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Technology likely to make instant replay a success
In fact, the entire headquarters for Major League Baseball's advanced media division is so 21st century, you would think that Bill Gates is commissioner, not Bud.
"The technology is undeniable," proclaimed Jimmie Lee Solomon, MLB's executive vice-president of baseball operations.
So undeniable that even Selig, a noted traditionalist, couldn't say no.
After touring the network operations center on Wednesday, I'm even more convinced that baseball would be foolish not to take this step, foolish not to give its umpires tools that officials enjoy in other sports, foolish not to use the electronic wizardry it has developed since forming its advanced-media division.
The mechanics of replay are not going to be a problem when the concept is introduced on Thursday. Any flaws in the process — flaws that will be generated almost entirely by the human element — will be a small sacrifice for the greater good.
Once replay starts, Solomon said, we'll wonder how we got along without it. I'll go even further: Once the first incorrect call is overturned, we'll wonder why baseball shunned the concept for so long.
Oh, I've got the same doubts as everyone else. A rules change in late August is less than ideal. Delays of games are inevitable. The fear that baseball will expand the concept beyond home-run calls is legitimate — not as long as Selig is commissioner, perhaps, but in the years beyond.
Still, by Solomon's count, replay would have been warranted a mere 18 times this season, or about once a week. Jittery crew chiefs might invoke it more frequently at the outset, terrified of blowing a call. But umpires still can settle questionable home runs through on-field conferences. A manager can howl, but the crew chief will decide whether to use replay, no one else.
At the operations center, feeds from both the home and away broadcasts will be available for almost all games. MLB.com has wired every stadium so it can air the 20 to 30 games per season that are not televised. Games on national networks such as FOX and ESPN likewise will produce only one feed, but generally use a greater number of cameras than local broadcasts.
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| Video technicians at MLB's operations center will be monitoring each game and should be able to show replays to the crew chief quickly. (Seth Wenig / Associated Press) |
The bottom line: The crew chief, if he chooses to use replay, will get as many as four to six looks at a controversial homer. The possibility for shenanigans by team-owned networks exists, but not in a meaningful way. If, in a Yankees-Red Sox game, the Yankees' YES network held back on a replay that could lead to a ruling in favor of the Red Sox, the necessary footage could come from the Sox's NESN network instead.
The target time for a decision, Solomon said, is 2 minutes, 30 seconds. Not every ruling will require that much of a delay; as Selig likes to say, we're not talking about Einstein's theory of relativity here. Frankly, many on-field arguments between managers and umpires last longer.
The process will begin with the crew chief and possibly other umpires going to a designated position under the stands and swinging open a door to a metal box containing a telephone and 20-inch LCD monitor.
Once the crew chief picks up the phone, he is automatically connected to the operations center. By that point, a set of replays already should be ready for viewing. Video technicians can turn replays around just three seconds after they air. Every game will be monitored, often by more than one set of eyes.
The technicians will make no recommendations; their only role will be to show the replays to the crew chief. Many of the technicians are young, and their expertise is not necessarily in baseball. An umpire's supervisor will be at the operations center, instructing them on which angles to show.
Something is bound to go wrong; heck, even the iPhone has its imperfections. I can already envision a five- or 10-minute delay and a manager complaining that his pitcher's rhythm was disrupted. I also can envision a controversial play at the plate similar to Matt Holliday's game-winning slide in the wild-card tie-breaker last season, leading to calls for replay to be expanded.
No one should expect a glitch-free transition, but really, what is the worst that can happen? If replays on a disputed homer are inconclusive, a few minutes might be lost, but no meaningful harm will be done.
Let the 21st century begin.
Bud hated the idea, and now Bud is sold.
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