I grew up in Washington DC without baseball for the first 25+ years of my life so I am not overly enamored with the traditions of the sport to begin with. I was watching ESPN this morning and Tim Kirkjian commented that he does not want to see instant replay in baseball beyond determining fair or foul in homerun calls. He cited the tradition of human error as a part of the game.

Sorry baseball folks but that is exactly why baseball has been relegated to lame bystander while football has become the undisputed king of sports. Baseball is proof positive that tradition at all costs is not a good thing. If I am paying premium dollars to watch your sport the least you can do for me is get the calls right IMO. I would be very hesistant to invest my money and time into a sport where the powers to be believe bad calls are a welcomed tradition that should be preserved.

Call me a crazy man but I’d rather have the call right even if it means my team loses. The baseball traditionalists are the ones ignoring the fact that baseball has integrity and parity issues. Newer fans like myself happen to notice the fact that only certain teams seem capable of winning every year (Sox, Yanks, Cards,etc). We also happen to notice the fact that the steroid controversy was covered up by those at MLB's highest levels.

Bud Selig is always quick to site that Baseball’s attendance numbers are rising but that is mostly due to the fact that baseball is a very cheap ticket compared to the other major sports. My advice to the baseball powers that be as a relatively new fan is simple. Adopt any measure that shows some progression and integrity in your sport. Adopt instant replay because baseball needs to give new fans like myself the perception that they are not so stuck on tradition that they are willing to sacrifice the truth. Take a lesson from the NFL and create a system of parity so all Baseball fans in every city have a legitimate shot at winning a championship every year like football. Parity more than anything else would force out slumlord MLB ownership that is content with hosting bottom feeder teams incapable of winning anything. Instant replay is a small step in the grand scheme of things but it is a step in the right direction. It seems to me that if baseball is to survive the newer fans are going to have to drag the sport into a new era.