I never said all plays be reviewed, the obvious ones need no review, everyone knows the player was either out or safe, its on the close whacker plays that review will occur. How many of these occur in a given game - 1, 5, 10.

I'll go out on a limb here, lets say that they get two reviews per game. How many do the umpires get? Is there an automatic review on every close play begining in the 7th, 8th, or 9th inning? IR can become a crutch for the official to lean on when they can't be 100% sure of their call. Just look at last years Super Bowl.

Getting back to the original situation, I didn't see the game, or the replay on TV. I don't know if poor timing, poor positioning, or loss of focus contributed to the initial half hearted foul call. It doesn't matter, it occurred, the call was changed from foul to fair. Could the runner have gotten a double, tripple, in the park HR? Would the defense have made the play and put out the runner on a subsequent base? Who knows, however, it has opened the proverbial can of worms again for possibly bringing in IR to baseball and how far it goes will be based on what the owners decide during the winter meetings.

Maybe I went too far implying that you are an idiot. But this idea is idiotic, and the analogies you draw are completely incongruous. All of the ideas you mentiones may have been semi-radical if considered 50 years ago - but none involved the unravelling of a play and the guesswork required to "fix" whatever errors are discovered.

IR is NOT feasible for baseball except in a VERY small minority of plays... and for those plays I have no problem with it. The analogy to football is absurd as well. You'll note from the IR rule in football that there are a number of exceptions - times when IR is not allowed by rule. The reason for this is that the plays in the exception are "un-unravelable" to invent a word. In baseball, MOST plays would fit into this category, and the exception list would be Far Far greater than the plays not excepted.

As my instuctor said, "There is no instant replay in baseball" :) "What happens, happens."

Instead of IR how about just letting us give it back to a coach any time they question a call - "Hey coach! Why did you hold your runner on first when the pitcher has that slow-a** delivery from the stretch?" or "You see your outfielders are playing pull and you call for a pitch away?"
That would be grand fun and would provide additional entertainment to the fans (with no delay in the game) like the old days of the Ron Luciano/Earl Weaver blowups!

I agree with RonRef. Only those limited situations would be eligible.

And Petey, darlin', in pro baseball they're called managers. Most, if not all, umpires ignore coaches, except on the high school and college level, and then will only talk to the head coach. I did when I umped. Assistant coaches are non-entities.

Bob

OK Pete, and you can write the "Official Baseball Umpire Play Correction Guidelines" for us all to use.

I can't believe that someone actually had the intestinal fortitude to agree with what I preached a few years ago. Remember when we had this discussion about the Big Ten adopting it and our resident football/baseball/basketball/sociology expert chimed in that it was just a test and that it wouldn't happen throughout D-1?

Pete, while you may not welcome the company I'm up early and am joining you out on this branch. MLB is about entertainment and big money. Wagering is legal on this sport and the outcome may or may not rely on a crucial call by a human umpire. Steps have been taken in a few major sports to create a system that allows correction of certain types of calls. Apparently, MLB allows this to be done, so debating whether or not it sets a bad precendent is moot.

I wonder how many of you would be crying about the end of the world if it was your favorite team in the bottom on the ninth of game 7? Give me a break - they got the call right and MLB allows it. Instant replay may or may not have given Hernandez a better look at the call but it would certainly have been interesting to see.

It'll be here before you know it or even like. There is far too much money riding on it.

Matters not to me, since I'll never work a level where IR would be possible.

A recent example...
 

During the Seattle-California/Anaheim/LA game last night, Snelling put down a squeeze bunt that looked perfect; however, it really went off his right front shin. Snelling reacted perfectly, with NO reaction, running to first as if nothing happened. Home Plate Umpire didn't see it as he was blocked out. When questioned, he didn't ask for help. The replay, even at regular speed, clearly showed the ball hitting Snelling. Since the HPU was unwilling to go for help, this would have been an excellent time for the manager to toss out the red flag and request an instant replay review.

This is just an example of Pete's point. However, I do agree with the majority here. Instant replay has no place in baseball.

Striker

Maybe he didn't go for help because the base umps are supposed to call this as soon as they see it (Batted ball off of the batter in the box). Since nobody called it, by default, nobody saw it.

I support challenges and IR in beisbol.