Jerry Meals' Controversial Call Sends Buccos into Slump, Renews Argument for Instant Replay

The fans who attended the 19-inning Pirates-Braves marathon last week were treated to 133 total plate appearances, 33 strikeouts and seven hours of old-school "back-n-forth" baseball. But it ended in a way that sent Bucs' fans to sleep with a stomachache.

In a 3-3 ballgame in the bottom of the 19th inning, Braves' shortstop Julio Lugo scored on a fielder's choice. Well, that's what the box score said.

The video replay, shown immediately on ROOT Sports, insisted that umpire Jerry Meals had clearly blown the call. As the announcers voiced their disbelief, we shouted at our televisions. How could a seven-hour game end like that!?

Yes, Major League Baseball did apologize for the incident and admitted that the game should have went to the 20th inning. (It could be in the 800th inning by now ... who knows?) But in all honesty, an apology does nothing for the players.

Since then, the Pirates have dropped six out of seven games, including Tuesday's horrific, 11-6 loss to the Cubs, who are nearly at the bottom of the National League Central Division. Heading into Wednesday's game against Chicago, the Bucs have lost five in a row (starting with a three-game sweep handed out by the Phillies, who outscored Pittsburgh, 23-12, over the weekend).

"I can't say we would have clearly won the game had Meals made the right call," graduate Troy Pfaff said, "but to lose a game like that is just so heartbreaking.

"Obviously, there are tons of other things that have gone into this recent collapse, but there's no doubt that the team was crushed by that. And I think we're seeing the after-effects to this date."

Over the past few years, the cry for instant replay in baseball has grown louder. We have seen a good amount of blown calls in important situations: Jim Joyce's call that ruined Armando Galarraga's perfect game with two outs in the ninth, Sam Holbrook's blunder that sparked a Colorado playoff run, and Tim McClelland's extra-inning flub that ruined the Padres' playoff chances are the ones that come to mind.

We shouldn't have to argue for something that is completely justified. The technology is available, so why not put it to use? It will fix all of baseball's problems (well, except steroid use, the salary cap and the price of concessions.)

"There needs to be instant replay in baseball," Baldwin High student Christian Gaetano said. "It would bring with it a well-needed sense of integrity.

"Baseball has been a sport plagued by scandals and unfair behavior. Replay would prevent baseball from digging itself into a deeper hole. It's inevitable. The time is now."

Yes, the time is now. Bud Selig, the power is in your hands. Make a change before an umpire's eyes decide a World Series.