Geovany Soto could have saved his breath. So can you if you have been screaming for Major League Baseball to plug into the possibilities of instant replay.
After umpires blew three home run calls in a span of four days this week, including one that had the Cubs’ Soto chugging all the way around the bases Monday night in Houston, MLB has stepped up its efforts to add an electronic review in limited situations, including home run calls.
According to a highly placed MLB source, an instant replay system could be in place in time for the upcoming postseason. But a more likely scenario is that replay will be a reality for the 2009 season, the source said.
Commissioner Bud Selig is a longtime opponent of the use of instant replay. But a source close to Selig said he is “wrestling” with his personal views after replays clearly showed umpires made mistakes when they denied home runs to the Mets’ Carlos Delgado (ruled foul, Sunday night), Soto (ball ruled in play, Monday night) and the Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez (ball ruled in play, Wednesday night).
Selig declined comment on the situation Thursday. An executive close to him said only “we’ve not made a decision.”
General managers started the ball rolling on a limited use of replay in a 25-5 vote to recommend it at their annual meeting in November. Jimmie Lee Solomon, MLB’s executive vice president of baseball operations, and his staff have been studying the logistics of implementing a system, but no specific proposals have been presented to owners, umpires and players.
At that meeting in November, Solomon said MLB needed to explore the different ways to implement a system — specifically whether to place a replay official at each game, as the NFL does, or monitor all games from a central location, as the NHL does during its regular season.
It is unclear whether teams would be given the right to challenge calls, as they are in the NFL, or if the umpiring crew would have to order a replay on a contested call.
If there is no replay system in place for the 2008 playoffs, MLB officials will have to hold their breath they don’t get a repeat of the infamous Jeffrey Maier play, the bungled fan interference call in 1996 that gave Derek Jeter a home run and helped the Yankees win a five-game ALCS over the Orioles.
There’s no reason a replay system could not be ready in October, but an MLB official said it might be considered reckless to make such a big change without experimenting in less significant games. If it is not targeted for use before the 2009 regular season, it could be tried in the Arizona Fall League, the World Baseball Classic and spring training games.
Some are concerned replay will slow games. The pace of games is already an issue, especially in October. Most of its advocates only favor limited use, such as on home runs or fair-or-foul calls, but there are some who would like a manager to be able to challenge out/safe calls.
“Especially when it’s game-changing, yes, I think there should be [instant replay],” Astros manager Cecil Cooper told the Houston Chronicle. “In particular, like late in the ballgame.”
Many have argued that approving it on a limited basis would be opening a Pandora’s box. They say it eventually could lead to arguing for electronic ball-strike calls, with technology similar to what is used in tennis.
That’s a concern for Selig and other traditionalists who say they want to preserve “the human element” in deciding games. Yet it’s hard for anyone to argue in favor of calls that are shown to be wrong almost immediately, and that’s what baseball has been dealing with this week.
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progers@tribune.com
