Take me out to the replay
Friday, August 22, 2008 3:16 PM PDT
NEW YORK (AP) — As if major league games aren’t long enough already, now there will be replay delays.
Sometime before the end of the regular season, Major League Baseball will start allowing umpires to review video to determine boundary calls on home runs, such as whether they cleared fences or went by the foul pole in fair territory.
Because cameras are at playoff games, umpires will have even more angles to review before the crew chief makes his decision on a call. MLB officials hope replay delays will be offset by a reduction in arguments over disputed calls and the need for umpires to gather for conferences. The average time of a nine-inning game this season is two hours, 50 minutes, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
‘‘Major League Baseball and the media, they want instant replay, and we’re going to have instant replay, so if it delays the game, then there’s nothing we can do about it,’’ World Umpires Association president John Hirschbeck said.
