Thursday, August 15, 2013

Be Careful for What You Wish For: Instant Replay

Word is that MLB plans to expand instant replay beginning in the 2014 season, if owners vote to accept the proposal in November and in negotiation with the players and umpires union.

Specifics include:
• A review will be initiated when a manager informs the umpire that he wants to challenge a play. He will be allowed one challenge in the first six innings and two more from the seventh through the end of the game.

• If the manager wins his appeal, he retains the challenge. The challenge from the first six innings does not carry over.

• Not all plays are reviewable.

• If a manager disagrees with a reviewable call, his only recourse would be to use a challenge. Managers would not be able to argue a reviewable call in a bid to get it overturned without the use of replay. A manager could still argue in situations not open to review, such as when defending a player or questioning an improper substitution.

• All replays will be reviewed by umpires at MLB.com headquarters in New York, with technicians available to provide the necessary video.

• However, boundary calls on home runs have been grandfathered. The on-site umpires will retain the right to submit the plays for review or not.

• There is no provision to cover the possibility of an obviously blown call late in the game if the manager has used all his challenges.
This will keep sports talk radio stations in material for a generation.

photo: ESPN

10 comments:

spank said...

i'm no traditionalists by any means but this sucks. all the MLB has to do is hold the umps responsible when they make bad calls and dock pay/suspend for a few games so they can learn. Instant Replay is for geeks at home who cry foul.

CC: Red Sox fans

Fuck them all in the ear,I say.

Dusty Baker said...

I'm feelin you, Neeebs (usually I'm feelin your mom). While there are some small, important changes they could make to existing instant replay policy, this seems like it opens the door to the NFL -go over to the hooded camera for a few minutes instant replay bit, which really detracts from the game in my opinion. Gets calls right most of the time, but detracts from the game play.

spank said...

Neeebs?

Fred's Brim said...

I'm with you, too, Neeebs

Dusty Baker said...

Fuck, I misread it! Sobriety is a terrible thing to waste.

Heading to the cantina NOW.

Paul said...

Neeebs is my primo? I thought he was my niƱo!

Hideo Nomo said...

Speeebs.

Hideo Nomo said...

Let's make umps LESS accountable! Huzzah!

Dusty Baker said...

Naaanky.

Neeebs (The Original) said...

I'm thrown through the mud even when I don't post?

Sheeesh.