Friday, August 16, 2013

MLB Is Ready To Expand Instant Replay In 2014


Major League Baseball is ready to start expanding their instant replay system starting during the 2014 baseball season. The new system would give MLB managers an opportunity to challenge plays much like the NFL does with their coaches and their red flags. Managers would get three challenges per game but for some reason are only allowed to use one of those in the first six innings of the game. Okay? Most, not all, plays will be review-able and all plays will be reviewed by an extra umpire in an office that stays in constant contact with the crew chief that night.

Honestly this is all but a done deal because for this to happen you have to not only get the MLB Players Association to sign off but the owners and the umpires as well. Most umpires do not want to take the human factor out of the game so that is going to be a tough sell. If the umps want to negotiate about it though they can just fire CB Bucknor and we can call it even if you want.

I can see this really dragging out the game and being abused but with every rule and law there is going to be someone ahead of the curve getting around it and exploiting it. If you are late in the game with all your challenges and you have a struggling pitcher you could conceivably challenge a close-ish play to give your reliever time to warm up. I am sure there is also going to be some sort of rule, much like the NFL, that you cannot challenge the previous play after the next pitch is thrown which would be okay if they did not show the replay on the big screen and on television 100 times before the next pitch is thrown. Also, and I am sure we know the answer to it, there is no mention whether you will lose the challenge if your wrong or keep the challenge if the play is overturned so I guess stay tuned this off season when it is voted on by the owners and such in November.


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Sorry for the Capatcha... Blame the Russians :)