by Chris Humpherys

Created on: October 26, 2009   Last Updated: October 27, 2009

Someone once said the best officials are the ones we don't know by name. That's because one mistake, one glaring error, one moment of indecision can alter a game, a series or perhaps even a season. Officiating is a thankless profession.

Think back to some of the more memorable questionable calls in history: the Ed Armbrister-Carlton Fisk catcher's interference call, the Tuck Rule, Scottie Pippen's 'foul' on Hubert Davis, the Immaculate Reception, Jeffrey Maier reaching over the wall to give the Yankees a home run that wasn't, Colorado's fifth down, basically any foul called on whoever was covering Michael Jordan in crunch time. The list is endless.

The human element and corresponding potential for error in judgment has always been a part of sports. Yet in the past month, the clamor for more effective officiating has been more resounding than ever. Southeastern Conference referees were reprimanded, then suspended, for subsequent incorrect calls in the LSU-Georgia and Florida-Arkansas games. In both cases, questionable decisions may have swayed the outcomes and possibly the college football season as a whole.

In Major League Baseball, the bad calls continue on like clowns piling out of a circus car. We have seen fair balls being called foul, safe runners being called out and vice versa. Then came Tim McClelland's double whammy in Game 4 of the ALCS. First he incorrectly called Nick Swisher out for leaving third base early on a sacrifice fly, then he failed to correctly call out Jorge Posada and Robinson Cano when both runners were clearly off the bag as Mike Napoli tagged them out.

After making what he knew was the wrong call, McLelland stood in foul territory, mouth agape, as if he were in an argument with his girlfriend he knew he had lost, yet refused to change his mind. Only this time 65,000 people were on her side.

McClelland is one of the baseball's most respected officials, having worked in the sport for over twenty-five years. He made a mistake. So did the SEC referees. So has Tim Donaghy. So has Ed Hochuli. So has Joey Crawford. So have you and I. To err is human. But baseball does not allow for indecision. Like a time share salesman refusing to take no for an answer, an official's ruling is generally final, no matter how tomato red the manager's face might turn in disagreement.

Baseball purists argue that replay will lengthen a game fans already complain is too long. Replay thumbs its nose at tradition and demeans the umpire's authority. Officials

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