Yer blind, ump! Yer blind, ump! Ya must be outta yer mind, ump!

With nothing particularly interesting happening today, I have been forced to foist my thoughts on the world regarding instant replay.

Yesterday, by a margin of 25-5, the general managers approved the use of instant replay in determining boundary calls. Basically, if the home run was questionable (it might have been foul, it might have hit the wall, the might have been touched by a fan), then the play could be subject to review. Maybe it's because I'm a baseball romantic or maybe it's because I'm from New England and, therefore, resistant to change, either way the prospect of instant replay just doesn't curl my toes.

What's the point? Over the course of 4,860 games, how many plays will it actually affect? I suppose that's why I'm more wary of the idea than vehemently against it.

When you watch a game on television, you are subjected to seemingly endless repetitions of any play that's even remotely close and all that that succeeds in making clear is that it's still a subjective call. Obviously, having better camera angles would help in calling foul balls and potential home runs; but how do you set up those cameras? Do you have a camera hanging off the top of the foul pole? Do you have one aimed along the top of the fences, on the off chance that someone might hit a potential home run right where the camera could clearly capture the image? As for fan interference, you would probably have to use the regular feed from the game and that is rarely ever useful.

Plus, call me a little bit of a masochist but I like the tension a poorly called game can cause. It's good to have a scapegoat if things aren't going well. It's better to have a situation where you end up winning no matter how much the umpire doesn't like the team. Hissy fits by managers and players are part of the game. And, if instant replay turned out to be a slippery slope and all close calls were referred to the tape, the song "Six Months Out of Every Year" wouldn't make any sense.

The plan still has to be approved by the commissioner, the umpires, and the players association. And knowing the speed at which baseball generally moves, it could be years and years before it was even close to being implemented.