is performance enhancing drugs.
   
   My personal favorite baseball innovation in recent years is the 'statistical revolution' that was pioneered by Bill James and brought to the public's attention by the book 'Moneyball' by Michael Lewis (a former stockbroker who also wrote 'The Blind Side'). This view of thinking made those general managers who spend millions of dollars on free agents a little wiser into what traits they should value in players and who are truly deserving of those large contracts.
   
   Although baseball is sort of a traditionalists sport (not many kids who grew up during the internet era have the attention span for 3 hour gams), I believe that it can and should accept the innovation of video replay  

2. Aric Rindfleisch said... December 9, 2010 at 4:22 PM

   I concur with Seamus; MLB should follow the NFL's lead and seriously consider adopting an instant replay system. Like the NFL, each team should have only a limited number of replay requests that they can make during a game.  

3. dylanml said... December 9, 2010 at 6:20 PM

   Not only is instant replay a huge deal in American sports, but it could've played an enormous role in the world cup last summer. FIFA does not allow instant replay in any crcumstances, trying to preserve the human element of the game. This resulted in England scoring a goal and that the refs didn't count, as well as the US having a goal taken back because of a blown offsides call. It'll be interesting to see where this goes, as there was huge uproar over these blown callas internationally last summer.  

4. Benton said... December 12, 2010 at 5:29 PM

   I agree that baseball should expand instant replay in order to get calls right. I read a study last year saying that umpires get only 80% of close calls at the base right, so instant replay could help with this. However, I dont think that baseball should expand instant replay to balls and strikes, I think that is a human element that makes the game great.  

5. Paul M. said... December 14, 2010 at 9:08 PM

   I agree with Benton. Instant replay should be like the NFL with three challenges, so coaches could challenge on close plays at the bases. But to expand replay to balls and strikes would be to excessive. In the course of a game there are around 300 pitches, if each one was made reviewable the game would go even slower than it already is. I believe that anything should be challengeable but there should be a limit on challenges--whether that number is 2, 3, or 5 per team would be up to the commish.  

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