Technically this is a Cleveland Sports Blog. While I support the Tribe and follow them in the papers, baseball does not get interesting to me until after the all-star break. Baseball is The Mummers territory. Therefore, I thought I would get to something that has been on my mind lately. Instant Replay.
I tend to be a traditionalist. I have very mixed opinions on the subject, which means when it benefits my team, I am in favor of it. On one hand, if we have the technology, let’s get every call of every game correct. On the other hand, doesn’t that take some of the mystique of sports out of the equation? I am not that old, so I still remember playing sports as a kid. I remember on multiple occasions having a heart to heart with my dad on the long ride home concerning the lack luster officiating that day. He would always tell me, “That’s just how life is” or “Life isn’t always far” both of which seemed like a cop out to me.
To me, bad officiating is just another part of the game. Coaches should be scouting officials like they do opponents and weather fronts. If we continue to make replay a bigger and bigger part of our sports, aren’t taking a piece of the game with it. The problem comes with guys like Tim Donaghy. Stories like his lead us to believe that all officials are on the take. While I have shouted that at me television on multiple occasions, the fact of the matter is, their human. That’s what makes it great. Put yourself in an officials shoes. The next time you are watching a game, count the number of times you would have gotten a questionable call correct. No using the rewind button on your DVR either. Watch the play once at full speed. 95% of the time the official get the call correct. My guess is that is a hell of a lot better than you will do. The fact is, we don’t complain about every call. We complain about the one call that in our opinions changed the game. Lest we forget the close calls that went our way earlier in the game or that our star player shot 7 of 32 that day.
