Replay needs to be reviewed

Veteran umpire Bob Davidson blew a call that cost the Florida Marlins a win Thursday, but the greater mistake is Major League Baseball's criteria for using instant replay.

With the Philadelphia Phillies and Marlins tied at 4, Florida had a runner on second base with one out in the bottom of the ninth. The Marlins' Gaby Sanchez pulled a hard grounder that straddled the third-base line and Davidson called it foul as the ball went over the bag. But the ball landed inches fair a few feet past the base, next to where Davidson was stationed.

Replay can not be used in that situation, so instead of the Marlins winning 5-4, the teams played on.

Then in the top of the 10th, Ben Francisco of Philadelphia hit a towering fly down the left-field line that cleared the fence, but it was called foul. Replay determined the call was correct. Umpires can use replay only to review a questionable home run.

"Well, the rules allowed the umps to review their 100 percent-correct 'foul' call on the ball Francisco hit -- simply because it would have been a home run," said ESPN's Tim Kurkjian. "But they weren't allowed to review their incorrect 'foul' call on the ball Sanchez hit -- because it 'only' would have been (ahem) a game-winning double.

"So am I the only sane human on earth who thinks that makes no sense?"

The Phillies went on to win 5-4 in the 10th, but only because replay wasn't an option on the key play in the ninth.

Baseball rules state that a ball is foul if it "bounds past first or third base on or over foul territory." If Davidson saw the ball pass the bag in foul territory, it must have made a miraculous right turn in midair.

■ NAME-A-SHAQ -- The Boston Celtics signed Shaquille O'Neal and are conducting a contest to select a nickname for the veteran center.

O'Neal has been known as Shaq Daddy, The Big Shaqtus when he played in Phoenix and The Big Witness in Cleveland.

The leading contenders for his new nickname are The Big Shamrock, The Big Leprechaun, The Green Monster, The Shamroq, Red Auershaq and Shaqachusetts.

Leftovers nominates Shaq-erella because some team magically decides to sign O'Neal every time his career is going to strike midnight.

■ MADDEN-FREE -- Depression caused former Ohio State All-America defensive lineman Quinn Pitcock to walk away from the NFL after his rookie season with the Indianapolis Colts in 2007.

What compounded his sad state, he said, was an addiction to video games.

Pitcock, who recently signed with the Seattle Seahawks, remained in Indianapolis after he temporarily quit football, where, he said, "I just stayed in my apartment. ... I ended up using video games as my out, I got sucked into that. I got lost to the world."

Pitcock told seahawks.com he plans "to start some kind of charity to help kids who are addicted to video games."

Even if the defensive tackle's comeback is successful, don't expect Pitcock's likeness to adorn the cover of next year's Madden NFL 12 video game.

COMPILED BY JEFF WOLF
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL