Tuesday, November 06, 2007

MLB GMs Favor Instant Replay

The NFL has had instant replay for years, sometimes with mixed results. Now Major League Baseball may be following suit.

During this week’s owners’ meetings in Florida, general managers of all but five teams voted to recommend instant replay for baseball games. Instant replay would be used for boundary calls, such as whether potential home runs are fair or foul, whether balls go over the fence or bounce back into the field of play, and whether a fan interfered.

Obviously, the biggest drawback is the time it would take to review the contested plays. Games are already running more than three hours, and instant replay will add more time to the game. On the other hand, I think it’s important to get the play right. And the umpires could certainly use a little help in making the right calls.

Commissioner Bud Selig has always opposed the use of instant replay because of all the delays involved. “I think it sometimes creates as many problems than it solves,” he told the Associated Press. If Selig can keep an open mind, he may run the idea past the owners. The plan also needs approval from the players’ association and the umpires.

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