Implement a challenge system, MLB

[Tom H.]

Originally Posted by TwoBits

With no less than a dozen cameras at every MLB game, why not have a replay challenge system similar to the NFL? You get two challenges a game, and if you get those right, you get another one. This would aid in getting the call right and may actually speed up the game by eliminating needless arguing between managers and umpires.

R U An umpire......?????? not good for the game!

[TwoBits]

Originally Posted by Tom H.

R U An umpire......?????? not good for the game!

Amateur umpire for the last 23 seasons ranging from youth leagues to summer college leagues. I still fail to see how getting the right call is not good for the game.

[GA Umpire]

Originally Posted by TwoBits

Amateur umpire for the last 23 seasons ranging from youth leagues to summer college leagues. I still fail to see how getting the right call is not good for the game.

The correct term is "get it correct". They got the correct call based on what Joyce saw. It has nothing to do with getting the "right" call. It has everything to do with getting the "correct" call which is the call the umpire(s) makes during the play. The call which influences the outcome of the play and the game.

The call was correct b/c his mechanics were correct. He saw the play correctly from his angle. He correctly called what he saw. It was the "correct" call.

If using IR, why have umpires at all? I still wonder why they have football referees still. Just sit behind a screen and watch the game. Easier to call with today's technology. All they are there to do is let the coaches vent their frustrations to during the game.

[TwoBits]

Originally Posted by GA Umpire

The call was correct b/c his mechanics were correct. He saw the play correctly from his angle. He correctly called what he saw. It was the "correct" call.

You're kidding, right? Do you really think Jim Joyce feels that way?

Once again, I will point out the title of my OP: "Implement a Challenge System, MLB". I keep getting responses along the lines of "Well, let's just get rid of all umpires!" A sideline camera from 50-400 feet away can't be the only option in making a judgment. A human official can get closer to the action and make decisions quickly on adjusting the angle necessary to see the play. However, on the occasion that a slow-motion, zoomed-in camera can aid the umpire in making the right call (after a challenge has been made by a manager), then the call should be reversed.

[GA Umpire]

Originally Posted by TwoBits

You're kidding, right? Do you really think Jim Joyce feels that way?

I would hope so. He did things like he was suppose to. He made the call based on the correct mechanics. He did his job. He didn't mess up what he was suppose to do. No one except him knows how he saw the play from where he was suppose to be. Based on doing everything correctly, he made the "correct" call.

As for the system, I like Weber's response to it. There is no need to elaborate on his points nor add to them. I agree with them and hope it influences those who matter that IR should not be expanded. Not even for 1 challenge. Call it as it is and move on. I don't buy the time issue b/c an argument can take longer than just reviewing it immediately. The main issue is to keep the human element of the game and its dynamics. No other game comes close.

Now, we will get the stupid "throw a flag on the field for a challenge" that NFL does. The refs do it so why can't the coaches do it.