Baseball has always been a sport grounded in its traditions, from the ceremonial first pitch to singing "Take me out to the ball game" during the seventh inning stretch. However, the more the game has progressed over the years some of baseball’s most cherished traditions are beginning to be questioned, and not because of their idiosyncratic yet charming nature, but for their direct impact on the game itself; largely, the debate over whether or not to use instant replay.

     To be honest I am a stuffy traditionalist. I stay for all nine innings, no matter what the score or weather and I refuse to call the foul pole by any other name, despite its location in fair territory. So when talks of using instant replay in the game began circulating the web and late night discussions on Sunday Night Baseball, I cringed at the thought of my beloved sport being marred by the absolute clarity of instant replay.

     However, after closely following the 2009 Major League Baseball season, and having observed several ridiculously fallacious calls made by veteran umpires, I began to second guess my set ways and I toyed with the idea of advancing the sport into a new era.

     There is no denying that the game could definitely benefit from instant replay in several ways. First of all human error would be virtually eliminated and there would no longer be an excuse for a missed call because the technology would be in place to combat that. However, this raises the question of when is it appropriate to use replay?

     Should replay be strictly used at the umpire’s discretion or can the manager freely argue any call he pleases? For a game already criticized for its sluggish pace, having a fuming manager storm out to home plate after every pitch demanding the man in blue take a second look at balls and strikes would make the game move slower than a Tim Wakefield knuckleball. However, taking the extra time to clarify a call would allow managers and fans to rest easy knowing that there has been no room left for doubt.

    This was certainly the case on Sept. 5, 2008 at Tropicana Field where Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez hit a towering fly ball down the left field line that travelled directly over the foul pole and was ruled a home run by third base umpire Brian Runge. Rays manger Joe Maddon argued the ruling and as a result the umpires conversed and resorted to the use of instant replay. After 15 minutes, the umpires returned to the field where Runge’s call was upheld.

     This was the first use of instant replay in Major League Baseball history and since then umpires have only used replay when questioning home run balls. However, as far as I am concerned this is merely a stepping stone to the technologies’ full fledged use in the sport; which at this point may not be such a bad thing with some of the recent calls altering the outcome of both regular and postseason games.

     However, I will always be a traditionalist when it comes to baseball and I would much rather see things left the way they are because it simply feels right having umpires on the field, but in the back of my mind when I see a missed call I cannot help but think that when I go to the ballpark I am there to watch the game, not the umpires.