Instant replay in baseball?

The Phillies just gave up a home run to the Cubs…or did they? After reviewing the slow motion replay, it is clear that the ball was barely foul and indeed not a home run. This is not to complain about umpires and missed calls. I think being a referee or umpire in any sport is an extremely hard job to do well, and I give credit to anyone who even attempts it. I tried umpiring my younger sister’s softball game and it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life. Of course, I had no training, and missed several obvious calls, including a play at the plate that for some reason I yelled “Safe!” even though I meant to say “Out”. Woops.

Maybe baseball should follow in the footsteps of the NFL and allow challenges for each manager to use at his discretion during the game. In my opinion, I think there should be an unbiased judge who watches a replay per the request of the home plate umpire (just like when he defers to a base umpire for a swinging strike call). He can review the play for a specific amount of time and make the correct call. Home runs have a huge impact on the game, so getting it right is so very important. It takes the responsibility off the umpire, who has to basically make a judgment call and will never change his mind.  He also puts the manager in a terrible position, who is forced to incessantly argue the call until he gets thrown out of the game (I wonder if they ever understand Charlie during one of his on field rants).

Whether or not the Phillies win, this is something that should have been discussed in the off season, because I’m sure it’s happened before. It will not change the game at all and actually improve the quality of the game. It is not acceptable for a team to get a run (or up to 4 if the bases are loaded!) on a foul ball.