why wont MLB allow instant replay for umpires??

Question

I find that so many obvious calls could be fixed if the umps just got to see the play once again. i don't see why not, it will just make the game more fair, i dont understand why they wont allow it.

Answer 1

Baseball, more so than other sports, seems determined not to break "traditions", and are therefore more resistant to change. I'm not saying that I agree with that; personally I would rather have some sort of replay system. It's most important to get the call right. But that's just me.

Answer 2

I was actually thinking about this yesterday in fact. I always wondered if MLB would ever do this and it's funny it came up now. I think it's interesting but probably not in the best interest of teams. I mean depending on how people look at it, religion can play an important role in people's lives but having days dedicated is a little fuzzy. It is respectful don't get me wrong, but I don't think religion should be brought up in baseball games as people can be pretty disrespectful towards certain religious groups. Some might even boycott the games for example. Baseball games should just remain public, if someone passes away, a team should have a moment of silence and all but introducing faith days is a little silly. I'm Russian Orthodox for example but I wouldn't want the Blue Jays to have a "Russian Orthodox" night at the Roger's Centre. I mean it would really clash with baseball.

Answer 3

I would like to see instant replay too. Not for balls and strikes but for

1.Fair/Foul balls
2.Base Calls
3.Home Runs

They should use a system like the NFL where you have 2 challenges.

Especially after 2 blown calls
Who knows if the Rockies would have won that game? Would that have changed how far the Phillies and D-backs made it? Would one of them be in the World Series? Would the Padrers have gotten to the World Series?

Would the Indians have come back? Kenny Lofton probably would have scored on the single after he was called out. Would the Red Sox not have won? Could The Indains have played another team had they made it?(D-backs, Phillies)

This why the MLB needs instant replay. Without it it raises too many questions

And for the person above me Lofton was safe from the one angle it did look like he got the tag on but the other angle clearly showed his hand was in

Answer 4

It annoys the crap out of me too but Bud Selig said he would propose it to all the GM's and see what they say.

The people on here are going to say it's going to make the game longer well it will take the same amount of time as when the umps gather together to discuss what happened. They wouldn't be saying that if they're team was seriously hurt and wronged by these miscalls.

To the guy below me, that single was not a homerun. It hit the TOP of the yellow padding which by the rules is not considered a homerun. If it had hit the concrete it wouldn't have bounced back, but because the padding is slighty lifted up it bounced back.

*COUGH* Matt Holliday sliding against the Padres in Tiebreaker, called safe.
*COUGH* Kenny Lofton reaching second safely in Game 7, called out.

Answer 5

Recently, Clint Hurdle, the manager of the Colorado Rockies was said to be “actively campaigning” in favor of implementing instant replay in Major League Baseball. Bob Watson, who is vice-president of on-field operations in the commissioner’s office, stated that this stands to be a hot topic at this November’s general managers meetings in Orlando, Florida.

Bear in mind that the player’s association and Bud Selig (the Commissioner of MLB) have to approve this measure for it to become a reality. Selig, in my opinion, has been a lackluster commissioner at best.

Why do I focus on Mr. Selig’s ineptness as commissioner? Because he plays such a huge role in the decision making process of what has the potential of impacting pro baseball like nothing else ever has. He will obviously vote against it since he has been quoted as saying that he didn’t want the human element removed from the game. But what do you do when that human element has become so questionable that it becomes necessary to introduce technology such as QuesTec?

Needless to say, I am saddened by the fact that we are faced with this dilemma. Unfortunately, the quality of umpiring has decayed so badly over the past 20+ years that I sure don’t see it improving anytime soon. QuesTec has been a mere sugar coating, or a band aid on the problem. Now, there is no choice but to place quality officiating into the hands of a camera and its operator. On that note Mr. Selig, you are grossly mistaken when you propound that instant replay removes the human element from the game. I don’t see any robots operating those cameras that televise a game, do you?

Answer 6

It's a tough call. The best argument I've heard against replay is that the game can not allow to have a pitcher standing on the mound for 3 minutes while the play is under review and getting cold. The game of baseball is what it is because the game is played at a certain tempo and does not stop. Bud Selig said that on the radio yesterday.

Answer 7

Ok first off if baseball did instant reply it would take all authority away from the umpires because every manager would challenge anything he didnt like. the reason the NFL put it in is because you have to watch to many moving part in that sport. Baseball has one moving part and 4 to 6 guys to watch it. I am a high school umpire and a high school football ref and i would hate it if they started using replay in the Majors. Look back to the 1997 playoffs when they used in with the Marlins and it didnt hurt nor help them in any way, they still went on the best the Indians in the world series.

Answer 8

Baseball is a 19th century game, and they are trying to keep it true to form and the way it was MEANT to be played with human error being part of it. Yes bad calls hurt the game if they ALWAYS go against your team.

*Cough* Loften was out .... Sorry and even by the replay rules they are looking at that call would not have been challenge-able anyways.

the rules they are looking at are only Fair/Foul and Homerun. so the question of "is he safe?" is still only up to the ump there.

Answer 9

I think that instant replay should only be used to determine if a ball was foul or a home run. The game is already slow paced, we do not want to make it slower because they would lose the casual baseball fan.

Answer 10

To me the human element of the game, and the mistakes that come with it, are part of what makes the game of baseball so intersesting and great. Besides, what would fans complain about if they didn't have the umps to blame for their teams loss?