European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - October 31, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday. October 31, 1s87 the stars and stripes Page 23 commentary baseball hits foul on instant replay Ever since the first Umpire missed a Call baseball s cop out has been that bad Calls even up thai each Tram will gel its share. Over a 162-Gamc season maybe the bad Calls do even up maybe not. But in the world series especially in the seventh same there s nol enough Lime for them to even up. In the seventh game the outcome can turn on a bad Call that could be corrected if baseball would accept limited instant replay. Commissioner Peter Ueberroth keeps saying that baseball does t want id take the human element out of umpiring. The human element is really a Syno nym for the occasional missed Call. To the commissioner the human element is apparently More important than the Correct Call. Or the Correct world Serin Winner with one out in the top of the sixth inning or sunday night s seventh game Lee Weyer called Tommy Herr of the cardinals Oul at first base in rundown after a pick Oft throw by Frank Viola the twins1 left hander. But the replay clearly showed thai Herr bad escaped the rundown and resumed tothe bag before Viola backing up the rundown tagged him. After the twins 4-2 Victory Weyer acknowledged that he had been blocked out of the play by Kent Hrbek the twins first baseman adding that the replay showed it was very very  but by tuesday in a us Angeles television interview Weyer acknowledged that he had missed the Call. This Lime the is year old Umpire one of the most respected in the National league added i though he would be out thought he would be out umpires Aren t sup posed to think they re not supposed to anticipate therall. They re supposed to know. And if they Don t know they re supposed to ask the opinion of another Umpire who might have had a belter View of the play. In this Case Dave Phillip the Home plate Umpire but there was no umpires conference. It was my play Weyer said after the game. But anybody who was watching television knew that Weyer had missed the Call. Herr was clearly Safe. Dave Anderson not Oul. In another replay Don Baylor of the twins had clearly been Safe not out at the plate on a Call by Phillips in the second inning. Not quite so Clear was another play at first base in the fifth when we scr called Greg Wagne of the twins Safe. The replay appeared to show that Joe Maranc s red shoe had slightly depressed the bag ahead of Ganc s Black shoe. Maybe the twins would have won anyway. Maybe not. But those three Calls two in the twins favor surely affected the flow of the seventh game. And All three Calls could have been corrected if baseball used instant replay. In resisting instant replay the commissioner is resisting what should be his first priority Mak ing every Effort to gel the Call Correct. Baseball has accepted two High Lech horrors that detract from the game artificial surfaces and domed stadiums. But the commissioner won t accept a High tech tool in Stant replay that would help to produce Correct Calls and the Correct world series Winner. This is not to say that baseball should use instant replay or an electronic Lone to Call balls and strikes that s Loo subjective. And this is nol to say thai base Ball should use instant replay Over the entire 162-game season. But in the world series in the two league championship series and in late september games involving teams in the divisional races in Stant replay should be used. Two years ago the cardinals were within three outs of winning the world series leading by 1-0 in the sixth game. Bui then Don do Kineer the first base Umpire ruled the royals Meadoff Batter Jorge Orta. Safe on a loss from Jack Clark the cardinals first baseman to Todd Worrell. The royals rallied for a 2-1 Victory then routed the cardinals 11-0, in the seventh game. I was astute enough 10 realize dunking or said after viewing the replay that the Man was clearly out the Call was  but the tall stood. The flow of the game was affected. And the flow of the world series was affected. Some people thought thai baseball would have Learned its lesson from the Denkinger Call. And even Lee Weyer agreed tuesday that when 1 did get blocked out maybe you could use instant replay but As an everyday thing  but the National football league uses it in 14 games every weekend. For All inc criticism of the nil s limited instant replay procedure at least the league is trying to gel the Call Correct. Some plays in the nil remain in conclusive As they would in baseball. But of the 374 plays that the nil reviewed during the 1986 season and playoffs 38 were reversed or 10 percent. Of the 220 plays reviewed so far this season 25 have been reversed or 11 percent. This year said Art Mcnally the supervisor of nil officials our people in the replay Booth have been More efficient. There s quicker and better communication with the officials on the Field. And our officials Aren t As Touchy about it Ai they were last year. They know that we re just trying to gel the Call  that s what baseball should be trying to do. But it s already too Laie for Willard Brown a 79 year old twins fan in fond do Lac wis. Moments after watching the replay that showed Baylor to have been Safe at the plate sunday night. Brown had a fatal heart attack according to Deputy police chief Daniel Dord Brown s wife " old me that he had become upset at seeing the replay and immediately after that had a heart  the bad Calls did t even up for Willard Brown. And in the seventh game of the world series they never even up. New to turn once hopeful rams unravel into 1 -5 team by Ken Peters Anaheim Calif. A the Losangeles rams have been carried on the Back of Eric Dickerson for the last four years but this Wase oing to be the season they would gel off the ground and into the super bowl. But Jim Everett is looking every bit like a quarterback in his firs full pro season Dickerson is saying pay me and Trade me and the strike has thrown everything that was t already in shambles into shambles. What it All adds up to is a once prom Ising season that has disintegrated into a 1-5 fiasco going into sunday s game against the so san Francisco 49ers. Washington redskins coach Joe Cibbs among others predicted during the preseason that the rams new pass ing game complementing their Dicker son red Rushing attack and already solid defense would make them a prime super bowl contender but it s All gone awry. Everett is playing like the Rookie quarterback he essentially is. The passing scheme newly brought to the rams by Emie Zampese the assistant who helped Mold the san Diego chargers Formida ble air game has t worked. And Dickerson. Who set the nil sin Gle season Rushing record and led the league in running three of his four pro seasons says he can t give his Best unless he gets paid More. If i can t play with my mind 100 per cent Clear i d rather not play he said at one Point. Dickerson began to Gripe about his 682,000 annual salary during the pre Teason. When the nil strike ended he walked Back into Camp and resumed Eric Dickerson. Links play to play complaining. The rams offered to up the Ante to $975,000, but he then said lift wanted to be traded regardless. Then he requested that he not Start in last monday night s game against Cleve land. He did to playing just four minutes and four seconds of los Angeles 30-17 toss to the Browns. If he cant give us Loo percent he s not going to play Robinson said. Further muddling the picture however Robinson and Dickerson said afterwards that the tailback had been both ered by a Charley horse Robinson Laid he Kvanli to believe die Kenon was really injured. La i clearly on everyone s mind the coach said. Everything we know in terms of examination and his statements which i be always believed to be at face value was. Thai his lug was  even Wilholm the Dickerson soap opera the rams probably would still be in deep trouble. With him in the lineup for their two pc strike games he rams Slart cd their season by blowing a 16-3 fourth Quarter Lead in a 21-16 loss to underdog hous ton. Robinson branded the game the worst performance of any team i be  los Angeles followed with a 21-16 loss to Minnesota. In the two defeats Ever Ett making Only his sixth and seventh pro starts threw for a total of just 230yards, with three interceptions and no touchdowns. The rams woes continued with the first replacement game. The hastily assembled los Angeles non Union learn was whipped 37-10 by new Orleans. Robinson admitted hat he had the mind set that there was t going to be a strike and dragged his feel putting to Gether a replacement team. The Only Bright spot for the rams came the following weekend when their replacement team provided the fran Chise s Only Victory thus far in 1987, a 31-2 win Over Pittsburgh. But the non Union team then closeout its Brief history with another lost a 24-20 defeat by Atlanta. Even the return of the regulars had a weird controversial footnote. On what turned out to be the eve of the strike s end Robinson sent the nil a list of 13 striking rams making them theoretically eligible for los Angeles oct. 18 game at Arthuu. He said at inc time that a source had told him those 13 had expressed an in Terest in  a number of inc striking players an inc list immediately denied they had contacted the rams and Robinson later admitted he had made the list up to make the players eligible and hopefully give his team an Edge Over the Falcons. The scheme backfired. When the strike ended the Neil Day some of those on the list said that incl uding their names was a divisive move. Dickerson whose name was Indus cd said it was like being Slabbed in the  later in the week the nil declared that Only two of the players on the list Everett and wide receiver Ron Brown would be eligible to play against the fal cons. Brown bowed out leaving Etc Roll As the Only one of the 13 who rejoined the team and he did t gel into the game. The ram melodrama seemed to hit new Heights in the loss Al Cleveland. As Dickerson s replacement Browns cast off Charlie while tried futilely to pickup a first Down on what could have been a game turning drive pick san stood on the sidelines appearing virtually Dis interested. Everett meanwhile threw 50 passe completing 21 for 227 Yards with three interceptions and no touchdown. If things weren t bad enough regular fullback Mike Guman is ailing with neck Strain and May nol play against the 49crv. While suffered a broken Finger on his right hand and a severe sprain of he left leg and might not be at full Speed. Buford Mcgee who started at fullback against the Browns suffered a torn Achilles Tendon and is Oul for the Tea son