Friday, October 22, 2010  Bermuda Triangle Behind Home Plate
Something strange has been going on at home plate during the two
LCS series. In the space of five games, we have seen five
clearly blown calls on balls that never got past the plate. It's
as if there's no umpire at all back there, or like a wrestling
referee the assigned umpire is somehow averting his eyes just at
the moment when the critical event occurs, preventing him from
doing anything more than guess at what might have happened. What
the hell is going on?  I've written before about the need to put
in an instant replay system that recognizes the simple fact that
any play can influence the outcome of a game and therefore a
season. John Smoltz, on the ALCS telecasts, has been advocating
a system which would authorize instant replay on any play which
results in a run scoring. Apparently it's perfectly all right
with him if a horribly butchered call results in putting a
runner on third or loading the bases, absolving the umpires if
there is no imm