I think the clamor for replay in baseball is misplaced.  Replay simply analyzes decisions made by men ("that's the role of women", cymbals!).  Replay slows down a game and there are times when it is even inconclusive.

I propose that we skip replay and simply replace the umpires with advanced sensors.  I don't mean completely replace the umpires but they would be replaced as the primary decision makers, the umpires would be the backup.  Here is what mature technology could do next season in baseball.

• replace the calling of balls and strikes by the umpire with the system that they use now to evaluate the umpires.  Why not just use the system that the umpires are graded by?  There could be many different ways that the system could immediately signal strikes and balls.  The umpire would still be behind the plate in case the system crashes or makes an obvious error.  Most importantly, somebody has to sweep off home plate . . . until they get a Roomba.
  
• foul ball detector-this would be the same system that they use in tennis. 
  
• sensors in the glove, base, and shoes-this would be the only system that isn't in use today though it is still based on currently available technology.  The sensor in the glove would be able to detect when the ball arrives, the sensor in the base and shoe would be able to detect when the runner touches the base.  This would solve the common question about if the ball or the runner arrives to the base first.  The glove sensor might even be able to detect if the ball was trapped during the catch.

So, why can't this happen?  Who is happy with the umpire's mistakes right now?  Umpire errors work themselves out during the course of a season.  The post-season is too short (barely) to let errors decide games.

I found this piece, http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3392657 , on ESPN.com very interesting.  There was a lot in the story about Edinson Volquez's experience with the Ranger's that I had not known before I read this article. 

Other interesting things in the article that I'm going to list so that this is 75 words long:

• Paul Bako, Scott Hatteberg and Josh Fogg say that Volquez would be a household name if Volquez pitched in NY or BOS.  How frustrated do players find it to play outside of the ESPN universe?

• During his time in the majors, he's had 2 different birth dates and 3 different names.  During my time on Reds Reporter, I've only had one name but I've aged greatly.

Little Pedro!

Our beloved radio play-by-play guy has attracted national attention for criticizing Cubs fans. 

This is the kind of thing, quite honestly right now, is the type of thing that makes you want to see this Chicago Cubs team lose. Among all baseball fans, and I can't attest for the Yankees or the Red Sox, because we don't see them with any degree of regularity, but far and away, the most obnoxious fans in baseball are those that follow this team right here. This is so typical of Chicago Cubs fans. You still root against them.

http://deadspin.com/381406/marty-brennaman-is-unlikely-to-receive-a-statue-outside-wrigley-field

http://www.deuceofdavenport.com/2008/04/marty-brennaman-hates-cubs-fans.html

Don't people know that he says this about the third basemen too?  How is it controversial to loathe Cubs fans?  That is a giant bandwagon.