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Baltimore Orioles: One tweak MLB needs in replay

By Domenic A. Vadala

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We saw something in last night’s Baltimore Orioles game that we’ve come to see quite often in MLB: a manager arguing his way into a free challenge. Boston manager John Farrell asked for a sixth inning Nolan Reimold infield hit to be reviewed, and despite replays appearing inconclusive Reimold was eventually ruled to be out. One inning later, Buck Showalter had a similar play reviewed, however he used his manager’s challenge to do so.

However my issue isn’t with manager’s challenges; it’s with managers challenging plays – without challenging them. We

Courtesy of Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

see it time and time again; the manager comes out of the dugout and somehow convinces the umpire(s) that the play was close enough to warrant a review. The umpires then “independently decide” to review the play. So that means that the manager isn’t burning his formal challenge(s), so it’s a low-risk high-reward type of situation.

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    • The fact is that this is well within the rules. Umpires can opt to review any play at any time within the realm of the rules which govern instant replay. So what managers are doing is shamelessly asking the umpires to do this – and they’re getting away with it. Why use a challenge when you can just talk the guy into looking at the play?

    Some would replace the word shameless with smart, and they might have a point. But to me it comes across as a loophole in the rules. Now let me state unequivocally that my goal is to have the umpires get the call right in all circumstances. However in my personal opinion if you’re going to use a challenge system, the coaches should physically have to challenge the call.

    The point is that it comes off as unfair to have a manager be able to use “powers of persuasion” to convince an umpiring crew that they should review a call. So my recommendation to MLB is to do away with this starting either immediately or next year. This could be done in two manners:

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    • Mandate of challenges: In effect, the league would require that a manager’s challenge be used in order for a play to be reviewed. Currently managers get one challenge a game, but if the call is overturned they retain that challenge. So perhaps they could make it two challenges per game or something to that effect, however the rule would be that the umpires wouldn’t review a play unless a challenge was burned.
    • Eye in the sky: I’ve always said that College Football has the best replay review system in sports. Literally every play is reviewed. If the “eye in the sky” feels that the ref needs to look at a play further, he buzzes down and the ref confers with the guy in the booth via radio. These reviews probably take less time than their NFL counterparts, for what that’s worth. But that would remove the necessity for coach’s challenges all together.

    uasion” to convince an umpiring crew that they should review a call. So my recommendation to MLB is to do away with this starting either immediately or next year. This could be done in two manners: 

    More from Orioles News

    • Mandate of challenges: In effect, the league would require that a manager’s challenge be used in order for a play to be reviewed. Currently managers get one challenge a game, but if the call is overturned they retain that challenge. So perhaps they could make it two challenges per game or something to that effect, however the rule would be that the umpires wouldn’t review a play unless a challenge was burned.
    • Eye in the sky: I’ve always said that College Football has the best replay review system in sports. Literally every play is reviewed. If the “eye in the sky” feels that the ref needs to look at a play further, he buzzes down and the ref confers with the guy in the booth via radio. These reviews probably take less time than their NFL counterparts, for what that’s worth.

    I suppose the point here is that managers shouldn’t be allowed to “legally” circumvent the rules. Luckily for the O’s, that call didn’t impact the game. But in a 1-0 game, it very well could have.

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