SHOULD WE GET RID OF UMPIRES? Jonah Keri has an article in today’s Wall Street Journal asking “Does Baseball Need Umpires?”
The article is inspired by several bad umpiring calls in the ninth inning or in extra innings of this year’s playoff games. Keri explores the extent to which technology could replace umpires. I am wholeheartedly in favor of the lesser step of using instant replay as much as is feasible. Bud Selig, the Commissioner of Baseball, is quoted in the article as saying: “I think the human element is vital to baseball.” He is not alone. Articles about baseball making more use of instant replay can always find major league players who agree with Selig. When baseball people use the phrase “human element” in arguing against instant replay, they mean “random error.” Why not get it right? People shouldn’t be wondering in the last inning of a close game whether the umpires will decide the game.
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I always hated that argument, “human element is part of the game.” Yes – on the part of the players! Further, just because an institution has always used one method (in this case, umpires) because it was the only option available, it does not mean that option will be the best forever and in perpetuity.
Besides, these same people who say, “It’s part of the game” – are they HAPPY when they see an important call blown? Does this make them more interested? Because I can think of thousands of times when a blown call has ruined my enjoyment of a sporting event.
Why does the ‘human element” have to mean a mistake? If human beings are clever and ingenious and they can think of a way to circumvent common errors (e.g., an inconsistent strike zone, monitored by an imaging machine), why wouldn’t that be the “human element,” the attempt to achieve a greater level of precise measuring?
i think letting the home plate ump decide what is a strike is all the human element i need in baseball. but in absolute cases, like calls at the other bases- there needs no element of error, we have the technology, why not make the game better? when will the commish see the light- it will make the game much, much, MUCH better!!!!
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I love baseball but I hate parts of it. Umpires for example. Say it is during the playoffs and two runners are at third and neither are touching the base and both get clearly tagged by the third basemen, yet the umpire, who is watching the event with his full attention, only calls one out and leaves the other runner at third with one out. Or even an umpire who is standing five feet behind home plate judging pitches as in or out… well first off most umpires are approaching senior citizenship and an aarp card as well and most likely have failing vision but are allowed to make game changing calls that are often wrong. Why not just let the guys in the commentator booth makes the calls from loudspeakers by watching the camera’s and pitch trackers? not only would it be fair finally and eliminate the possibility of corruption of umpires, it would save money because they wouldn’t have the old farts walking around on the field much less have to pay for the equipment that they wear or the injuries they sustain.