[bigboydan]

Now this sucks!

MLB has been trying to find ways to speed up baseball for how many years now, and now I see they just approved something that will slow the game down even more.

GMs vote 25-5 to use replay to aid home run decisions

ORLANDO, Fla. -- For the first time Tuesday, baseball general managers recommended instant replay be used to help umpires make close calls.

The recommendation, by a 25-5 vote, was limited to boundary calls -- whether potential home runs are fair or foul, whether balls go over fences or hit the top and bounce back, and whether fans have interfered with a possible homer.

Five general managers -- Dan O'Dowd (Rockies), Josh Byrnes (Diamondbacks), Jim Bowden (Nationals), John Mozeliak (Cardinals) and Billy Beane (A's) -- were in charge of the recommendation.

"We have a very technologically savvy group of GMs," Solomon said. "I was surprised that we had five teams that said no."

Baseball commissioner Bud Selig opposes the use of replays but said last month he was willing to let GMs examine the issue.

"I don't like instant replay because I don't like all the delays. I think it sometimes creates as many problems or more than it solves," Selig said then.

But Jimmie Lee Solomon, an executive vice president in the commissioner's office, thinks Selig's stance has changed a bit recently.

"He seemed to be softer, at least on the consideration of the subject," Solomon said Tuesday.

He added it was unclear how the proposal will proceed and acknowledged there is "glacier-like movement in baseball" when it comes to innovation. Solomon said if Selig is willing, the commissioner probably would run the idea by owners. The plan needs approval from the players' association and umpires.

Solomon said GMs favored having a Major League Baseball official in a central place with access to all camera angles. If there is a disputed call, that official would be contacted and would view the television replay to make a decision.

A baseball executive told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney that instant replay is not likely to be implemented in 2008.

Solomon also said that to speed up games, baseball was considering limiting the number of times a hitter could step out of the batter's box during an at-bat and the number of times any player could visit the mound.

[Willie Bee]

If they start using it for all sorts of calls -- i.e., safe/out calls on steals, check swings, etc -- then yeah, it's going to slow it down. But in the instance of the home run calls, I think there might be times that going to replay could actually speed up the decision. As it is now, we have times that umpires first listen to one manager, then have a little pow-wow, then listen to the other manager beef, then have another pow-wow.

They should also do something about the managers stalling for time throughout a game in addition to batters constantly stepping in and out of the box. Give any player or manager an automatic 30-game suspension for kicking dirt on the plate or an umpire and throwing crap out of the dugouts.

[cartay]

But in the instance of the home run calls, I think there might be times that going to replay could actually speed up the decision. As it is now, we have times that umpires first listen to one manager, then have a little pow-wow, then listen to the other manager beef, then have another pow-wow.

-Exactly- what I thought when I read it. On home run calls, they may actually make up time.

As for speeding up the game, the thing that drives me absolutely bonkers is the batters stepping out of the box. I changed channels after almost every freakin' pitch when watching the World Series. It was insane.

[Rollins08]

I don't think it will ever go to all calls. They can't be stupid enough to slow down the game that much, baseball is already painfully slow. Home run calls shouldn't take that long to view on replay. I think its a good move by mlb. I usually bet on teams that get screwed by bad home run calls.

[Willie Bee]

They can't be stupid enough...

Wanna' bet?!

[Rollins08]

Wanna' bet?!

Can I get some odds?

[Stumpage]

2 things come to mind.....

*The 1985 Cardinals no doubt think this is 22 years too late.....
*And after reading the "boundary call" limitations, it still wouldn't have made a bloody difference.....

[bigboydan]

I can still remember Bud Selig in that news conference the day after the umps used the TV reply on a home run call on pro player stadium. He said that MLB will never use instant reply again period!