The Instant Replay: Is It Really Needed in Baseball?

Let's go back to high school.  You're sitting in a room with fifty other kids and you're taking the SAT.

Which does not belong? Football, Basketball, Hockey, Tennis, Rugby, Cricket, Rodeo, NASCAR, or Baseball?

Now, generally on a test you wouldn't have nine answers, but for the sake of our current topic, just live with it.  Obviously, baseball does not belong. 

All of the above named sports utilize some form of instant replay—except baseball. 

In November of 2007, the general managers voted 25-5 to explore the use of instant replay in baseball. This would be used only to determine fair and foul home runs, and home runs that are in or out of the park. 

Regardless of what type of instant replay, if any, is actually implemented, the question will always be asked, "Do we actually need this?"

Many instant replay critics feel that due to the length of the season (162 games), the safe/out calls and fair/foul calls that are called incorrectly, will eventually balance themselves out. 

You know what? These critics are probably right.  But what happens when the Red Sox and Yankees are playing in the AL Championship Series? 

Bad calls aren't going to "balance themselves out" in a seven-game series.  We all know that one call or one home run can change the momentum of an entire series.

So, we shouldn't implement instant replay in the regular season.  We have four umpires that can confer and, most of the time, they get the calls right. Leave it up to them. 

But when it really counts, when teams only have five or seven games to make or break their season, we need to make sure these teams aren't robbed. 

We need to make sure these calls are right, and the true champions are rewarded.