Blown Calls May Force Baseball To Expand Replay
CHICAGO (WSCR) The replay discussion in baseball has been going on for years, but every once in a while the discussion gets hotter when a call gets blown in a key situation.
That's what happened after umpire Lance Barrett blew a call Sunday, contributing to the Cubs 7-5 loss to the Marlins. Kerry Wood appeared to have Brett Hayes picked off at second base to end the eighth inning, but Barrett called Hayes safe and the Marlins went on to score three runs in the inning.
Appearing on the Mully and Hanley Show Monday morning on 670 The Score, FOXSports.com columnist Ken Rosenthal said he thinks more and more blown calls will eventually lead to expanded replay in baseball.
"I believe that we will get there and we should get there," Rosenthal said. "And yesterday's call was a classic example why, on occasion, replay would be good. Now, when it comes, I don't know if we will have it on plays like that -- at least initially because it's a bang-bang play on the bases and they are going to limit it. My guess is that they will have it on balls down the line, things like that. But yesterday's call was clearly blown. It wasn't even that close and it's frustrating that in an age when we have all this technology baseball refrains from even using it on a more expanded basis."
LISTEN: Ken Rosenthal on The Mully and Hanley Show
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The biggest reason why baseball hasn't used replay more is because they are concerned about it lengthening the time of games.
"When you have an argument on the field over a play that takes time. That's a delay and I, as a fan, writer, whatever, would not mind the extra five minutes to see the call be corrected and have it done right," Rosenthal said. "The most important thing is getting it right. That's what stands out above all, and if you can't get it right, well, then you have a problem. And that's where baseball is right now."
Cubs manager Mike Quade agrees.
"I'm becoming a big fan of replay, even in this game, and I don't give a damn if it slows the game down another hour. Give me a challenge flag or two," Quade said after Sunday's loss.
Meanwhile, Rosenthal fears that a huge call in big game is eventually going to make Major League Baseball look bad and force its hand.
"I will guarantee at some point we will have a big call, somewhere, blown and this topic will get that much hotter and baseball will look silly for essentially having its head in the sand," he said.
