Replay Review? Take It Out of the Old Ballgame

So you're angry that umpires have grown increasingly belligerent and self-serving, and believe they need to be put back in their places. Perhaps true, but replaying calls that are usually right is not the answer.

While explaining why Monday's protest will be denied, Cardinal Manager Tony La Russa said, "There's a sentence in the rule book that says, 'Get the play right.' That's the rule--the golden rule of umpiring."

But at what cost? Another rule of baseball is, "Catch the ball with two hands." But you don't see lazy players who drop fly balls getting mulligans, do you?

The real rule that has made this sport so golden is, "Do your best to get the play right." And if your best is not good enough, well, there's always another hitter, another inning, another game.

By wrongly giving Cliff Floyd a home run on a ball that bounced off the scoreboard, the umpires messed up, but there was nothing in the game reports to indicate they didn't do their best.

It should require no second looks to understand that this should be enough.

Bill Plaschke can be reached at his e-mail address: bill.plaschke@latimes.com.