Earlier this summer, we saw an umpire's bad call take away a perfect game from Tiger pitcher Armando Galarraga. Although the TV broadcast had access to a bunch of replays showing the runner clearly out at first, the umpiring crew wasn't allowed to go to the tape to make things right. The bad call had to stand. No replay taketh away.
Last Sunday, receiver Calvin Johnson of the Detroit Lions scored an apparent game-winning touchdown againts the Bears with 30 seconds left in the game. He clearly caught the ball, had both feet down, slid on his ass while holding up the ball in one hand, then left the ball on the ground as he got up to celebrate. But a required booth review of the replay nullified the TD because Johnson didn't "maintain ball control after touching the ground." Technically correct, but it sure didn't feel right. But rules are rules, so no TD, and the Bears, not the Lions, won. Replay taketh away.
The football ruling is obviously the more significant. It cost the Lions a game and in the NFL, one game can make the difference between making the playoffs and watching them. The baseball call cost a pitcher a perfect game on his resume, which is too bad, because they're rare. But the pitcher still got credit for a 1-hit shutout and the Tigers still won the game.
In the off-season, the NFL Rules Committee will promptly address the screwy language of the rule that burned the Lions and they'll fix it. Done. Baseball, on the other hand, will study, review, assess, cite the long history of the "human element" in the grand old game, review again, reassess, and agree to look into the issue further at a later time. That's baseball!
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