Throw the Flag, Charlie! Umps, MLB Agree on Instant Replay

It's not much of a surprise at this point, except when you consider how long Major League Baseball had held out. After years of fans agonizing over understandably blown home run calls, baseball will employ instant replay on questionable boundary calls.

Baseball umpires and management signed an agreement Wednesday that will allow the sport to start using instant replay to help determine calls on the field.

Major League Baseball still hasn't determined when the use of replays will start. Installation of equipment has been going on at ballparks, and officials have said they hoped to start using replay in August.

Replays will be limited to boundary calls, such as determining whether fly balls were fair or foul, or whether they went over fences.

I know many fans want nothing to do with instant replay, but I still don't see what real harm can come from instituting it in this way. It won't come up often enough to "slow the game down even more," and the human element isn't necessarily a positive thing in many cases. Critics do have a point when they say that it won't be long before some fans and maybe execs are calling for expanding the use of replay, such as for close plays at the plate, and if that were to succeed, perhaps even balls and strikes would be next, which would be a disaster. Still, in its current iteration, I don't see any harm.

Now if only they could find a better means of determining which pitchers deserve the wins and losses in a game.

Which side of the replay fence do you fall on?

Comments

[MPR529]

Is it retroactive to earlier this season? The Phils should gain a game from the missed call against the braves.

[David]

My thoughts on this in one sentence: It's about time!

[The Pattison Pundit]

They never mention it, but I'm assuming that fan interference will come into play as well. Finally, we can put an asterisk next to Jeffrey Maier in the record books...

[Stevek]

I'm OK with instant replay for THIS, AND THIS ONLY. If they ever install replay for balls and strikes, and completely remove the human element of the umpire, I will stop watching baseball. I will burn any and all baseball gear and memorabilia I might have and simply focus on the other big three. The rush you get from the umpire, no matter how much we hate them, is an incredible aspect of the game that shouldn't be touched when it comes to balls and strikes, and plays at the plate. But for this, no problem.

[Ben]

My thoughts on this in one sentence: It's about time!
^exactly^

[Dan Levy]

I think for home run calls and plays at the plate it would be great. If they start reviewing every time a guy slides into second, the throw beats him by two seconds but he manages to avoid the glove to touch the base first....that'll suck. You're out, the throw beat you. Replay doesn't need to ruin stuff like that which is what makes baseball so unique (tie goes to the runner, etc).

That said, I hope it's a call from MLB to the ump, and not the Ump or managers getting to make the decision as to what is reviewed.

[Saul]

For what they're using it for now, it's great. The human element is great... but why should the "human element"decide a game against the team that actually won? Using it for ball and strikes would be nitpicky and unnecessary, the way it would be if basketball could review whether there was a foul on a play - it happens too many times each game. But for things that can actually have a direct effect on the outcome of the game, like this calls at the plate? Absolutely.

[Pete D]

Still questions to be answered here...if a guy rips one down the line and its called foul, then later is found to be fair after replay- where does he end up? You can't give him a triple, a double would be a stretch, so what its a single? What about the men on base, do they advance more than 1 base?

I'm leaning against this- umps get an alarming amount of calls right, and yes, sometimes they get them wrong...but that is part of the game of baseball. It is different than football or hockey in the sense that a definitive play has multiple consequences after its initial beginning.

That ball down the line- if fair, it can bounce in the corner, the right fielder can bobble it, and it will result in a triple. Or he can field it cleanly and its a double or single. Replay can't give those results if that ball is errantly called foul. In hockey, its either across the line or its not, so its a goal or its not.

Please forgive me if i don't make sense at all, but bottom line is I'd rather see it stay the way it is.

[Bubba]

Camera angles can really fool the eye. I hope they get this right and they don't stall already too long games.
Last night's Phils game was under 2 and 1/2 hours- rare these days.

[Not a fan of five]

I'm opposed simply for the fact that all that other shit you mention is not such a ridiculous step from where it stands now. Balls and strikes on review would mean the end of baseball. No sport is as opinion based and it really makes me love baseball.

[Peter_B]

@ Pete D: I think the fair vs. foul calls will only be reviewed if they are out of the park. MLB.com says

"All 30 Major League ballparks are being wired with monitors so umpires on location can view replays of questionable home run calls -- fair or foul, in the park or out."

I think this is exactly what they should do. There is no subjectivity to what happens when a ball is a HR, but if MLB moves into any other kind of review, it would seriously hurt the game. I think they know this and will not take that step.

[Chessia]

Sounds like a good idea to me. And baseball fans are never going to let balls and strikes be called by an automaton so I don't think we need to worry. I am a representative of Sharp TVs, the official HDTV of the MLB-all the features are specially geared toward watching games so you can make the calls on your own with some shred of confidence. There is no blurring due to .004 refresh rates, superior night game contrast, and 27,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio so you can see where a swing will take a ball before it gets there. Even though the ump is in charge, its still fun to make your own calls. More info: Sharp

[Chessia]

Sounds like a good idea to me. And baseball fans are never going to let balls and strikes be called by an automaton so I don't think we need to worry. I am a representative of Sharp TVs, the official HDTV of the MLB-all the features are specially geared toward watching games so you can make the calls on your own with some shred of confidence. There is no blurring due to .004 refresh rates, superior night game contrast, and 27,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio so you can see where a swing will take a ball before it gets there. Even though the ump is in charge, its still fun to make your own calls. More info: Sharp

[Pete D]

@Peter_B, I hope thats it. I still think it will lead to further replay. It should stay out.

[Deaner]

Unfortunately, I think instant replay is just like Interleague play, the DH, and the unbalanced schedule. It will ruin the great unique character of baseball and make it more like other sports.