ON THE MARK.

KILL THE UMPIRE?  NO, JUST GET HIM SOME HELP.

What would you say if I told you that some day EVERY call in EVERY professional sport will be the correct call?  Is that something that would interest you?   Is that something that you wished existed when Brett Hull had his skate in the crease in 1999 in Buffalo?  Is that something you hoped would've been in effect when Kerry Fraser DIDN'T call Gretzky for high-sticking Doug Gilmour?  Or when Michael Jordan pushed off on Bryon Russell in Game 6 of the 1998 NBA final?  Or when Maradonna's "hand of God" went uncalled in the '86 World Cup?  Or Jim Joyce's "safe" call that cost Detroit's Armando Gallaraga a perfect game?
     These are just a few of the egregious calls made, or not made by umpires and referees over the years.  I'm sure before they had TV replays, there were tons of missed calls.   But that was then.  Now, with every game televised, the technology is there to prevent incorrect calls, or at least overturn them with video review.  Some leagues have better video review policies than others.  Football has a "challenge" flag for coaches to use if they felt the refs got the call wrong.  Hockey has video review on all goals, but usually it has to do with whether or not the puck had crossed the goal line and whether or not the puck was directed into the net illegally.  In basketball, the refs can review whether a shot was taken before the clock expired, and also whether or not a player had his foot behind the three point line.   In baseball, the only reviewable play is whether a ball was a homerun or not.    And that's the problem.  Baseball needs to go to expanded replay to include such things as fair/foul, catch/trap and safe/out on the bases.  I'm sure guys like Jim Joyce, and before him Don Denkinger would've wished that technology was in place years ago.   It would've saved a lot of aggravation.
     This years World Baseball Classic is the perfect time for MLB to explore it's options when it comes to expanded replay.  ESPNs Jayson Stark reports that MLB officials plan to observe which camera angles are used, determine how long it takes to see a definitive replay of close plays and estimate the amount of time it would take to review such plays.  As well, MLB must figure out whether to use a "challenge" system like the NFL, or put a designated replay umpire in a booth to decide which calls to review.   There's also talk that, like the NHL, baseball will employ an umpiring crew at a central location to ensure the calls are correct.  Whatever system is used, it'll cost a lot of money.  More cameras in the ballparks, more camera operators and more umpires working in the press box or in a central location.
     But then there's the issue of which calls are reviewable and which aren't.  Balls and strikes will never be reviewed, even if an ump calls a batter out on a pitch that misses the strike zone by a foot.  But what other calls are excluded?  Balk or no balk? Tag or no tag?   Would expanded replay have overturned the call and given the Bluejays a triple play in the '92 World Series when Atlanta's Deion Sanders was tagged out Kelly Gruber?  Perhaps.   Look, with the billions of dollars spent by fans, advertisers and TV rights holders, and the spectre of PEDs still fresh in the minds of many, baseball needs to take a giant leap forward when it comes to expanded replay.  They must ensure that they get the call CORRECT.    Both the players union and the umpires union favor expanded replay, and that's good news.   A new policy will be in place by the start of the 2014 season.   Until then, expect a lot of controversial calls this season, and more cries of "Kill the Umpire".