Sully Baseball Daily Podcast - August 15, 2013

I recorded today's episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast outside of The Rose Bowl. No really I did.

Maybe YOP isn't the right reliever stat... maybe it is YOLUP!

Aaron Hill, Jarred Cosart, Francisco Liriano and once again Alfonso Soriano all owned baseball on August 14, 2013.

To see the up to date tally of "Who Owns Baseball?," click HERE. 
Subscribe on iTunes HERE.

Sully Baseball Daily Podcast - August 15, 2013

Sully Baseball Daily Podcast - May 26, 2013

I jump right into the polarizing topics today on The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.

The startling walk off inside the park homer by Angel Pagan in San Francisco does not makeup the fact that critical calls were blown and can be easily fixed.

Plus I talk Dusty Baker. Even the mentioning his name brings about extreme points of view. I defend and then trash him.

And I even make a Cyrano de Bergerac reference. It makes sense.

Angel Pagan, Josh Donaldson, Jake Peavy and Mike Minor all owned baseball on May 26, 2013.

To see the up to date tally of "Who Owns Baseball?," click HERE.

Subscribe on iTunes HERE.
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast - May 26, 2013
 

Sully Baseball Daily Podcast - May 25, 2013

Lots of topics on today's episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.

Instant replay opponents still have nothing. It's the anniversary of the release of Star Wars and I try to start a new rumor regarding Don Mattingly, the Dodgers and Ron Gardenhire.

Chris Young, Jordan Zimmermann, Michael Cuddyer and the one hit wonder Anibal Sanchez all owned baseball on May 24, 2013.

To see the up to date tally of "Who Owns Baseball?," click HERE Subscribe on iTunes HERE.
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast - May 25, 2013
 

Sully Baseball Daily Podcast - May 9, 2013

The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast is jammed packed today.

I talk about steroids, bad instant replay, the surging Padres, the free falling Dodgers and Angels. And I am at peace with WAR.

Paul Goldschmidt, Felix Hernandez, Mike Minor and bad call victim Adam Rosales owned baseball on May 8, 2013.

To see the up to date tally of "Who Owns Baseball?," click HERE.
Subscribe on iTunes HERE.

Sully Baseball Daily Podcast - May 9, 2013

Sully Baseball Daily Podcast - May 4, 2013

Michael Shure, the host of Current TV's The War Room, and I discussed Instant Replay on this episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.

Buster Posey, A. J. Burnett, Drew Stubbs and Jason Vargas owned baseball on May 3, 2013.

To see the up to date tally of "Who Owns Baseball?," click HERE

Subscribe on iTunes HERE.
I had made my thoughts on instant replay clear in this video...
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast - May 4, 2013

Hey opponents of instant replay... how do you like the "Human Element" in the NFL?

Another day and another grotesquely horrible call happened in the NFL.

Sure, a big reason for the horrible calls is that a bunch of Division 3 college refs and Lingerie Bowl officials are now calling games in the NFL.

But I can't help but wonder how many people who are calling up sports talk stations and screaming about the refs are also the same people who complain to me about instant replay in baseball.

"You can't lose the human element" is a common refrain. It is also a nonsensical one as I am not proposing to remove the human element from the players. I just think the game is better when the calls are correct.

But for those of you who love the human element, then this year in football must be GREAT! Blown calls! Lots of human elements.



My challenge still stands.
I still haven't heard of a valid reason to NOT have instant replay in baseball






 

MLB Should Have Instant Replay for the End of a Game - A Bleacher Report Article

Jerry Meals blew yet another game ending call... and this one came in a September pennant race!

In my latest article for Bleacher Report, I asked an obvious question: Why can't we use Instant Replay for a game ending play?

Is there a logical reason to not use it?

Please let me know.

You can read the whole article HERE.


 

Swisher was safe... but called out for being stupid

Down by 4 leading off the bottom of the 9th, Nick Swisher lined a drive to left field. Mariners left fielder Casper Wells, who already homered and drove in 3 runs, tried to make a catch but it bounced away.

Swisher tried to stretch it to a triple and was called out.
Now Replays showed he was safe (and it took less than a minute to SHOW) but I have no problem with the incorrect call standing.

No, not just because it happened to the Yankees.

But why the hell was he running to third?
To be able to score on a sacrifice fly?
To score on a passed ball?

The second he ran to third on a ball to left when he could have been in scoring position in the 9th inning with Raul Ibanez coming up?

I think the umpire called him out on principle.

"You are out JUST FOR TRYING THAT you nincompoop!"


  

Are you against instant replay? Well you are wrong.

I had a crappy day at work the other day and I made a mistake..

And someone corrected my mistake.

But nobody can correct umpire Tim Welke's mistake today.

He called Jerry Hairston out at first on a grounder during today's Dodgers/Rockies game.
First baseman Todd Helton was closer to second base than he was to first. He couldn't have had his foot on the bag unless he was Mr. Fantastic, stretching out his leg.

It was a botched call.

Again, mistakes happen.

Welke isn't perfect.

But why can't this awful call be corrected?

Watch the clip.

About 2 seconds after the call was made, the announcers pointed out that Helton wasn't near the bag.
Mattingly was out on the field about 5 or 6 seconds after the call was made.

Mattingly and Welke argue for a while.

Whatever Welke is saying in his defense is 100% correct.

No fault of Welke, he hasn't seen the evidence of his mistake.



And WHILE THEY ARE ARGUING...


The TV cameras show this image.

Pretty subtle, isn't it?

Now maybe Welke wasn't in the right position to make the call.

Hey, as I said, we all make mistakes.

This image was beamed to TVs (and hand held tablet devices) less than 40 seconds after the call was blown.

Why can't someone on the umpiring crew be in the TV booth? (Hey! An extra job and another member of the union!)

And he could call down and have someone with a tablet show Welke the mistake.

He would say "My bad!" and the game would have gone on. Nobody would have a beef and Hairston would be on first BECAUSE HE DESERVES TO BE!

What's the argument against that?

It would slow the game down?

Mattingly continued to argue while the replay was happening.

So throw that argument in the dumpster. It is meaningless.

It would be good for the game?

How? How is blowing calls good? Especially in a game like this that ended on a walk off homer and that a call here or there could have affected the outcome of the game.

And think of Welke.

He made a mistake. Nobody's fault. But instead of taking less than one minute to correct it (and it would be forgotten instantly) this bad call will be shown on TV and is already the topic of a Yahoo Sports article.

How is THAT good for baseball?

He made a mistake and no matter how much evidence you have to correct it, we can't because... um... WHY? Someone tell me!

I seriously think Instant Replay opponents are the baseball equivalent of people who insist there were dinosaurs on Noah's Ark. No amount of evidence or logical discussions could ever sway them.

Either way... Instant Replay Opponents... you are incorrect.

But I've said this before.











 

You got your money's worth in Dodger Stadium tonight!

Let's say you paid for a ticket to see tonight's Dodgers - National game in Dodger Stadium. How much bang would you get for your buck this evening.

What would you want?

1. Super hyped prospect making his debut? CHECK

2. A packed Dodger Stadium (games like this are better in front of a full house? CHECK

3. A game between (believe it or not) the two best teams in the NL? CHECK

4. Stephen Strasburg (who does look like Gollum) looking awesome? CHECK

5. A riveting pitchers duel between Strasburg and Chad Billingsley? CHECK

6. Harper getting an extra basehit and the potential winning RBI in his debut? CHECK

7. Controversy at the plate? CHECK

8. An idiot running on the field in the middle of a 9th inning rally? CHECK

9. A grade A closer meltdown, complete with the tying run scoring on a wild pitch? CHECK

10. Matt Kemp hitting a walk off homer to the "M-V-P" chant? CHECK (Bonus points for Kemp pointing out his mom during the post game interview.)


Not enough for you?
Then remember it was Maury Willis - Don Drysdale Bobble Head Doll.

That should be enough.

The game was delayed... but a play can't be reviewed?

A great game between two pennant contenders went into extra innings.

And it was decided on a disputed call.



Texas Rangers' Alberto Gonzalez squeezed a go ahead single in the 11th inning yesterday in Detroit. But Jim Leyland and the Tiger's catcher disputed the call, claiming the ball hit Gonzalez, making the play dead.



There was a delay when Leyland argued.

The umpires conferred and there was another delay.



And an instant replay quickly showed that the call was wrong.



And all the headlines and discussion (including this blog post) are about a blown call. Two of the best teams in the American League do an exciting rematch of last year's ALCS... and we talk about a blown call in the deciding game.



But of course instant replay can't be used there.



There is no argument that it would slow down the game. The game WAS slowed down without it.

And you can't tell me it is good for the game to have the call wrong in such a crucial situation.



1 minute and the game would have been called correctly.



I will NEVER understand the mindset of those opposed to instant replay.

It spits in the face of logic, fairness and fun.



But I said that already last year.

NOT having Instant Replay Slows Down The Game

Ortiz hit a line drive fair off of the way for an RBI double... except that the umpires called it foul.

In less than one minute a replay showed it was fair.
While Terry Francona was arguing on the field, they showed over and over that it was fair.

So if you are against Instant Replay because "It would slow the game down" you are wrong.

Try again.

Instant Replay meets the Human Element in Kansas City

Last night in Kansas City we may have had the great compromise between people like me who are FOR Instant Replay (because we like to have calls be correct!) and the opponents of instant replay, who evidently think screwing up calls makes the game better and players shouldn't be rewarded for what they actually DO!

Billy Butler of the Royals hit a ball off the top of the wall against Yankees starter Bartolo Colon.

That's what he did.
We all saw it.

Now it may have looked like it went over the fence when it happened, but all the camera angles clearly showed it stayed in the park.

Even the Kansas City announcers were talking about how Butler should be on second base.

Joe Girardi asked the umpires to review it. They did. All the TV crews showed over and over again that it didn't clear the fence while they reviewed it.

The umpires returned... and ruled it a home run.

Even the Royals were laughing knowing that they got away with one.

So there you have it! The great compromise! Instant Replay in use, and the human element screws it up!

By finding the mid ground, the umpires for a perfect compromise that EVERYONE can hate.

Instant Replay opponents can complain about the game being slowed down and the over reliance on technology.

Instant Replay supporters can complain that the call was wrong.

EVERYONE LOSES! Which means everyone wins when you think about it.

My previous position still stands!

Games like this give me NO pleasure

OK, two things pissed me off about the game last night.
(And when I say "The Game" I am referring to the Red Sox game.)

First of all the Red Sox fell behind 5-0 in the first. And I thought "OK, tonight's a blow out" and I watched "Tangled" with my wife and kids.

Then I find out the final score was 5-4!
In other words if the first inning was merely bad and not grotesque, then the Sox could have won the game.

So that's what got my teeth grinding.

But what REALLY got me mad was the play at home plate. The ump called Ellsbury safe for reasons unknown even though he was out. Then the call was reversed as well it should have been.

But guess what?
How much time was wasted on Wedge arguing, Hernandez arguing and Francona arguing and getting ejected?

If there was replay, not only would the call be correct but everyone could be shown the evidence.

But we can't have that. Calls being correct and people having information is bad for baseball... or something.

Ugh.
Tally time.

DODGED BULLET GAMES - 40

April 8 - 9-6 win against the Yankees. (The Sox end their 6 game losing streak with a slugfest. John Lackey stinks but Phil Hughes stinks even more.)
April 10 - 4-0 win against the Yankees. (Beckett and Sabathia duel in a game that was 1-0 until the late innings.)
April 20 - 5-3 win in Oakland. (Red Sox survive a lead off homer and two bases loaded situations and facing the tying run at the plate to win their first road game.)
April 21 - 4-2 win in Anaheim. (The Red Sox stranded 15 men on base and Josh Beckett's went 8 strong with no decision. But the Sox rallied in the 11th to win.)
April 22 - 4-3 win in Anaheim. (Peter Bourjos makes a 2 run errors and the Red Sox survive a bizarre passed ball by Jarrod Saltalamacchia that let a run scored from second.)
May 1 - 3-2 win against the Mariners. (Ichiro loses a ball in the sun that turns into a 9th inning triple for Lowrie. Crawford singles him home for the win.)
May 8 - 9-5 win against the Twins. (Dice-K lets up 3 runs in the first but settles down as the Red Sox clobber Carl Pavano.)

May 9 - 2-1 win against the Twins. (A bullpen breakdown cost Beckett the decision but Cark Crawford ended the game with an 11th inning walk off hit.)
May 13 - 5-4 win in the Bronx. (Youkilis homers off of Joba and Bard and Papelbon make it more interesting than it needed to be.)
May 15 - 7-5 win in the Bronx. (Sox fall behind 4-1 but come back as Youk, Papi and Salty all homer.)
May 16 - 8-7 win against the Orioles. (Down 6-0 after 6 innings, the Sox rally and win it with a 2 run walk off double by Adrian Gonzalez)
May 18 - 1-0 win against Detroit. (With 2 outs in the 8th, Salty doubles home Crawford from first for the only run. Papelbon gets himself in and out of 9th inning trouble.)
May 19 - 4-3 win against Detroit. (Bard blows Beckett's lead but Carl Crawford wins it with a walk off hit.)
May 24 - 4-2 win in Cleveland. (Varitek throws two runners out and homers as the Red Sox win their first game against the Indians.)
May 29 - 4-3 win in Detroit. (The Red Sox blow an early 3-0 lead but David Ortiz wins the game with a pinch 9th inning homer.)
June 3 - 8-6 win against Oakland. (Buchholz lets up 4 runs in the first but the Sox come back thanks to Carl Crawford's 2 run single.)
June 4 - 9-8 win against Oakland. (Red Sox blow a 4 run 9th inning lead and trail in the 11th before Ellsbury ties it and Drew wins it in 14.)
June 7 - 6-4 win in the Bronx. (Papelbon strikes out A-Rod to end the game with a runner on base.)
June 9 - 8-3 win in the Bronx. (Down 2-0 to Sabathia in the 7th, the Sox score 7 runs as Papi exacts revenge after getting plunked. A 3+ hour rain delay pushed the game past 1:30 AM)

June 15 - 3-0 win in Tampa Bay. (Youkilis homers in the 7th for the only runs in Beckett's 1 hit masterpiece.)
June 16 - 4-2 win in Tampa Bay. (Papelbon wiggles out of a 2 on, nobody out jam in the 9th thanks to Youk's diving catch.)
June 26 - 4-2 win in Pittsburgh. (The Pirates make 4 errors and the Red Sox score 2 in the 7th to avoid a sweep by the Bucs.
June 30 - 5-2 win in Philadelphia.(An injury to Cole Hamels leads to the Red Sox bats waking up.)
July 1 - 7-5 win in Houston. (The Sox score 6 in the 7th inning to come back and win.)
July 3 - 2-1 win in Houston. (The Red Sox score a run in the top of the 9th on a walk to break a tie.)
July 5 - 3-2 win against Toronto. (Lester gets hurt but Darnel McDonald throws out the tying run at the plate to end the game.)
July 6 - 6-4 win against Toronto. (The Sox score 4 in the 4th to take the lead and Wakefield and company hang on for dear life.)
July 10 - 8-6 win against Baltimore. (The Orioles score 6 runs off of rookie Kyle Weiland in the second, but the Red Sox hit three homers in the bottom of the second to tie the game and hold for dear life.)
July 16 - 9-5 win in Tampa. (Lackey puts the Sox in a 3-0 first inning hole, but 3 Sox homers bring them back for the win.)
July 17 - 1-0 win in Tampa. (Beckett throws a masterpiece and the bullpen throws 8 amazing innings. But the Sox bats go dead, leaving 17 men on base before Pedroia drove in a run with 2 outs in the 16th inning.)
July 18 - 15-10 win in Baltimore. (The Sox blow a 6-2 lead but score 8 runs in the 8th to take the game.)
July 22 - 7-4 win against Seattle. (John Lackey beat Felix Hernandez and Mike Carp's error helped the Red Sox score 5 in the 7th to give them some breathing room.)
July 23 - 3-1 win against Seattle. (Ellsbury gets Beckett off the hook in a tight pitchers duel when he got a 2 out, 2 strike 2 run go ahead single in the 8th.)
July 26 - 13-9 win against the Royals. (The Sox trailed in the 1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th before the bats exploded in the 5th.
August 2 - 3-2 win against Cleveland. (Youk tied the game with a 6th inning homer and Salty dove home for the winning run in the 9th.)
August 3 - 4-3 win against Cleveland. (Ellsbury hits a walk off shot in the 9th.)
August 7 - 3-2 win against the Yankees (The Sox rally off of Rivera in the 9th and win on Josh Reddick's 10th inning single)
August 8 - 8-6 win in Minnesota. (Down 5-1, the Red Sox rally back, then score twice in the 9th to give the Sox the win.)
August 9 - 4-3 win in Minnesota. (Darnell McDonald's homer ties the game and Ortiz singles home the game winner as Bard worked out of trouble in the 7th.)
August 12 - 6-4 win in Seattle. (Reddick and Ortiz homered to bail out Lackey.)

TEETH GRINDER GAMES - 32

April 1 - 9-5 loss in Texas. (The Sox tie Opening Day in the 8th with an Ortiz homer only to have Bard implode and the Sox let up 4 in the bottom of the 8th.)

April 5 - 3-1 loss in Cleveland. (The Sox drop their 4th straight as the bats are dead in Cleveland.)
April 7 - 1-0 loss in Cleveland. (Sox blow a great Lester performance on a squeeze bunt and Darnell McDonald overrunning the bag to end the game.)
April 12 - 3-2 loss to Tampa Bay. (A solid Lester performance is wasted as Kyle Farnsworth of all people shuts down the Sox.)
April 15 - 7-6 loss to Toronto. (Bobby Jenks implodes with a 4 run seventh inning as the Red Sox waste Pedroia and Youkilis homers and a clutch RBI double by Scuatro.
April 19 - 5-0 loss in Oakland. (Pedroia gets picked off, the Sox bats go dead and waste a solid Lackey start.)
April 26 - 4-1 loss in Baltimore. (Buchholz pitches tentatively and the Sox let Kevin Gregg of all people to close out the 9th.)
April 27 - 5-4 loss in Baltimore. (The Sox tie the game with a 3 run 8th only to have Bard lose it in the bottom of the 8th.)
April 29 - 5-4 loss to Mariners. (Bobby Jenks blows a 7th inning lead, wasting 2 Mike Cameron homers.)
April 30 - 2-0 loss to Mariners. (The Sox strand 11 runners and let Milton Bradley double home the go ahead run.)
May 4 - 5-3 loss to Angels. (7 hours with rain delays and stranded runners. Marco Scutaro was thrown out at the plate in the 12th)
May 10 - 7-6 loss in Toronto. (8th and 9th inning heroics, including a homer by Adrian Gonzalez, are undone by a walk off sacrifice fly by David Cooper.)
May 21 - 9-3 loss to Cubs. (Up 3-1 in the 8th inning, the bullpen and defense implode. The Cubs score 8 runs while both teams wear their 1918 uniforms.)
May 23- 3-2 loss in Cleveland. (The Sox blow a 2-1 8th inning lead when the Indians rally with 2 outs. Crawford ends the game on a double play.)
May 29 - 3-0 loss in Detroit. (Verlander keeps the Sox off base and prevents the sweep.)
June 1 - 7-4 loss to White Sox. (Konerko drives in three, spoiling a game tying Ortiz homer.)

June 14 - 4-0 loss in Tampa Bay. (Wakefield's solid outing is spoiled. Longoria scores on a passed ball.)
June 18 - 4-2 loss to Milwaukee. (The Brewers hit three homers early off of Lester and hang on.)
June 21 - 5-4 loss to San Diego. (Ortiz hits a double play in the 9th to stifle a potential winning rally.)

June 24 - 3-1 loss to Pittsburgh. (The Red Sox strand 7 runners in scoring position.)
June 25 - 6-4 loss to Pittsburgh. (The Red Sox fall out of first as Pedroia's error leads to a Pirates run.)
June 29 - 2-1 loss in Philadelphia. (Vance Worley duels John Lackey and slumping Raul Ibanez drives in both runs.)
July 4 - 9-7 loss to Toronto. (John Lackey's miserable start puts the Sox in too big a hole to climb out of.)
July 19 - 6-2 loss in Baltimore. (Scutaro gets thrown out stealing and the Orioles tack on 3 big runs late.)

July 25 - 3-1 loss to the Royals. (Scutaro botches a potential game winning squeeze play in the 12th as the Red Sox lose in 14.)

July 28 - 4-3 loss to the Royals. (Crawford's bid for a walk off homer falls just short.)
July 29 - 3-1 loss to the White Sox. (Sox blow a late 1-0 lead and spoil a solid Wakefield start.)

August 1 - 9-6 loss to Cleveland. (Asdrubal Cabrera's second home run was an 8th inning tie breaking shot off of Daniel Bard.)

August 4 - 7-3 loss to Cleveland. (Carlos Santana's homer broke a 3-3 tie.)
August 5 - 3-2 loss to the Yankees. (The Sox leave the bases loaded in the 5th and the Yankees score 3 in the 6th to take the lead.)
August 10 - 5-2 in Minnesota. (The Twins score 3 in the 8th, spoiling Ortiz's game tying homer.)
August 13 - 5-4 loss in Seattle. (Mariners score 5 in the first and the Red Sox come back falls short.)

Down to +8.
Win today and win the series...

But I STILL say this "No Instant Replay" is bad for the game.

Only blithering idiots are against instant replay

If you are offended by the title of this post, keep 2 things in mind:

1) You are only a blithering idiot on the subject of instant replay
2) But on the subject of instant replay I am 100% right and my opponents are 100% wrong.

A wonderful game was planight between Pittsburgh and Atlanta.
19 innings.
Both teams left their guts on the field.
Both teams played like champions.
And the Pirates, playing the most critical stretch of games that they have played since 1992, were wiggling out of jams left and right.

Is THAT what we are going to talk about?
No.

The topic will be home plate umpire Jerry Meals blew a call at home plate to end the game.
It happens.
It's 19 innings into the game. Mistakes happen.

But less than 1 minute after the call was blown, the replay clearly showed the tag was made and the runner was out.

The game went on for more than 6 hours. Are you telling me you can't spend 1 minute to make sure it isn't ended on a mistake?

Are you people who stupidly are against Instant Replay going to say this ending was good for baseball?

Where is the HUMAN element of Daniel McCutchen pitching his brains out but being charged with a loss because an umpire made a mistake?

Where is the HUMAN element of giving the Pirates the loss when they just made a terrific play to possibly end ANOTHER game ending rally?

You've got nothing, opponents of instant replay. NOTHING.
You sound insane.

I'm sure on many other topics you know your stuff.
Give up this argument.

The Blue Jays actually tied the game last night

I listened to the last inning of the Red Sox/Blue Jays game last night and I heard a real thriller.
A tight game became razor thin at the end.

With 2 outs, JohnMcDonald singled home Edwin Encarnacion for the tying run and Jonathan Papelbon blew the save.

That's what really happened.

That's not what was recorded. That's not what history will tell us.
History will tell us a mistake.

History will tell us that Darnell McDonald threw out Encarnacion at the plate. A little research will tell us that Jason Varitek blocked the plate and Encarnacion couldn't touch the plate.

But that's not what happened.

The replay showed that in fact Encarnacion missed home plate at first but his left leg touched home plate before Varitek actually put a tag on him.

Despite Darnell McDonald's wonderful throw and Varitek's gritty defense, Encarnacion scored.

Umpire Brian Knight got the call wrong.
It was a tough call. It was a bang bang play involving lots of movement at home and I am not blaming him.

But why should we pretend that he got the call right?
He didn't. I saw the replay.

And do you know what? It sours the game a little for me. It makes a win, that was already bittersweet with the Lester injury, less satisfying. The Red Sox didn't earn it.

One of the most common illogical complaints I hear from people who are against instant replay is "it will take away the HUMAN ELEMENT."

Let me ask you something. Isn't John McDonald getting a clutch hit off of an All Star closer with 2 outs in the 9th inning part of the human element?

Isn't Edwin Encarnacion making a great slide when he realizes that he doesn't have a clean lane to the plate part of the human element?

They both did something clutch and terrific on the road against a division rival and they are denied being credited as such because... why? Because technology is scary? Because you'd rather have something done now than have it be right? Because first impressions are better than reality?

It's clearly not "The Human Element."

And this is coming from a Red Sox fan who benefited from the blown call.

I'd rather my team earn their victories.

For more on this subject, watch the video.

New Sully Baseball Video - "Instant Replay"

I've talked about Instant Replay on the blog many times, but now I cover it in the latest Sully Baseball Video.

I am expecting some people to disagree with me on this one. They tend to on this topic.

Well, I'll let the video do the talking. As always the video was made with my amazing wife Lisa. This one was shot in San Diego a.

To see the previous Sully Baseball Videos, click here.

More instant replay insanity

Less than 2 minutes ago, Cord Phelps of the Indians hit an RBI single to make the Rockies/Indians game a 1 run affair in the 8th.

He stretched it to a double but was called out to end the inning, killing the rally.

Before Indians manager Manny Acta was done running from the dugout to the umpire to argue the play, a replay was shown that the call was blown.

So an argument ensued, slowing down the game. But you can't use the Instant Replay to correct the call... because if you did that, then the game would move faster and calls would be right.

Insanity.

The game is starting up again.
I wrote a whole blog post in the space of the argument.

No instant replay is ruining a wonderful game in Phoenix

The Nationals and Diamondbacks are playing a wonderful and riveting game in Phoenix. (No really! They are!)

Roger Bernadina hit a ground out and the throw beat him to first in the 11th.
He was called safe.

In less than 20 seconds two angles were shown that the throw beat the runner at first.
The inning was extended and now Washington has the lead.

And as I type this the Nats hit a grand slam to give the team a huge lead.
The inning should have been over.
The pitcher made 3 outs. No fielder made an error. And yet he had to make FOUR outs.

Isn't it worth 20 seconds to let the correct team win?

A wonderful game has been ruined.

Hope you idiots who are against instant replay love that blown call.

An idea to speed replay up

I am a big fan of instant replay in baseball. It is worth it to take the extra steps to make sure that calls are correct.

One of the criticisms of instant replay is that it will slow the game down.

There's one part of instant replay that is undeniably and needlessly slow: The umps all leaving the field of play to go look at the play in the clubhouse.

Unless my calendar is completely wrong, isn't this year 2011?

Between the iPhone, Droid and Slingbox, aren't there enough hand held video devices for umps to take a look at them right then and there?

No need to have the entire crew amble into the dugout and waddle out.

Have a bat boy of some member of the umpire's union (more jobs! More union dues!) run out and hand each umpire a little screen.

There can even be a sponsorship. The iPhone Replay. (More sponsorships! More money!)

They are all looking at the screens. If they need to talk to an umpire in the video booth or someone at the MLB offices, guess what? They can be put on speaker. It's a freaking PHONE!

The idea behind replay is to use the technology we have to get the calls correct and make sure players are rewarded for what they actually do.

There is no need to go into the dugout and watch it on an 18 inch Zenith and dial up on a landline.

See? We can get the call right, save time, create jobs and make money all at the same time.