Should Baseball have a replay system?

[Sportsforever]

Re: Should Baseball have a replay system?

Joe Mauer situation was brought up earlier in the thread.



Players should play as they do now, and the umpires will call it as they see it like they do now. It will be sorted out as it should be after that.

Yes, in that case...bad example. What about the Beltran 'hit' in the Santana no-hitter a few weeks ago. Most likely a double, but do you automatically rule it a double? It just opens up a whole new can of worms that I don't necessarily think is any better...

[snepp]

Re: Should Baseball have a replay system?

Who cares if a new can gets opened? Getting the ****ing calls right trumps everything.

[Sportsforever]

Re: Should Baseball have a replay system?

Who cares if a new can gets opened? Getting the ****ing calls right trumps everything.

I would love to see every call be correct...I am just not willing to make a slow game even slower to do it. I know everyone on here says it would add seconds with each call (and theoretically it should), but we've seen how this works in the NFL. It's awful, with the Ref standing under the hood for what seems like an eternity while everyone stands around. If they implemented something properly that did not stop/slow the game, I'd be all for it.

[Blzer]

Re: Should Baseball have a replay system?

I would love to see every call be correct...I am just not willing to make a slow game even slower to do it. I know everyone on here says it would add seconds with each call (and theoretically it should), but we've seen how this works in the NFL. It's awful, with the Ref standing under the hood for what seems like an eternity while everyone stands around. If they implemented something properly that did not stop/slow the game, I'd be all for it.

As my long post suggested, I just don't want to see players and coaches ejected anymore over arguing incorrect calls.

Maybe if umpires were publicly fined each time for ejecting a player after a reviewed wrong call, then I wouldn't care for a replay system. I just don't think that they shouldn't face any repercussions for being so emotionally attached to their original call that they won't let anything stand in their way... including a replay review, perhaps.

[Perfect Zero]

Re: Should Baseball have a replay system?

If there is something like the Mauer hit, you rule that the runners advance one base and Mauer takes first. The alternative is that Mauer is out and you screw the team. At least try to get the call right; that's all we ask.

The alternative at this point is to say that Baseball is just fine with getting the call wrong. That's where they are right now. We are at the point where we can get the call right more often, and there are still people who think this is a bad idea. If you are really afraid about the game becoming longer (and if we go to the new system, it won't take much longer at all), we need the umpires to enforce the rules on pitchers taking up too much time, and we need to keep the batters in the box. Either way, we have to fix the game.

[Sportsforever]

Re: Should Baseball have a replay system?

If there is something like the Mauer hit, you rule that the runners advance one base and Mauer takes first. The alternative is that Mauer is out and you screw the team. At least try to get the call right; that's all we ask.

The alternative at this point is to say that Baseball is just fine with getting the call wrong. That's where they are right now. We are at the point where we can get the call right more often, and there are still people who think this is a bad idea. If you are really afraid about the game becoming longer (and if we go to the new system, it won't take much longer at all), we need the umpires to enforce the rules on pitchers taking up too much time, and we need to keep the batters in the box. Either way, we have to fix the game.

Note, I'm not talking game length. I don't think the games are 'too' long. I am talking about pace of the game. I already think the HR reviews take WAY too long...seriously, the umpires LEAVE the field while everyone stands around picking their nose. Even if it only takes 2 minutes, it kills the pace of the game.

I am in complete agreement on enforcing the other things you mentioned as well, btw. Realize, I'm not saying I don't want replay. I am just saying I have never seen it implemented in a way I think works, especially for baseball.

[Perfect Zero]

Re: Should Baseball have a replay system?

Note, I'm not talking game length. I don't think the games are 'too' long. I am talking about pace of the game. I already think the HR reviews take WAY too long...seriously, the umpires LEAVE the field while everyone stands around picking their nose. Even if it only takes 2 minutes, it kills the pace of the game.

I am in complete agreement on enforcing the other things you mentioned as well, btw. Realize, I'm not saying I don't want replay. I am just saying I have never seen it implemented in a way I think works, especially for baseball.

You don't have to have the umpires leave the field. We are at the point technologically where we can give the umpires a mobile device and have it hooked up to wherever the replay is coming from. I believe that Selig has talked about having a "central command" where an umpire crew would review plays and send messages to the umpires directly. We have the technology to where we don't have to put the umpires in the hallways for every review. Hell, the best idea would be to have a fifth umpire in the booth and have him wire down directly to the crew chief or home plate umpire telling him that the call was wrong and possible remedies.

[Hooe]

Re: Should Baseball have a replay system?

This is a general response to "replay implementation would make baseball games take too long" argument.

A recent study came out about NFL games (there was a story about it on ProFootballTalk recently) that, year-over-year, expanded instant replay usage in the NFL indeed increased average game length. By one second.

From the perspective of someone who is not a fan, baseball as currently played at the Major League level inherently has pacing problems; to name a few, infinite batter timeouts, infinite pitcher timeouts, meetings at the mound, pitchers such as Jonathan Papelbon or seemingly any pitcher for the New York Yankees waiting forever to pitch the ball, and pickoff throws to first base which result in a nonplay 99% of the time all contribute to baseball being a fundamentally slow game. Rick Reilly of ESPN had an interesting article about this very recently.

It's my opinion that baseball should find ways to make the game faster and install instant replay to get calls right rather than to resist replay for fear of making a painfully slow game slower. Again, forward thinking.

[snepp]

Re: Should Baseball have a replay system?

If the umpires would actually enforce the rules that require the pitcher to deliver the ****ing ball in the timely fashion they could easily shave time off every game.

[Blzer]

Re: Should Baseball have a replay system?

Am I the only one who enjoys 3+ hour games?

[SPTO]

Re: Should Baseball have a replay system?

Am I the only one who enjoys 3+ hour games?

Probably,

The worst offenders of this are the Yankees and Red Sox especially when they play against each other. Luckily for me Blue Jays games rarely go past the 3:15 mark.

[DieHardYankee26]

Am I the only one who enjoys 3+ hour games?

Well I do, but I'm a Yankees fan, so it's basically enjoy long games or stop watching the sport.

[Blzer]

Re: Should Baseball have a replay system?

So, obviously there are plans in place as we all know:

http://www.theverge.com/2013/8/16/4627490/mlb-plans-to-roll-out-comprehensive-instant-replay-system

I wish they did it a little more like my post above. The challenge system will be abused to death. You get two challenges the last three innings of a regulation game? Need to warm up your pitcher a bit more? **** it, call a challenge and slow things down. Umpires on your nerves regardless in a blowout game in the ninth inning? ****, it's not against the rules... slow everything down and challenge a couple of plays.

The worst thing that comes out of this, in my personal opinion, is it gives the umpires an excuse to not be perfect, so they don't have to try as hard. It's Psychology 101. I don't care that more calls will be corrected, I care that less calls will be initially called correctly.

Balls and strikes still called by the umpires is the only good thing to come out of this IMO. I think they botched this up. Unfortunately I think I'm in the minority regarding this, though.

[Perfect Zero]

Re: Should Baseball have a replay system?

So what does a challenge system bring that just getting the call right doesn't? Bud, it could be so easy but you want to make it so damn difficult.