Sport-Blog.com

After a number of critical calls in the recent baseball playoffs, the hue and cry for Major League Baseball to consider instant replay has begun once again. With most other professional sports having some form of replay, the question no longer seems to be should Major League Baseball consider introducing the concept, but rather when and for what situations.

There is a general consensus that balls and strikes should be exempt. On the most likely to be reviewed side are the issues of whether a batted ball is fair or foul and with many ballparks now having lines designated as in and out of the park, on whether a batted ball is a home run or not. Clearly using replays would help umpires get these calls correct.

For others, a safe or out call is not clear. Some feel that such calls are judgment calls and should be barred from being reviewed. For others, there should be a mechanism for when an umpire seemingly misses such a call. Those who advocate that safe or out be reviewable suggest that baseball managers be allowed one or two challenges per game, much like the limit placed on professional football coaches.

Still others state that reviews should be controlled by the men in blue, with only the head umpire being able to ask to take a look at a play. For this group, the thought is that whether a sinking line drive was a catch or trapped, whether a batter was hit by a pitch or not, whether a third strike hit the dirt or was caught, even for the case of a potential third strike on a check swing, the crew chief would have the option to get assistance if he was concerned in any way about the decision on the field.

Finally, there is the group that says that baseball games take too long now, so the regular season should be without replay. After all, the going consensus is that the calls would average out over the course of a 162 game regular season. But come the playoffs with some much at stake, Major League Baseball should institute some form of replay system that would address the aforementioned calls in some manner or another.

And with the men in blue seemingly getting more than their share incorrect this last post-season, Major League Baseball appears destined to bring the instant replay concept to the big leagues in some form or another in the very near future.