INSTANT REPLAY…INSTANT REPLAY

I am ecstatic that MLB, along with its teams, players, owners, and the Players' Union have all agreed to implement instant replays beyond just the homerun calls this upcoming season.  Some baseball purists are against it, but I believe that they shouldn't deny the usage of today’s available technologies.  In fact, by utilizing these technologies, we can actually have the “purest” results because instant replays will help alleviate human error and enable the game to gain more integrity for its history and fans.  We all know people make mistakes and that’s what makes us human; but, why do we have to continually consent to avoidable mistakes when there is technology that “people” made to reduce them?  Besides, ironically most of the umpires encourage its usage, as they want their own calls to be correct!

Like the majority of today’s baseball fans, I have been frustrated with many erroneous calls by umpires over the years.  We’ve had too many (probably thousands) of such calls that have caused games and changed baseball history.  Here are just three that involved New York and one standout that involved Detroit:

1955 World Series - Dodgers’ Jackie Robinson supposedly stole home and Yogi Berra went ballistic.  This play is still argued in today’s era.  (Umpire Bill Summers)

1996 ALCS - Yankees’ Derek Jeter’s called homerun with Jeffrey Maier reaching over the wall & coercing the ball into his grasp.  (Umpire Rich Garcia)

2010 Non-Perfect Game - Tigers’ Armando Galarraga seemingly achieves a perfect game on the last supposed out of the game with a standard groundout to first baseman Miguel Cabrera and the throw to Armando with the runner out by at least a foot.  (Umpire Jim Joyce - who later apologized & admitted he made a mistake)

2012 Mets’ 1^st No-Hitter - Mets’ Johan Santana gives the team its first no-hitter in over 50 years, although a missed call in the 6^th inning whereby a ball hit by ex-Met Carlos Beltran clearly hit the leftfield chalk, as the chalk chopped into the air.  (Umpire Adrian Johnson)

Umpires' miscalls have stood out even more in recent years because of today's TV technologies.  Slow motion from numerous angles has visually magnified most miscalls.  This has given TV viewers an advantage over fans physically at the games, while also emphasizing umpires' mistakes.  I know, for me, it usually causes such frustrations (especially when the call is against the Yankees) that I end up screaming at my television set, almost believing the umpire can hear me through the television!

It’s hard enough to commit approximately 3 hours to watch a game, without having to see unjust calls change the outcome in many cases.  It’s become way too frustrating over time - even the umpires are humiliated, especially later when others definitively point out their flaws with televised replays as supporting proof.  That's one of the reasons why most of the umpires are in favor of the utilization of instant replay being used at the ballparks.  In the end, it lessens their chances of being called many names including "blind" and "idiot" - just a couple of the clean common adjectives used.

It is refreshing to know that MLB is persistent towards improving the integrity of the game that I love so much.  Game-used instant replay usage clearly demonstrates that to me.  This first phase of most instant replays will begin in just a couple of weeks.  Spring training games have already included the testing of it and helped prove that it's a very useful tool, without much disruption to the game's time.  As the season progresses, MLB will continually evaluate possible enhancements – another sign of common sense demonstrated by MLB.

Here's an outline of this whole new instant replay incentive:

Each manager can request for one obligatory instant replay per game within the first 6 innings, but must dispute the call quickly and before the next official game occurrence, while emphasizing the portion of the evidence he wants reviewed.  Additionally, each manager can earn just one other appeal within the first 6 innings if their first requested appeal was an overturned call – proving that he was right.  From the 7^th inning on, the umpires can still utilize the replay system if they, themselves, are in doubt or if a manager disputes it, but the umpires are no longer obligated in either instance. 

All applicable replay requests will be reviewed by a dedicated umpire in MLB’s New York Command Center.  If that umpire feels that the replay conclusively shows the original call as being incorrect, he will then communicate the irrefutable change or retained call to the on-field crew chief umpire to officially declare.  The umpire in the Command Center will also advise of any repositioning of applicable base-runners.  The same video replays will be available to the home team's stadium personnel and can separately be communicated to both teams' managers via the dugout phone.  Replays are also allowed to be shown on the stadium's monitor to the fans (close plays were forbidden to be shown in the past).  The Command Center's decisions are considered final.

Umpire calls that can be disputed with a replay to conclude:

Homeruns (which were already implemented in 2008); outfield trapped balls; ground-rule doubles; outfield fair/foul balls; batters hit-by-pitch; timing plays such as tag-ups versus the ball’s official catch; runners touching a base (with an appeal throw); trailing runners passing other lead runners; tag plays; fan interference; force plays (other than a double plays’ portion at second base); stadium’s boundary determinations; and any record-keeping, such as total strikes/balls.

Umpire calls that cannot be disputed with a replay:

Strike zone (balls & strikes); checked swings; second base outs via double play attempts (a.k.a. neighborhood plays); and potential trapped balls within the infield; or interference calls (such as a catcher's glove touching the batter's swinging bat).

Each dispute is expected to take less than 90 seconds collectively to review and declare.