Many talking heads and bloggers have decried the decision by owners to not expand instant replay in baseball. I understand the concern. Precision and getting things right has become paramount this day in age. Most other sports use replay to their benefit, of course, so why shouldn’t baseball?
Part of the allure of baseball, for me, anyways, is the mental aspect of it. Part of the game is the ability of the player to influence the call of the umpire on close plays. Part of it is the ability to understand every aspect of the situation, from the count, to the score, to the weather to the way the umpires have been calling a game.
Part of what makes pitchers brilliant is their ability to manipulate a strike zone. Part of what makes a veteran valuable is their rapport with umpires (assuming they are more Cal Ripken than Albert Belle). Most of the time, calls are easy and correct. More often than not, difficult calls are correctly made as well. Those difficult calls add to the spice of the game and affect the tempo and momentum of a game, particularly after a heated debate with a manager.
More than any sport, I find baseball to be an art. Other sports are often violent competitions, where precision is vital. In baseball, there is a beauty to the pace and gameplay of the game. With art, as with baseball, I find it better if some things are left open to interpretation.
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