Baseball needs umpire change

The baseball postseason is over and the evil empire won the crown.

However, the 2009 postseason wasn’t just about the Yankees or the Phillies; it was about the umpires.

Umpires seemed to screw up more calls this year than in years past. The Mauer fair/foul call (I still don’t know how he didn’t see that, seriously he was right there), numerous outs on first base, A-rod’s game three camera homer and umpire Tim Mc- Clelland’s missed tag call.

Despite being a Twins fan, and the Mauer fair/foul call costing the Twins the game and the momentum to try and win the series, the call that made me the most angry was the A-Rod homer.

If the umpires knew before the game that the camera was hanging over the field, move it back. Don’t wait until something happens for it to be moved, if the possibility exists that someone hits it in fair territory and it will ricochet this way or that get it moved to somewhere else.

I’m glad that the umpires made a decision that if the camera was hit it would be a home run (although that doesn’t make logical sense), but if they made a decision before the game, they really should have told the managers.

That’s what ticks me off, even more than not moving the camera itself, but not telling the managers or the players or the media that a potential game changing decision was made before the game.

I think that calling the ball a home run was the wrong call and that having replay was supposed to be used to make the calls right, in this case it didn’t.

There were more incidents like this, but this makes my point; the umpires were worse than usual this year. I have a few suggestions for Major League Baseball to avoid controversy in future post-seasons.

First, change the umpires more often. Get a new crew of umpires with fresh eyes and quicker feet out on the field. This might be an expensive option, but the Yankees should be able to foot the bill.

The implementation of that idea would mean a lot more umpires would be needed, but it would also be harder for umpires to be bribed and umpires would be allowed to get more rest.

Second, use instant replay more often. Have a guy up in the booth sitting in front of a screen and radio down close calls.

If it is set up right, this will not slow down the game too much. These are calls that should be allowed to be reviewed: any plays at the plate or bases (especially first base), fair/foul plays, keep home runs, if a batter swings or holds up and traps by players catching fly balls.

Obviously having a camera call balls and strikes is wrong. That part of the game needs to stay how it is. Teams should be able to handle having a bit of human error once and a while, they put up with a lot of it now.

Lastly, before the game the umpires should have to, over the loud speakers, take an oath to do their best and to promise to make sure the call is right. This would make fans understand that they are there to try and make the right call and not just to screw teams over.

With these implementations, fans will still be able to yell at umpires, which is part of the game, but they will also be able to have the right calls made.

If these ideas are implemented, we won’t have to go through another post-season which so many missed calls and had such poor officiating.