Instant replay so far

[BuckyBrewer61]

It's only been a couple weeks, but as someone who has been vocally outspoken against instant replay in baseball, including on this board, I have to say...MLB is absolutely getting it right so far.

 

I was concerned MLB would fall into the same pitfalls as the NFL and NCAA. That is, frame-by-frame scrutinizing of the tiniest details completely halting the momentum of a game for little or no gain, and at times still not even getting a call right or overturning an unclear replay. I have yet to see MLB do this. If a replay is indisputable (a term all other sports have clearly forgotten about), it is reversed quickly. If not, too bad. Even if a call was probably wrong, if it's not obvious, tough luck. Kudos to MLB for a great start, and here's hoping it stay this way. And that other sports are paying attention.

[jerichoholicninja]

I'm split but more so not liking it that liking it. The whole manager challenge process is stupid where he goes and stands on the field making small talk with the ump while waiting for a signal from the dugout and the few challenges I've seen have taken way too long for what should be a quick process.

[FVBrewerFan]

I hate all replay, but the way it's been done so far this year could be worse. That's the best you'll get out of me.

[pitchleague]

I like the manager going out to chit-chat while waiting for the dugout to respond a heck of a lot more than seeing the manager going out to argue.

 

In other words, I think Bobby Cox's ejection record is safe for quite a long while.

[FVBrewerFan]

Well, I like the tradition of the manager going out to argue. Plus, that won't be eliminated anyhow. What happens when a manager blows his challenge, then there's a horrible call the next inning that costs them a run? That will happen.

 

But replay is great because we're getting a few more calls right here and there, yet continue to employ horrible umpires with a wildy inconsistent strike zone.

[adambr2]

Sometime this summer, you'll see some kind of major replay controversy (a blown call that still wasn't overturned, a blown call that wasn't reviewable, the crew neglecting to review a big call late when the manager had already used his challenge, etc), and that will bring this all to the forefront again. Regardless, replay is here to stay. They'll improve on it, they'll build on it, but baseball will forever now have replay. They are doing something to get the call right rather than throwing up their arms and playing the "human error" card, and I'm thrilled about that.

 

I can accept "human error" on balls and strikes, and after seeing Adrian Hernandez call a strike on Lucroy that was about 6 inches inside, that's hard enough for me as it is.

[topper09er]

Regardless, replay is here to stay. They'll improve on it

 

This will not happen, they will slowly make it worse by expanding it and make it more automatic etc. They will overract to something that screws the Yankees because they were out of challenges, so then you will get 2 or 3. Then Derek Jeter will be screwed on a play that is not reviewable, so they will add it. Everyone here knows how ESPN and the average fan works, sometime this summer the bottom line will say something like: "Big Papi's walkoff double foul but New York out of challenges, Jeter outraged."

 

The one thing football has is the play clock which forces the coach to decide without slowing the game down, but in baseball this stall tactic will be abused more and more. You dont even need the manager, you can just have the batter step out/pitcher step off for as long as it takes for the "signal" from the bench. At least in football you lose a timeout (but all football coaches are too dumb to understand why timeouts are valuable so this has not actually changed anythign) so there is a penalty for a bad challenge in theory. In baseball there isn't anything. Right now you will gain a very minor competitive advantage to stall on EVERY close play to ensure you maximize your challenges, people will realize this and do it. It is not happening now, but when a manager is hammered this summer for leaving a challenge in his pocket that upon one angle in 10x slow-mo was shown to be wrong they will start using them more.

 

It already takes too long, they really should have a 1 view on one camera policy. If you can't immediatley tell it was wrong from any view just move on. The more these are shown on ESPN the longer they take (just like in football which is starting to become an auto-commercial break) because the guy making the call doesnt want to look bad when after 7000 views some ESPN analyst got a screen shot that the call was wrong by an 1/8". Then the reviewers will want to see an obvious call 100 times to confirm, but a close call 1000 times to be sure they won't be blamed.Right now it is going quickly compared to football because there hasn't been a major replay "trending topic on the lead", but it is already taking too long. The way these work is the last person to know the outcome is always the ref/ump. The TV viewers and commentators know right away and have to wait.

 

I wish they would be firm that the point is to overturn obviously bad calls, and acknowledge that there still in fact will be incorrect calls by the ump upon extreme review but addressing these is not the goal of the system. Then the guy in charge can't get balmed and wont feel the pressure to review in from every possible angle 10 times. Instead they say this but in reality are concerned with ESPN spotting any error that is made.

 

 

And of course the actual worst part, all excitement is lost on close plays because of the fear of a review.

[Point Beer Is Best]

What happens when a manager blows his challenge, then there's a horrible call the next inning that costs them a run? That will happen.

 

It already did happen. I think one of the first games this season had a scenario where Bochy used a challenge unsuccessfully, but then a subsequent play at the plate in that inning was blown by the umpires and he had no recourse.

 

MLB gets it wrong in the same fashion that the NFL gets it wrong. The NFL puts the onus on the coaches until the 2 minute warning. MLB puts the onus on the managers until the 7th inning. The onus should always be on the officals/umpires to get the calls right. The "challenge" system should be done away with and implement the system you have from the 7th inning on and make it effective for the whole game. It takes far less time for them to review the calls and get it right than it does for a manager to argue a call, get ejected and then throw a hissy fit. I don't buy the "slows the game/kills momentum" argument at all.

[MadScientist]

Two real problems that were shown on the MLB network are the dropping the ball on transferring it to throw now is being not ruled an out, and eliminating the swipe tag on sliding runners. The first just makes no sense whatsoever, the out is on the catch and drops on transferring the ball to the throwing hand shouldn't negate that. The second gets the calls correct, but increases the chance at injury.

 

Replay should get calls correct, but should not change the game, and unfortunately it is.