After seeing home plate umpire Mike Muchlinski call out Minnesota Twins player Michael Cuddyer at the plate, to end the game with Oakland winning 14-13, my heart sank and I wanted to throw my phone at the TV.
But I couldn't, as my friend would be quite upset, as the TV is his and he paid $7000 for it. Now only if we had a replay system where a moment such as this could be challenged and overturned.
I think I have a feasible option where almost everyone who is a baseball fan would agree.
Here's my proposal: Give each team one chance to challenge any play on the basepaths, where instant replay would be implemented. I know there are the baseball aficionado's who dont want "America's pasttime" tampered with anymore.
Well its time for those purists to stop living in the past and to give this new replay system a chance. These baseball "purists" say that games are already taking long enough thesedays compared to the 1980's and 1990's.
But the reason that the games typically go closer to 3 hours these days instead of 2 hours, is that so few few starting pitchers pitch more than 6 or 7 innings a game. If we had a replay system with each team getting one challenge, it would take up about a grand total of a minute or two, so thats just a drop in the bucket when it comes to a time issue.
All baseball fans, and sports fans for that matter, want to see a well played game with a lot of effort. But we also want to see the truth unfold in front of us. Too bad for Minnesota Twins fans like myself, the truth is that Cuddyer was safe and yet the ump called him out.
I understand that Muchlinkski is only human like you and me, and we all make mistakes. But unlike humans, video doesnt change, it doesnt lie, and I sure hope that the Twins dont miss out on the
playoffs by one game like they did last year.