Major League Baseball

Your call, Bud: Time for more replay in baseball?

Published Jun. 4, 2010 8:19 p.m. ET

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A bouncing ball to the right side of the infield, a flip to the bag, a surprising safe call by the umpire, and a furious manager.

Nah, not the play in Detroit. We've seen that enough. This one came a few hours later in Seattle, far from the eye of a sports media storm.

``The replays showed he's out, bottom line,'' Minnesota manager Ron Gardenhire fumed after the winning run on that disputed play Wednesday night. ``It's all out there for you, just go watch the replays.''

Which is exactly what Major League Baseball intends to do. Stung by the blown call that cost Armando Galarraga a perfect game, commissioner Bud Selig said he would look at the big picture - the possibility of expanding the use of video reviews.

The subject is certain to get addressed when Selig's blue-ribbon panel holds its next meeting on Thursday.

``I guarantee it,'' said Los Angeles Dodgers manager Joe Torre, part of the specially picked committee. ``I'm sure it's going to be added to the agenda.''

And so starts another great debate in baseball.

``There are so many close calls in a game, so where do you draw the line?'' Chicago White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle wondered. ``Stolen bases, guys tagged out at home, so many plays at first base that are bang-bang plays, where do you draw the line?''

Added New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter: ``When does it stop, when does it start? Do you have a flag that you throw from the bench for challenges?''

Heck, how about having a computer-simulated box call balls-and-strikes, like they do on TV?

``I don't know about that instant replay stuff. We might as well just build robots and put 'em out there,'' Washington slugger Adam Dunn said.

Remember, it was a rash of missed calls in the middle of the 2008 season that prompted baseball to join the electronic-eye age within a few months - the NFL, NBA, NHL, NCAA, NASCAR and Grand Slam tennis already used replay in some form by then.

For now, only questionable home run calls get a second look. But after a postseason filled with umpiring mistakes, the admission by Jim Joyce that he botched what should've been the final out in Galarraga's gem might spur more action.

``I think that's going to be the play that brings instant replay into baseball,'' fan Jeff Corr said at Fenway Park.

A day after the Twins lost on that 10th-inning play at second base, Gardenhire had calmed down.

``I'm not going to get involved in that stuff. Can't do anything about it. It is what it is. If they want to make changes to help the game then that's fine,'' he said.

Deciding what to do and getting it done are different issues. Any additional replay needs approval from the unions representing players and umpires.

Locking down the technical aspects could take more time. As it stands, camera angles are different at each park, limiting the looks that umpires get.

Paul Hawkins, who designed the Hawk-Eye replay system that's been well received in tennis, said baseball would need to make adjustments.

``This could be done using dedicated officiating technology rather, than solely piggybacking on television replays which are sometimes slow and inconclusive,'' he wrote in an e-mail to The Associated Press.

Then, it would come down to who makes the call. Could be the crew chief on the field, could be an NHL-style central review room, could be a replay official at the ballpark.

``I've heard a lot of different thoughts. Having a guy upstairs, another umpire ... seems the most logical, rather than stopping play all the time,'' Torre said. ``To have somebody looking at it at the same time that folks at home are. Maybe have some kind of headset to communicate with them. That's good until it's that one day where he's going, 'Huh? Huh?'''

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AP Sports Writers Tim Booth, Mike Fitzpatrick, Howard Ulman and Chris Duncan contributed to this report.

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