It Almost Happened In New York

Last night in the Bronx, in the 7th inning of game 2 of the World Series, proponents of expanded instant replay almost got their wish.

Circumstance almost allowed for that seminal moment that very well might have tipped the scales in favor of the increased implementation of instant replay, an idea that's time has come for all but a hardheaded few.

With the Yankees ahead 3-1 and runners on 1st and 2nd with one out, Johnny Damon hit a line drive to 1st baseman Ryan Howard. Howard gloved the ball, took a step towards 1st base, then stopped and threw to Jimmy Rollins, who was covering 2nd base. The throw was wide, and Jorge Posada was apparently safe at 2nd base.

Not so fast.

1st base umpire Brian Gorman had ruled that Howard had caught the ball, and Rollins subsequently tagged Posada for the 3rd out. Fox network immediately went to the replay, and it clearly showed that Howard had trapped the ball. The fact that Howard threw to 2nd base instead of stepping on 1st base seemed to reinforce the belief he had not caught the ball.

The call stood, and the game moved to the 8th inning. Everything was in place for a defining moment, and all the Phillies had to do was cooperate. Alas, it wasn't to be, as New York went on to win the game, 3 - 1.

Had the Phillies managed to come back and win the game, certainly that blown call would have been the subject of unbridled scrutiny. 

It would have been perfect.

The biggest stage, the game's most storied franchise, in the bosom of the world's largest media market, in front of millions of eyes. The public outcry would have been swift and harsh. Bud Selig would have felt the heat of a thousand suns, and inevitably would have acted accordingly.

For those like kind Bud Selig, the paper argument that expanded replay disrupts the flow of the game is ludicrous. What flow ? The game featured 4 runs, yet still took 3 hours and 25 minutes to play. In the time it would take to pitch E.D. pills, or the flavor of the week reality show, the correct call could have been rendered.

What might have been.