Would Yankees have collapsed if replay existed in 1996?

As baseball continues to mull over whether or not to incorporate instant replay, YAHOO! Sports rewinds 10 plays in sports history and asks the question: What if replay had existed?

By Hooky or Crooky (10.09.1996)

Scenario: At a kid-friendly Yankee Stadium, a 12-year-old boy named Jeffrey Maier reaches playing over the right-field wall to snare an all-but-certain catch by Orioles outfielder Tony Tarasco. Instead, umpire Rich Garcia rules it a home run for Derek Jeter, and the Yankees proceed to take Game 1 of the ACLS 5-4. They eventually win the series, and the first of four titles under manager Joe Torre.

Replay ruling: Overturned!

Rendered Result: After receiving word of the reversal, Yankee Stadium erupts in near-riot, the stands are cleared and the game is completed — with the O’s winning — in front of no live audience. Out for blood, or possibly corned beef, 56,495 fans storm the Carnegie Deli and destroy the Replay Nerve Center. Buoyed by their quick start, the Orioles knock out the Yankees in six games, with David Wells winning twice. The Orioles fall to the Braves in the World Series, but smell blood in the water of the AL East. Unimpressed and kind of frightened by the New York scene, Wells ignores the free-agent overtures by the Yankees, re-signs with Baltimore, dons No. 3 — for Baltimore native Babe Ruth, his favorite player — and pitches a perfect game against New York in 1997. The Yankees miss the playoffs that season, fire Torre, dismantle the roster and lose 116 games in ’98 with a payroll of $9 million. Whatever happened to the kid who caught Jeter’s ground-rule double? A pretty good athlete in his own right, Maier played ball for Wesleyan University in Connecticut. Not good enough to reach the pros, Maier instead quickly worked his way through scouting and administration and, in a shocking move, was named general manager of the Yankees in 2008 at the age of 24.

Wow. So according to YAHOO!, replay could have sent the Yankees’ franchise into disarray for years. Somewhere Red Sox fans throw up thinking of what could have been.