![]() The NFL, NBA, NHL and the NCAA had already employed instant replay. “It doesn’t happen that often.”īaseball began using replay late in the 2008 season, though only to check potential home run balls. “Don’t take so long between innings, cut 10 seconds off between every half-inning and that could make up for five minutes for the replay on a trapped ball or something like that,” he said. “I just think they should all be called the right way, and it doesn’t matter if it takes an extra five minutes.” Major League Baseball is leaning toward expanding replay for the 2012 season to include trapped balls and fair-or-foul rulings down the lines, a person familiar with the talks tells The Associated Press.Ĭommissioner Bud Selig and a group of umpires discussed the extra video review at spring training and were in agreement, said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the matter is still being discussed. Next year, it well could be: Let’s look at the replay! His glove, the ball and the grass all smack together at the same time. "They just want the guys to be accountable.NEW YORK - Shane Victorino charges hard from centre field, chasing a sinking line drive. "There have been instances when an umpire stands up and says, 'I blew it,' and when that happens, that generates tremendous respect among players because they understand umpires aren't going to get it right all the time. "The word that players use most frequently is accountability," said Michael Weiner, executive director of the Players Association. While everyone waits for more instant replay, an apology will have to do. This season, however, too much has been wrong, with umpires coming under fire seemingly more than ever - whether it's been the Yankees' Dewayne Wise getting credit for a foul-pop catch on a ball that a fan picked up off the cement floor and held aloft, or Santana making history for the Mets with the help of an umpire's mistake. "For all of us that want everything to be right all the time," Torre said, "that's not going to be the case." But if a foul ball is overturned, it creates a thorny issue: Where do you put the runners? That could trigger a whole new round of arguments between managers and umpires, further delaying the game. Torre suggested a scenario in which it always would be best for the umpire to make a "fair" call on a close play because that is an easier one to overturn. "I thought ground balls over the bag, first and third, would be a no-brainer. "It's one of those things because of technology we feel that we can fix quickly," Torre said. And if the next round of upgrades is done smartly - perhaps with the addition of a video-review umpire who could make determinations from an off-field booth - it would not mean significant time added to games.īut there are other considerations, as Joe Torre - now an MLB executive vice president who works closely with Selig - outlined while discussing the topic. There are some people who think maybe we've gone too far already."Įven the sport's purists would agree that reviewing home runs was an important first step toward improving how the game is officiated. ![]() I can tell you the appetite for more instant replay in the sport is very low. So we've got to be very sensitive and careful how we proceed. "Baseball is a game of pace," Selig said this past week. Even if that means sticking with the status quo despite an epidemic of blown calls this season. The length of games is a constant concern, mostly for the sake of MLB's broadcast partners, and stretching them out is something to be avoided at all costs. That's what worries Selig when it comes to the expansion of instant replay - additional delays. With review monitors installed adjacent to dugouts, it takes time for the umpiring crew to leave the field, huddle around the video screen and come up with a verdict. It has not exactly been a seamless process. This discussion is not unlike the early stages of instant replay for home runs, which commissioner Bud Selig abruptly implemented for the final two months of the 2008 season. "It does involve the deployment of a significant number of additional cameras and then making a decision on the information from those cameras." ![]() "We're trying to find the most efficient way to gather information on balls down the lines," Manfred said this past week in Kansas City. By clicking Sign up, you agree to our privacy policy.
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