Doesn't it just figure?

The Indians finally show some offense, and the pitching falls apart. Ladies and gentlemen, after last night's 13-9 loss, your defending AL Central champion Cleveland Indians have lost seven in a row, and one of your best pitchers is hurt. I can't seem to find any information about what's wrong with Fausto Carmona or how long he'll be out, but he obviously didn't have his good stuff last night, as he gave up six runs in 2+ innings of work. That's not the Fausto we know. In the photo at right, it looks like the trainer is checking out his hip, which would explain why Fausto didn't beat the hitter to first base on the previous play.

And Ben Francisco got cheated out of a home run because the umpires aren't allowed to look at the same footage the rest of us can see. Instant replay has been a hot topic in baseball this year, and word is they'll experiment with it in the Arizona Fall League. It's about freaking time.

The arguments I've heard against it are ridiculously stupid. People say it'll slow down the game. Are you telling me it'll take longer for an umpire to take a look at a replay than it takes right now for a manager to argue about the call?

Tim Kurkjian, speaking on SportsCenter the other day, parroted a mantra that I've heard so many times I think my head might explode: "The human element has always been a part of baseball." Tim, I can accept that the players will make mistakes that affect the outcome of the game, BUT NOT THE UMPIRES.

The game should be decided by the players, period. Instant replay simply gives the umpires the ability to give the game back to the players to decide. It's absurd that the millions of people who are watching a particular game on TV can know exactly what the correct call is, but the umpires aren't allowed to watch what those TV viewers saw.

Anyone who saw that game on TV was able to see quite clearly that Francisco's shot bounced off the railing above the fence, then bounced back onto the field. The umpires are all stationed near bases, and they did their best, but they just couldn't see precisely what happened to the ball a couple of hundred feet away. A camera could. An umpire watching the ball from short left field cannot see a ball as well as an umpire watching the ball on a TV screen. It's really pretty simple.

I think I've made my point. I didn't start writing this post intending for it to turn into a rant, but I just want the calls to be right. This game probably wasn't decided by that call (it cost the Tribe two runs, so maybe we would have lost 13-11), but it could have been. And games have unquestionably been decided by bad calls. That's not good for the losing team, it's not good for the umpires, and it's not good for baseball.

One other thing: On an unrelated matter, I dearly wish someone at ESPN would send out a directive to all its on-air personalities that Xavier Nady's first name only has three syllables, and does not start with the word "egg."