MILWAUKEE -- Expanded instant replay in baseball is coming, but everybody is not on board with the way it is going to be implemented.
Major League Baseball announced plans to expand instant replay to all plays but balls and strikes for the 2014 season, giving managers three challenges during the game. Managers will get one challenge for the first six innings and two for the final three innings.
If a manager is successful with his challenge, he will not be charged with a review. Major League Baseball employees with umpiring experience will rule on the play from baseball's offices in New York City. Owners are expected to formally approve the plans in November.
"I'm to the point where I'm fine with replays," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said. "Let's replay some more things. Actually, I'm tired of going out there and arguing. I'm in favor of replay."
There is one aspect of the plan Roenicke doesn't agree with, however.
"I don't like the challenges," Roenicke said. "In the NFL it works because they have a guy sitting up there on the monitor, he's got a headset, the head coach has a headset. Am I going to have to start wearing a headset now? I don't like that. There's too many things that happen in baseball that I don't want to have to worry about.
"Just sit somebody up in the booth and have them look at plays right away. A guy runs down to first base, its a close play, he calls it. This guy looks at it, and he overrules it. Somebody down here has an earpiece, he calls down and says 'You missed the call.' "
Brewers general manager Doug Melvin said the team would use a staff member to watch a monitor of the game to aid the manager in deciding whether he should use a challenge. That person would either sit in the press box or near the clubhouse tunnel, depending on what the league allows.
Melvin was one of the few general managers to vote against reviews of home run calls and has the same concerns with the new plan.
"I was afraid if we adopted it that it wouldn't end," Melvin said. "We would be wanting to replay something else. That was my fear the first time. I'm saying maybe in the future. You are going to do it just because the umpires had a bad year? Maybe think through it one more year."
There are concerns from some that teams would abuse the challenge system, throwing out the replay flag just to get a pitcher out of his rhythm or to allow a reliever more time to warm up.
Melvin suggested the league going through a trial period with extended instant replay, implementing it over the final two weeks of the season for teams out of the playoff race.
"I'm always open to getting things right," Melvin said. "I'm a little concerned with taking the instincts away from umpires."
"I always like to experiment with things first. My only fear was if you have replay once, then you are going to have replay a second time and then you are going to have replay a third time and then you are going to end up with robots as umpires."
Taking more of a light-hearted approach, Reds manager Dusty Baker is willing to accept whatever the league decides to do.
"I don't think anybody cares what I think, honestly," Baker said. "I mean, people are going to do what they're going to do, the powers that be. I just hope they don't slow the game down."
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