Good news! Long, bitter arguments, often involving the kicking of dirt and strings of profanity, are a thing of the past. A new age of peace and tranquility has begun.
Unfortunately, this is not for the entire world, but only 30 lucky baseball diamonds of good fortune. But I’m happy to tell you we have one right here in Milwaukee — Miller Park.
This season major league baseball will begin expanded instant replay. A manager must no longer scream and throw tantrums when an umpire misses a call.
He can simply make a polite request of the crew chief, and the call in question will be reviewed for accuracy from 12 video angles, identical in each ballpark to insure fairness for all.
In addition to whether or not the ball cleared the fence for a home run, which has been reviewable already, all the following will be added: Whether the ball hopped over the fence for a ground rule double, whether a ball is fair or foul, trap/catch by an outfielder, fan interference, tagging a runner out on the bases, and whether a fielder had his foot on first base, third base or home plate to force a runner out.
But one common play was left off the list — whether the shortstop or second baseman had his foot on second base when turning a double play. This was reportedly a sticking point with the players’ association, which refused to approve instant replay if this was included.
Why do force calls at first, third and home plate have to be right, but not calls at second? The reason is that when turning a double play fielders often don’t actually touch second base. This is to avoid being injured by the runner sliding into the bag.
Instead, they catch the ball in the vicinity of second base, then throw on to first. As long as the fielder has the ball close to second base before the runner from first arrives, the umpire usually calls the out.
The players’ association was concerned that if this play was subject to review, the fiction of this “neighborhood play,” as it is known, would be exposed on video and have to end.
Shortstops and second basemen would have to be sure to tag second base or risk having the runner declared safe on review. More injuries would ensue. So better to give the umpire discretion to fudge a bit in the name of safety rather than have the calls made exactly right.
This question over the merits of strict justice dates all the way back to the Talmud. In Sanhedrin 6b, Rabbi Eliezer son of Rabbi Jose says that it is forbidden for a judge to resolve a dispute by forging a compromise, but rather “Let the law cut through the mountain.”
In his view, the only legitimate way to solve a legal argument is to follow the law exactly, no matter what. So in his opinion every umpire’s decision should be reviewable, including those at second. Players, manager, and fans have the right to correct calls, no matter what the consequences to second basemen and shortstops.
But Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korcha objects. He says compromise is meritorious.
He reasons that where there is strict justice there is no peace, and where there is peace, there can be no strict justice. Rather, compromise is the only kind of justice with which peace abides.
So this rabbi would endorse the players’ view. Better to let some calls at second base be missed if the price of resolving them is too high.
We have to always look at the context of a dispute to see whether justice is warranted. What’s more important, a team’s right to get an umpire’s ruling corrected or to protect players from being injured by slides?
Rabbi Yehoshua’s position has become the mainstream in Jewish law. When we have a grievance against someone, getting every penny to which we’re entitled and seeing justice through to the end isn’t necessarily right.
We have to ask: What are the consequences for ourselves? To others? How much justice will lead to peace, and when does justice start to cause harm?
I have a feeling that even with replay baseball managers will still sometimes lose their cool.
But this summer, if Ron Roenicke comes out of the home dugout breathing fire about a Brewer base runner erroneously called out at second, he can comfort himself that now his infielders are more likely to stay off the disabled list. Go Brewers!
Rabbi Shlomo Levin is spiritual leader of Lake Park Synagogue.
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