There are plenty of things wrong with Major League Baseball. The DH, the lack of some sort of salary cap, the lack of a rookie pay scale, the fact that teams can't trade draft picks, the fact that regular season awards are voted on after the playoffs. I could probably go on.
But certainly the easiest of all major problems to fix (except for that awards voting one) would be the issue of instant replay. Replay is currently used on disputable home runs. Why not use it for every close play (excluding balls and strikes)? Well maybe not every close play. Give each manager two challenges. That's enough such that a manager would not be afraid to challenge a call at first base early in the game (after all, how often do multiple bad calls go against you in a game?), but not so much that he would be throwing the red flag all over the place (I wouldn't want to be without any challenges left late in the game). If you are concerned about the time replay would add to the game, consider the time it would save by eliminating manager arguments and tantrums (although now that I think about it, maybe we don't want to get rid of those). Maybe you make it so there is a penalty if a manager challenges and loses. Maybe 2 automatic balls to the next hitter. I don't know. That's just off the top of my head. A replay system would be easy to devise, and easy to implement.
And don't try to tell me about the "human" element that the umpires add to the game. A catcher having an arm just strong enough to throw out a runner trying to steal second--or the runner being just fast enough to beat that throw--that is the human element. The "human" element comes from the players. Not the umpires. When you try and justify bad calls by saying it's the "human" element, what you are really justifying is the "unfair" element.
Also don't try to tell me that adding replay would be embarrassing to the umps. No. What's embarrassing to the umps is a bad call getting replayed over and over, with the umpire's name attached to it forever. Replay will save umpires embarrassment. Loads of it. Because embarrassment stems from bad calls. And replay would basically eliminate bad calls. Think about that.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
On Glee
You know that show, "Glee", on FOX? I've watched it. Not regularly. But I just caught up watching it online. It's not very good. But I keep watching it because I want it to be good. It has potential. At times it is quite funny. Especially Sue Sylvester, the arrogant and blunt cheerleading coach played by Jane Lynch. And I find myself rooting for the lead character, Mr. Shuester (Matthew Morrison), and Emma Pillsbury (Jayma Mays) to finally get together, similar to the way we all wanted Jim and Pam to make it happen in The Office.
But there is too much that goes on that just does not make sense. Even in the context of the show being a musical. I'm talking about some of the dialogue and actions of the characters. I get that the show takes place in a world where people can (almost) spontaneously and flawlessly break into song and dance. I get that. But not even in that world would Emma get engaged to someone she doesn't love, go to great lengths to hide it from most people including planning a brief and tiny ceremony thousands of miles away, yet still want to wear an extravagant dress. It just doesn't make sense. Things like that. They happen too often, and they ruin the show.
While I'm criticizing, I'll go ahead and criticize the musical aspect of it. First let me say that I really like the idea. A TV show that is a musical. For those of us that like music, singing, and dancing, there's no reason it shouldn't work. And let me also say that for the most part I enjoy the musical numbers. What I often don't like is how obviously they are pre-recorded and dubbed. I'm pretty sure movies and TV shows do this all the time, but for whatever reason, it is painfully obvious that I am not watching these cast members actually singing. I also don't like how for most of the show, you feel like you are watching a regular comedy/drama about high school (not a musical), so when the songs come, it's often unbearably awkward and cheesy. For example, most of the numbers are sung during Glee practice. This makes sense. What I don't like is how Shuester will bring some new song in one day, and the kids will just bust it out without more than a glance at the sheet music. At least prep me with something like Shuester saying "okay guys we've been working on this one for a while now. Let's do it really good this time". Or, if the kids are in fact that good at spontaneously singing and dancing, why only do it in Glee club? Why not all the time? (There have been a few songs sung outside of practice or performance, but I argue not enough).
I suppose the reason I watch is Diana Agron, who plays Quinn Fabray, the beautiful, bratty, popular but unsecure, pregnant (now ex-) cheerleader. I went to high school with Diana. I believe she's two years below me. She's good friends with the younger sister of one of my good friends. [Aside: I remember a few years ago when she was in a few episodes of Heroes (playing a staggeringly similar character), I watched and thought "where have I seen this girl? what else has she been in?" And then when someone from home said to me "do you know diana agron is on Heroes?" I was all "OOhhh, that's what she's been in--my high school!"] So it's kind of intriguing to watch the show because someone that I kind of know is in it.
Anyway, the whole reason I wrote this is to mention how I thought this was funny: in the most recent episode, Puck is telling the audience the story of how he hooked up with Rachel, saying he had a dream that "was a message from god. Rachel was a hot Jew, and the good lord wanted me to get in her pants." (Puck's mom had wanted him to date a Jewish girl.) This is ironic because Puck is in fact the father of Quinn's baby. And Diana Agron, if I recall correctly, is Jewish. See, I get enjoyment out of that scene that the average viewer was not even supposed to get. Because I kinda-sorta know Diana Agron. That's why I watch the show.
But there is too much that goes on that just does not make sense. Even in the context of the show being a musical. I'm talking about some of the dialogue and actions of the characters. I get that the show takes place in a world where people can (almost) spontaneously and flawlessly break into song and dance. I get that. But not even in that world would Emma get engaged to someone she doesn't love, go to great lengths to hide it from most people including planning a brief and tiny ceremony thousands of miles away, yet still want to wear an extravagant dress. It just doesn't make sense. Things like that. They happen too often, and they ruin the show.
While I'm criticizing, I'll go ahead and criticize the musical aspect of it. First let me say that I really like the idea. A TV show that is a musical. For those of us that like music, singing, and dancing, there's no reason it shouldn't work. And let me also say that for the most part I enjoy the musical numbers. What I often don't like is how obviously they are pre-recorded and dubbed. I'm pretty sure movies and TV shows do this all the time, but for whatever reason, it is painfully obvious that I am not watching these cast members actually singing. I also don't like how for most of the show, you feel like you are watching a regular comedy/drama about high school (not a musical), so when the songs come, it's often unbearably awkward and cheesy. For example, most of the numbers are sung during Glee practice. This makes sense. What I don't like is how Shuester will bring some new song in one day, and the kids will just bust it out without more than a glance at the sheet music. At least prep me with something like Shuester saying "okay guys we've been working on this one for a while now. Let's do it really good this time". Or, if the kids are in fact that good at spontaneously singing and dancing, why only do it in Glee club? Why not all the time? (There have been a few songs sung outside of practice or performance, but I argue not enough).
I suppose the reason I watch is Diana Agron, who plays Quinn Fabray, the beautiful, bratty, popular but unsecure, pregnant (now ex-) cheerleader. I went to high school with Diana. I believe she's two years below me. She's good friends with the younger sister of one of my good friends. [Aside: I remember a few years ago when she was in a few episodes of Heroes (playing a staggeringly similar character), I watched and thought "where have I seen this girl? what else has she been in?" And then when someone from home said to me "do you know diana agron is on Heroes?" I was all "OOhhh, that's what she's been in--my high school!"] So it's kind of intriguing to watch the show because someone that I kind of know is in it.
Anyway, the whole reason I wrote this is to mention how I thought this was funny: in the most recent episode, Puck is telling the audience the story of how he hooked up with Rachel, saying he had a dream that "was a message from god. Rachel was a hot Jew, and the good lord wanted me to get in her pants." (Puck's mom had wanted him to date a Jewish girl.) This is ironic because Puck is in fact the father of Quinn's baby. And Diana Agron, if I recall correctly, is Jewish. See, I get enjoyment out of that scene that the average viewer was not even supposed to get. Because I kinda-sorta know Diana Agron. That's why I watch the show.
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