gokats85
November 6th, 2007, 06:00 PM
BC-BBO--InstantReplay 2ndLd-Writethru 11-06 0543
BC-BBO--Instant Replay, 2nd Ld-Writethru,0556
Baseball general managers recommend instant replay for first time
Eds: AMs.
By RONALD BLUM
AP Baseball Writer
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- Baseball could have a new position next
year: replay judge.
General managers recommended for the first time Tuesday that
instant replay be used to help umpires make difficult decisions.
The proposal, approved 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 tops and bounce back, and whether fans
interfere with possible homers.
"We've taken the first step. The question will be now, what do
we do?" said Jimmie Lee Solomon, executive vice president for
baseball operations in the commissioner's office. "We have
glacier-like movement in baseball, so I'm hopeful that we can at
least start meaningful discussions about it. I think that this will
be something we'll have to go very deliberately on."
Solomon said the next step will be to speak with commissioner
Bud Selig, who opposes the use of replays but said last month he
was willing to let GMs examine the issue. If Selig gives the
go-ahead, Solomon and staff in the commissioner's office would
draft a detailed replay proposal that GMs could vote on when they
gather next month at the winter meetings in Nashville, Tenn.
"All anybody is interested in is getting it right," Chicago
White Sox GM Ken Williams said. "It will be a lot easier and less
time to get that right than some of these arguments that ensue when
a call is disputed."
Replay eventually would have to be approved by the unions for
players and umpires, and possibly in a vote by owners.
"It's very important that we do get Bud's agreement on this,"
Solomon said. "He seemed to be softer, at least, on the
consideration of the subject lately. I would not consider him an
advocate of instant replay. He will have to be convinced."
Television replays can be used for many calls in the NFL. In the
NBA, they are often used to determine whether players get shots off
before time expires. In the NHL, replays are applied to check
whether pucks cross goal lines. In grand slam tennis, replays can
be used to ascertain whether balls are in or out.
Solomon likened this to the NHL model. He said the GMs'
technology committee felt that the best method would be to have all
video fed to a central location to be judged.
"A phone call would go to that person, and that person would
have all the available angles that the network feed provided, and
then make that call," he said. "We would have limits on it and
there would be some type of penalties if a person tried to, if a
team tried to go beyond those limits."
Solomon said if replay couldn't be put it place for the start of
next season, it was possible it could make its debut in the
postseason.
Solomon also said that to speed up games, baseball was
considering limiting when a hitter could step out of the batter's
box between pitches, restricting the number of times a player could
visit the mound, and limiting the number of players allowed to
visit the mound.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
APTV-11-06-07 1555CST
BC-BBO--Instant Replay, 2nd Ld-Writethru,0556
Baseball general managers recommend instant replay for first time
Eds: AMs.
By RONALD BLUM
AP Baseball Writer
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- Baseball could have a new position next
year: replay judge.
General managers recommended for the first time Tuesday that
instant replay be used to help umpires make difficult decisions.
The proposal, approved 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 tops and bounce back, and whether fans
interfere with possible homers.
"We've taken the first step. The question will be now, what do
we do?" said Jimmie Lee Solomon, executive vice president for
baseball operations in the commissioner's office. "We have
glacier-like movement in baseball, so I'm hopeful that we can at
least start meaningful discussions about it. I think that this will
be something we'll have to go very deliberately on."
Solomon said the next step will be to speak with commissioner
Bud Selig, who opposes the use of replays but said last month he
was willing to let GMs examine the issue. If Selig gives the
go-ahead, Solomon and staff in the commissioner's office would
draft a detailed replay proposal that GMs could vote on when they
gather next month at the winter meetings in Nashville, Tenn.
"All anybody is interested in is getting it right," Chicago
White Sox GM Ken Williams said. "It will be a lot easier and less
time to get that right than some of these arguments that ensue when
a call is disputed."
Replay eventually would have to be approved by the unions for
players and umpires, and possibly in a vote by owners.
"It's very important that we do get Bud's agreement on this,"
Solomon said. "He seemed to be softer, at least, on the
consideration of the subject lately. I would not consider him an
advocate of instant replay. He will have to be convinced."
Television replays can be used for many calls in the NFL. In the
NBA, they are often used to determine whether players get shots off
before time expires. In the NHL, replays are applied to check
whether pucks cross goal lines. In grand slam tennis, replays can
be used to ascertain whether balls are in or out.
Solomon likened this to the NHL model. He said the GMs'
technology committee felt that the best method would be to have all
video fed to a central location to be judged.
"A phone call would go to that person, and that person would
have all the available angles that the network feed provided, and
then make that call," he said. "We would have limits on it and
there would be some type of penalties if a person tried to, if a
team tried to go beyond those limits."
Solomon said if replay couldn't be put it place for the start of
next season, it was possible it could make its debut in the
postseason.
Solomon also said that to speed up games, baseball was
considering limiting when a hitter could step out of the batter's
box between pitches, restricting the number of times a player could
visit the mound, and limiting the number of players allowed to
visit the mound.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
APTV-11-06-07 1555CST