Should Major League Baseball have Instant Replay?

Question

I can see the pros and cons of having instant replay in baseball. Is there a way to please everybody? Maybe some sort of challenge system?

Answer 1

Replay would be a good idea, but only for safe/out calls, fair/foul calls, or home run/not calls.

To call balls and strikes, you would have to go to an automated system and completely take the umpire out of the call. I don't like the idea, and the umpires' union would never let that happen. It would take too much time out of the game to dispute every ball/strike call.

MOST of the time, the umpires get the call right, but everyone makes mistakes. The other three major sports (NFL, NBA, NHL) have already went to replay, with success, so MLB should at least give it a try, perhaps test it at spring training. I dont think a challenge system would work. Would have to be an official review, like in NBA and NHL.

Answer 2

HELL, NO!!!
The instant replay has totally taken the life out of the moment in sports, and wouldn't be necessary to talk about if officials were more competant. It is the least necessary in baseball, which has the best on-field officials of all the major sports. The challenge system in football is an immense failure, resulting in few overturned calls, and the delays in the game make for a bad fan experience.
Humans play the games, and humans need to officiate them. Instant replay talk comes from sore losers and the filthy gambling establishment, and they have managed to convince a segment of empty-headed sports fans that it's good. It isn't. Replay shouldn't be around at all, except to get another look at the most incredible plays in the game.

Answer 3

No No No No No. Umps get 99% of the calls right. They do a good job of getting together and talking about it to make sure the call is right, and there really isn't a whole lot of room for improvement. Watch football, even with instant replay they aren't perfect. Judgment calls and the umpires decision are such a huge part of the game and I don't think that should be messed with. Instant replay would open a big can of worms that eventually leads you down the road to challenging balls and strikes with it, and that would be disastrous.

Answer 4

No question about it. There has never been a game I've watched where I didn't think that an umpire called a wrong play only to see they were right when the replay is shown.
Eyes play funny tricks on us and sometimes it's hard to believe you didn't see what you thought you saw. Instant replay is great. Umpires are correct 99.99% of the time and the replay proves it.

Answer 5

If they use instant replay then they won't have to have any umpires on the field. They can review every pitch and every play during the course of the game. Of course every game would have to start at 1:00 so that they would be able to end before the curfew. STUPID IDEA that has no place in baseball. End of discussion.

Answer 6

I have to say no. In every sport, there are going to be questionable and blown calls. Nobody is perfect. That being said, there should not be instant replay in baseball because the game isn't as fast paced as say football or hockey where a call is easier to miss. It also will make the games longer than they have to be.

Answer 7

We had the same debate when College Football was doing the same thing and majority of the people said no, I think that if there was a replay the game would be better off. There wouldn't be as much whining and umpires would not be able to effect the outcome of the game.

Answer 8

I could live with IR for plays at the outfield wall or foul poles only.

1. Technology exists.
2. Farthest point of the field from the umpires (even during postseason with the two line umps).
3. Plays there (fair? foul? above the line - homer? still in play? stupid kid Yankee fan mucking up everything on national television?) have the greatest immediate impact on the game. And we're talking mostly about the ball; if there's a player involved, it's probably only one. The oh-so-precious "human factor" usually isn't involved.

The fans at home get to see the replay. When there's a crucial decision that needs to be reviewed and made right, the umps should have access to that as well.

But not on the basepaths and never, never, never for balls and strikes.

Answer 9

I think managers should get only one chance to challange a play. Kind of like in football. If the managers feel it is a questionable call, they should have a chance to "challenge" it. However if they are wrong, instead of losing a time-out they will be charged with an out. With that being said, Instant Replay will slow the game down a little more!!

Answer 10

No, not because it would not help on close plays, but because the game is long enough as it is. Instant replays would make the game unduly dragged out and nearly unbearable. Umpires make very few mistakes, and for the most part, do a great job. Leave well enough alone.

Chow!!