Linsanity Live!

I really don't know what to call it.  Happy coincidence or serendipitous but my schedule happened follow him.  At first, I was able to get a glimpse of Madison Square Garden's own Boeing 737 (tail number N37NY) preflighting at Westchester County Airport (KHPN) before flying the New York Knicks to Toronto and it just so happened that I was going to be in Toronto for an overnight on the 14th!  It didn't matter that I was going to make the trek by myself because I was set on looking for excitement.  I'll tell you right away, I was not let down!

I arrived at the Fairfield Inn Toronto Airport around 1600 and knew that I needed to search for a ticket (thanks Craigslist), get back on a shuttle to the airport, either pay $33.00 roundtrip for a Toronto Airport Express to Downtown or $6.00 roundtrip for the 192 Express Bus to Kipling Station then transfer two stops on the subway (Kipling --> St. George --> Union) then find the Air Canada Centre, meet up with said ticket seller / owner then venture in and watch the Knicks take on the Raptors. I've done the expensive "quicker" bus but thought that I should save some money since my ticket would end up costing $90 so off I went.

It was really easier as the subway only goes either east / west then north and south and if I missed my stops, I would it them later on the same line. People were friendly and I was able to get around. Granted it was a whole 30 minutes longer than the express, but the game started at 1900 so I had plenty of time.

Union Station was CRAZY!  Food places abundant, and everywhere I looked, people were all talking about Jeremy Lin.  It was almost like a constant meditation and chant all around me.  I was even getting excited as most of the people there were yes, unfortunately for the Raptors, there to watch the Linsanity live.

I met up with the "guy" and to be honest, I'm not all that much of a fan of scalping especially since it was a lone seat but he reassured that I had him number and I was able to get in, sit in my seat and not have anyone kick me out.  Good stuff. The seat was next to a great couple who actually were gifted the tickets months ago and were more than excited that it was this particular game especially that Jeremy Lin was part of his fantasy team!

Admittedly, the game started off slow and at the end of the first half, the Raptors were holding a strong lead and Jeremy Lin only had 9 points but did have 4 assists.  It looked like Stoudemire and Lin were trying to play off of each other but to no avail.  It almost looked like there were communicating in foreign dialects adding to the sloppy plays, mishaps and turnovers.  Hoping for a better second half, the third quarter would only have Lin adding another 6 points with back to back foul shots missing the rim.  At one point, I was afraid that Lin wouldn't hit "the 20" or heaven forbid, the Knicks winning streak would end...all because I was at the game??? I'm not that vain, but a thought, that I'm sure we all conjure up lining up perfectly well as superstition, popped up that it was because I went to game.

Going into the fourth quarter, the Knicks finally started knocking at door and with 1:05 left, Jeremy Lin hit a 2 and 1 tying the game. The arena was on their feet and the chanting began. I was yelling along with everyone else and after a couple of great blocks back and forth, Lin found himself with the ball asking Coach Mike D'Antoni for a timeout. Unexpectedly, Coach waved his hands off and a play was called. Apparently Lin went with an audible and successfully hit the three-pointer! High fives, screams and chants later...the Knicks continued their fairytale and I had the best time EVER!

Great recaps of the game!  Oh yeah, by the way, his 137 points in his first five career starts, is the most for any player who began his career since the NBA-ABA merger in 1976-77, passing Shaquille O’Neal (129).

WSJ: Lin's Legend Grows With Late Theatrics / Phenom Hits Game-Winner to Cap a Stunning Comeback

ESPN: Linsanity goes international in Toronto

Linsanity is Taking Over!

If you didn't have the chance to watch Jeremy Lin vs. the Lakeshow tonight, you missed him take it up another notch.  Jeremy Lin, by the end of the first half, put up more points than Kobe Bryant, Derek Fisher, & Andrew Bynum combined!  By the end of the 4th quarter, Lin put up a whopping total 38 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 awesome 3-pointers! Some points off of the NY Times / Associated Press Article:

• First player since LeBron James in 2003 and just the sixth since 1970 to have at least 20 points and eight assists in his first two starts
• Ratings on MSG network are up since Lin joined the lineup
• Lin's four field goals in the first quarter matched the Lakers' total in 18 attempts
• the 89 points Lin scored in his first three starts is the most by an N.B.A. player since the league merged with the A.B.A. in 1976
• he has scored more points in a single game this season than Carmelo Anthony

Check out the stunning difference in stats!

What a difference playing time makes!  Here's a highlight of #Linsanity putting up an easy lay up running a 360 through the Lakers' defense!

Remote Control Jets

Ever since the Chinese perfected the manufacturing of foam / electric turbo aired jets, the price of owning and flying a remote control plane have reached acceptable levels. Not necessarily levels to where you can set it, forget and not land smoothly, but enough where it wouldn't make you cry if you crash landed. If you've ever flown the little RC helicopters at the mall, this is that much more gratifying. Yes, the flight time is kept to a minimum due to battery capacities but 5-10 minutes of flying an awesome 70m F-86 Sabre...you can't beat that!

Jeremy Lin MANIA!!!

After an amazing game last Saturday, New York Knick Jeremy Lin (#17) comes back for another record breaking night against Utah.  Check out the Harvard Econ Grad sink a three pointer at the shot clock buzzer. Knicks tickets are going up in price and his jerseys are selling out!

If you want to watch the entire set of his first record setting night click play or watch what he did last night in its entirety! Both full videos down below.

Watch Lin split a defender at 4:30!

Garmin's new Triathlete Watch: 910XT

Garmin just released a video showing their latest device for triathletes calling it the 910XT. I've been waiting for Garmin to replace their Forerunner 310XT for sometime, but now, I'm not so sure that I'd be all for spending $399. If it was exactly like my Garmin Edge 500, then I'd be all for it but it's missing a temperature sensor. Yea, small things like that matter to me and I don't see why they couldn't have included it. We'll see. At least it works with Garmin's footpod where the Edge 500 doesn't which would help me track my indoor running at the hotels I stay.

Peep commercial video is down below, but if you have sometime (read: 15-30 minutes), check out Ray Maker's In-Depth Review. There is no other review like it!

San Diego Chargers 2011!

The season has officially begun...training camps starting up this week, free agency signings as well as contract signings with current players all happening in a 3-5 day window, it's time to get pumped up. I'll admit that I wasn't particularly sad but I'm glad that it's going to happen. With 3 out of the first 4 games happening at home at Qualcomm Stadium, (Minnesota, Kansas City and Miami) I'm hoping for a 3/4 with the loss at New England. Who knows, we might go 4 and 0? Check out the schedule below!

Go Padres!

Preventing a sweep by the Cincinnati Reds, the San Diego Padres, with bases loaded at the bottom of the ninth pulled through! I had that feeling / intuition that they'd do it so I quickly switched my iPhone 4 into video mode and captured it live then immediately uploaded it to twitter & twitvid! And just in case you're wondering, YES...this is worth a blog post!

Adelle and I (Elijah) hold some awesome 2011 Season tickets to the San Diego Padres and will be holding giveaways now and then. If you are interested in purchasing a pair for a particular game, send an email to us@adellelijah.com and we'll get back to you with what we have and don't have left.

Here's a picture of myself, Adelle, Ester and Jeremiah where me and Jeremiah are sitting in the actual seats, Field Reserve, Section 120, Row 17, Seats 8 & 9. It's the section to be in.

Nothing like Baseball Season

For the San Diego Padres, opening the season at St. Louis couldn't have been more exciting! (box score) Great plays by Cameron Maybin / @CamMaybin including an awesome tying Home Run, Nick Hundley with 2 RBIs, and Heath Bell gets the first save of the 2011 season...definitely a great way to start the season. Five runs, eight hits, 11 innings! YEAH...that's what I'm talking about! You even have Albert Pujols going 0-5 and contributing 3 grounders resulting in 3 double plays! How awesome!

Admittedly, adellelijah has some awesome season tickets this year and can't wait for the home opener against the World Champion San Francisco Giants on April 5th. Being in the heart of downtown and only 4 blocks away from Petco Park, it's just too easy to be excited for the year. The Padres are poised to make a big impact this year up from a phenomenal 2010 season and we sure do have high hopes! Here's the replay of Maybin's Home Run as a San Diego Padre! (video link)

Here's to the 2011 season!

 

And They're Off!

Being held on May 15th, Bay to Breakers is set to be the premier running event of the year in the Bay Area. It'll be our first attempt running around the hills of San Francisco.

Today, Adelle and Elijah officially registered for San Francisco's 100th Anniversary Bay to Breakers 12K. We haven't done too many long runs, but on the way to training for the San Diego Rock 'n' Roll Half and Full Marathon, we thought that this would be a fun way to keep on trucking. And we get to see friends, hang out and just have fun outside of San Diego! Come run with us and register while you can. (we ended up in Corral "F") It's bound to sell out and plus they're giving away finisher medals! Go register now!

Monday's YouTube Special

Sitting on the plane next to a consultant, he was kind enough to share this awesome video dedicated to Vincent Jackson.  After yesterday's rout of the Arizona Cardinals, what a way to celebrate the awesome that our offense is demonstrating even without the wide out that we could definitely use.  GO CHARGERS!!!  Enjoy and please comment away!

Coo Coo for Coconut Water

While on GTalk with Elijah last week we were joking about a long night out combined with his fatigue from a Sprint Triathlon which lead to a painful in-flight headache and water wasn't helping with his dehydration. I mentioned that he should of taken some Coconut Water because it was better than a bottle of Gatorade since it had more electrolytes. Then I made a joke about what plants crave from the Mike Judge movie Idiocracy, which he didn't get.. I've been wondering about the health benefits of Coconut Water for a while. I was first introduced to it by a friend who swears by it for those long nights drinking; one before and one after. I'm pretty much a Gatorade or Water person to relive the day after pains of my self induced liver poisoning. I tried a sip once, and haven't given it much thought since then.

Without getting into a lot of details about what's in Coconut water, the main benefits are the high mineral contents; specifically potassium. These mineral levels equate to higher amounts of electrolytes than most sports drinks. The potassium levels are twice the amount you would get from eating a single banana.

Why is high potassium important? Well Sodium and Potassium are both alkaline metals and are very close in the Periodic table. By taking in Sodium or Potassium this allows our bodies to move water through our systems faster also it helps with muscle contractions. So science tells me that Coconut Water has the advantage over a Gatorade or Water. Great!

I began to wonder what other applications Coconut Water could have other than the cure for a common hangover. I thought I was onto an untapped resource. Since Coconut Water could be used to help rehydrate, then drinking it on a plane would be perfect. I don't know about most people, but being in the conditioned environment makes me dehydrated. So I proposed that we should work on getting Coconut Water into airports and airplanes.

I was already too late to collect my genius money. Vita Coco and JetBlue started serving Coconut Water to passengers back in 2009. A day late and a dollar short on that idea. This hasn't stopped me, I'm on a mission to buy some to give Coconut Water an honest try and see what else it should be marketed for. I don't know if they're pushing it enough as a sports drink substitute. I think I'm going to pack a few away for my long flight to New Zealand in November.

Update: After writing this article. I spend and afternoon golfing and an evening drinking at one of my favorite dive bars which lead me to become dehydrated. I tried to find some Coconut Water at my local Vons. They did not have any available. I'm beginning to wonder how well companies are doing with their ad campaigns against traditional sports drinks. Do I have to go to an Asian Market to get some?

Additional Links:

Vita Coco - http://www.vitacoco.com/#/home/

JetBlue - http://www.jetblue.com/

Coconut Water - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coconut_water

Potassium  - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potassium

Complimentary Vita Coco Available on JetBlue Airways This Fall, AOL Daily Finance - http://www.dailyfinance.com/rtn/pr/complimentary-vita-coco-available-on-jetblue-airways-this-fall/rfid363042278/?channel=pf

Idiocracy - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0387808/

With USA out, do we still love soccer?

I have to admit, I was glued to my TV during the USA - Ghana World Cup match Saturday.  Never in my life had I been a fan of watching soccer but I couldn't help but get caught up in the moment.  I even had a fleeting thought that I might have a new found interest in the universe's favorite sport.  Not surprisingly, this passed fairly quickly after the conclusion of the game.  I never really understood why Americans resisted soccer so much until I actually watched it for a few days.  It was rather shocking to me to see the vast cultural differences in soccer compared to just about every other American sport.

The most painfully obvious one is the lack of toughness in the players.  There is no doubt in my mind that soccer is a physically demanding sport that rewards the players with the most talent, strength and speed.  So why is it that they have universally adopted a strategy of manipulation and helplessness?  On first thought I understand why they roll around on the ground acting as though their leg has just been amputated when in fact they "tripped" on a blade of grass.  They're working the system.  Hoping to get that call that gives them the free kick.  But as I thought longer about it I realized that the referees are good at making snap calls.  They don't wait to watch the players reaction when determining whether or not to blow the whistle.  So why the extracurriculars?  I can only imagine it's a mindset that they have drilled into their psyche.  These are after all professional athletes presumably capable of a disciplined psychological approach to the game.  I wouldn't be surprised if some of them actually believe they are getting injured.  This is far from an admirable quality in an athlete let alone a human being.

There was one other factor I noticed in the game on Saturday.  Miraculously, once Ghana took the lead (and I can only assume this is a common occurrence) their players began taking injuries far more frequently.  Again, they're working the system.  Trying to kill as much time as possible.  And their trainers have no issue bringing out the cleanup crew to asses what catastrophic injury has occurred.  It's like they're all in on this big lie and the referees are powerless to stop it.  But do they realize how transparent it is?  Do you think these players go home and apologize to their families for appearing so weak in front of the world?  I would hope that they do!  How does a soccer player's wife describe what her husband does?  I see it going something like this...  "My husband has the greatest job!  He tries as hard as he can to succeed, and when he's incapable of doing this with his physical abilities he rolls around on the ground like an infant pitching a fit until someone helps him out."  Seriously.  And how much are they getting paid?

Let's do a little comparison.  A hockey player will go face first into the boards and jump back into the play bleeding from the mouth as if nothing happened.  A baseball player will take a 95 mph fastball to the elbow and trot to first base with nothing more than a quick glance (or glare) at the pitcher.  The mighty Brett Favre comes to mind jumping up after getting sacked by someone three times his size, grabbing the big man's face mask and head butting him with a smile.  These guys personify everything we admire in pro athletes.  They're capable of extraordinary human abilities that include avoiding injury.  When I watch soccer I find myself feeling like I can handle more adversity than the pro's in front of me.  My 1 year old niece accidentally kicked me harder the other day picking her up than that guy on the tv screen being carried away on a stretcher.

The World Cup players that I have been watching leave me feeling embarrassed to associate my gender with them.  I don't know what to make of the idea that this sport is so universally loved around the world.  Are that many people manipulating schemers at heart?  I'd think you would have to be to get such a thrill watching it happen on such a grand scale.

Will the USA soccer hype translate into more fans watching MLS?  I highly doubt it and at this point couldn't care less.  It was only fitting that the face of the USA team, Landon Donovan, is as meek and soft spoken as your average player on the high school chess team.  There is no killer instinct in soccer.  If you really want to help your team you must possess the qualities of the helpless.  The weak.  The one seemingly incapable of avoiding a slide tackle you can see coming 20 yards away.  This is why I can never fully get on board with soccer.  I tried.  Oh I tried.  But I watched too closely.  That ruined it for me.

Are Sports Good for Kids?

I grew up in a household that placed little value on sports.  I was lucky to have an Aunt and Uncle next door with a cousin my same age that were a little more encouraging in that direction.  My cousin and I started playing sports when we were 7 years old.  It began with soccer and t-ball and morphed into football, basketball, snowboarding, paintball and later hockey as I grew up.  So was it all just for fun or was there some value to the years I spent kicking or hitting a ball around?  Am I better off today for having played sports growing up or would that time have been better spent studying or spending time with my family? I am entirely convinced my life is improved having played sports.  As my siblings and cousins begin having children I find myself having this discussion off and on.  So far I've found in my generation a general consensus that sports are good.  But my parents don't think that way and I'm sure there are many out there that think sports are pointless, barbaric activities that do harm to our culture.  I'll admit, I can see how some of those arguments can be made.

Let's take hockey as an example.  It is perceived as one of the more brutal sports played professionally in the U.S.  There's a lot of fighting, swearing, cheap shots and anger in that game.  How could playing or watching something like that possibly be beneficial to our kids?  Hockey is probably the hardest sport to justify and for that reason I will choose this to base my arguments.  After all, if I can convince someone (or myself) that hockey is not only ok but good for our society, surely you would find it easy to justify other sports.

The first obvious benefit to playing hockey (or any other sport) at a young age is the social interaction.  It's an outlet for kids to develop outside of the more sterilized classroom environment.  They're allowed to open up more and express their emotions whether it be frustration or disappointment.  It also provides a physical outlet to allow some relief from those emotional outbursts.  Expressing frustration or disappointment is obviously not always good.  Unchecked it can be done inappropriately and even cause harm to others.  When you're playing a sport like hockey you are far more likely to materialize these sorts of emotions, in a most extreme way, than you would during normal daily activities.  This is probably because sports draw the competitive side out of us.  That drive to win makes you vulnerable to losing control of your own emotions.  This is one of the greatest assets of sports, and not for the reason you might think.  I believe losing control of your own emotions is a learning experience, especially when you are a child.  Those times when it feels so right in the moment only for you to realize later how ridiculous and embarrassing it was (easy to to do these days when most phones take video now).  These are the moments when kids are developing themselves into the person they are going to be as an adult.  I'd like to believe someone who learns to control their emotions when someone hacks them in the back with a hockey stick will be able to do the same when someone cuts them off on the freeway.  Maybe an adult that had less exposure to this growing up might feel more inclined to run someone off of the road.  And of course, these things rely on proper mentors to allow this to be a positive experience.  If the emotional outbursts lead to violence on the ice and the coach doesn't explain to the kids why what they just did was wrong, they will have no way to learn from it.  The first step is realizing you're wrong.  You can only go up from there.

The motivating force for me to believe in the therapeutic qualities in sports is my own personal experience.  Through the magic of video and hindsight, I realized many years ago that who I was on the field, the court, or the ice was not who I thought I was away from those places.  When I decided to make fundamental changes in my mindset and my approach to life as a teenager I started right where my weaknesses were most easily exposed.  Sports.  I began talking to myself (in my head) between plays.  Whenever I felt justified in retaliating I would try to pause initially or in the best case just walk away.  It's not like I showed up one day and was a better person.  This process was only the beginning of over a decade long struggle that still continues to this day, albeit in a much more subtle way.   I play hockey every week.  When I am having issues away from the ice I find myself driven to express those at the rink (usually against someone wearing a jersey that is a different color from my own).  It gives me just the opportunity I need to address the issue and stop it where I want to express it most.  Win or lose the game, I always feel great when after the game I can say I don't regret anything I did that night.  Honestly, I don't know how my life would be different now if I didn't have that outlet growing up.  I would probably be in worse physical shape, maybe have fewer friends (or maybe not), probably have less confidence, and I'd have one less thing to look forward to week after week.  I can't imagine a single way my life would have benefited from not playing sports.

Of course, there are definitely down sides to sports that can negate everything I just said.  A debilitating injury would be one of those.  But we risk that every time we get in a car.  Perhaps the emotional highs could lead you to do something in a game with legal ramifications that you'd say were out of character.  It can eat up a lot of your free time, cost a lot of money, and potentially cause your grades to go down in school.  But those are all short term issues (outside of injury) that can be remedied and I believe the benefits of playing sports materialize over your entire lifetime.

I'm not saying make your kid play sports.  But I would like to say that if they're interested in it or any other after school activity, it should be supported!  It's one of the sacrifices parents should make to ensure their kids have a well rounded, interactive, diversified upbringing.  Maximize their exposure to this stuff now so that they're better equipped to deal with it as they grow older.  If they try it and hate it, encourage them to try something else.  If you're lucky they will find something they are passionate about and draw on this motivation throughout their entire lives.  Maybe even make a living of it!

Why Hockey is still Canada's Sport

Few American's could tell you when the Stanley Cup Playoffs are played.  In fact, the vast majority of you probably don't even know that they're going on right now!  Contrast this with Canada where, not unlike the Lakers in Los Angeles, they have rioted after wins and losses.  Why is a sport so beloved by our neighbors to the north stuck in the ratings gutter here in the States? The most common theory behind the struggling league is that it's not a family friendly sport.  It's easy to see where that view point comes from.  Ask any non-hockey fan what a typical NHL game is like and they'll tell you "lots of fights, right?"  Right.  There are fights in hockey.  And I do believe that plays a large role in keeping the league at its "indie" status.  But there are also contradictions in this stigma placed on the game.  Baseball is probably the only other American sport that could rival hockey in the professionalism of its athletes.  Both leagues have bad seeds of course, but you will never hear of an NHL player involved in a shooting at a bar or bringing a gun to the locker room.  Sitting out part of the season to secure a more lucrative contract is unheard of.  In fact, the lockout that cancelled the 2004-2005 season was an effort by team owners to cut pay to athletes already making less than any other major professional sport in the country.  Most NHL players are humble and reserved in pre and post game interviews.  They take the sport very seriously.

You may be wondering how athletes who appear to be so professional would be so vicious on the ice.  The answer is it's part of the game.  Many fights are calculated plays.  It is not uncommon for an NHL team to employ a "bruiser" to be their enforcer in situations where a muscle man is needed.  And it should be mentioned that a fight on ice is nothing like a fight on grass with cleats or tennis shoes on asphalt.  There is a reason injuries in hockey fights are so rare.  They look worse than they are.  You can only do so much when you're standing on a rail on ice.  This is a large factor why there has been little effort by the league to get rid of fighting.  Though many issues were addressed after the lockout season as to ways to better market the sport.  Disallowing fighting was one of the considered rule changes among many that didn't catch much traction.

Also consider how difficult it is for the average American to play hockey as a child.  If you're lucky enough to have an ice rink nearby, you'd certainly have an opportunity to play.  That is if your parents are willing to shell out the several hundred dollars in gear on top of the several hundred dollar league fees (per season).  I believe this is the overwhelming reason hockey remains such an underground sport on this side of the Canadian border.  Like many other sports, it's hard to enjoy or appreciate it when you don't know the rules.  You probably won't be motivated to learn the rules of hockey on your own with the idea that you might enjoy watching it afterwards.

So what would it take to put hockey into the living rooms of American families?  It would probably take a considerable effort by the NHL to promote the sport at the youth level.  Canada has the perfect climate to facilitate a rink on every corner, driving down costs.  That will not happen in the US unless the NHL steps in and makes a contribution.  It's unlikely that will happen anytime soon.  Many hockey teams are struggling financially.  Look at the turmoil in Phoenix with the Coyotes.

For now it appears the NHL will remain on the sidelines for most American sports fans.  Though what fans it does have are tremendously loyal.  If nothing else the public might learn something from that.  Hockey is an exciting sport with highly skilled players.  If you've never tried it go to a game sometime!  You might just discover a new addiction.

Umpire's Historic Blown Call Leaves Fans and MLB Reeling

Professional sports are often surrounded in controversy.  More times than not this involves the officials in one form or another.  There has been one professional league, Major League Baseball, that has been particularly stubborn in upholding its original rules.  It's arguably an admirable quality to the sport that some would argue is ignorant and outdated.  The latest controversy involving Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga and Major League umpire Jim Joyce has put the dated rules in the MLB under a microscope yet again.  With a spotlight on it.  In the 9th inning, with 2 outs, Armando Galarraga was one out away from being only the 21st player in Major League Baseball history to record a perfect game (no hits, no walks, no base runners given up).  The final batter hit a rather routine ground ball to the first baseman who threw just in time to first with Galarraga covering to secure his perfect game.  Or so they thought...  Jim Joyce called the runner safe.  Replays showed immediately after that the runner was clearly out.  And thus begins the latest controversy in a league plagued by bad calls in recent years.

Check it out right here:

There was one striking difference between this controversial call and those in the past.  The umpire apologized as soon as he saw the replay.  This incident has no doubt been harder on the umpire than it was on the player.  The very next game, Jim Joyce could hardly keep himself together as he took the field.  He fought back tears as Galarraga walked onto the field to deliver the lineup card to the umpire, demonstrating to Joyce that he had moved on.

At first fans and commentators alike were calling for the baseball commissioner, Bud Selig, to overturn the call and award Galarraga his perfect game.  It didn't take long for the commissioner to rule that the call will stand.  No perfect game.  He did however express his regret that the call was blown.  Little consolation to either Galarraga or Joyce.

This all leads to the obvious question, why isn't instant replay being used in baseball?  Well, it is.  But only for borderline home run calls.  And the league was hesitant to even include that.  It appears that this latest embarrassment to MLB may have been the brick that broke the camels back.  The commissioner has finally decided to address the idea of what many believe to be instant replay.  The question is, is it worth it?

There are two sides to that argument.  The long standing tradition in baseball has been that the human element in the imperfection that is umpiring is a part of the game.  Others argue that we have the technology, why not do whatever it takes to make sure there are no more missed calls with historic consequences?  It's easy for the younger generation to be on board with instant replay because many of us have grown up in the age of high definition, instant replay, and 20 camera angles for every play.  The older generation has a different appreciation for the raw, natural feel of the game.

It's a battle of tradition vs. modernization.  Which is better?  In a field like medicine that's a no brainer.  But when it comes to a game with no significant impact on the general public it gets more complicated.  In the end, an umpire's career is tainted, a player lost his shot at history, and everyone is left feeling unsatisfied, and in some cases, devastated.  The commissioner made a decision consistent with positions he has taken in the past.  Will the game be changed because of this incident?  It appears likely.  Will we like what we get?  Stay tuned for that.