MLB

The 21st Century Beckons As MLB Considers Expanding Instant Replay

This is four years overdue, but the reluctant baseball powers are finally giving serious thought (we think) to expanding replay. Up to this point, only questionable home run calls are subject to replay while everything else is subjected to irreparably flawed human beings hawk-eyed umpires who don’t let Dewayne Wise take advantage of them.

Bud Selig has expressed interest in expanding replay in time for the 2013 season, which, if you’re not on board with, we’re clearly not watching the same game. Enough with preserving the purity of the game and it keeping it pristine from the taint of 21st-century technology — if they want this to happen, let’s let it happen. Maybe as an American sports-watching contingent we’ll have a few less things on which to blame our team’s failings, but we’ll learn to get over it.

Joe Torre, MLB’s executive vice president for baseball operations (he really is that!), clarified and said Bud really only means to expand replay to “fair-foul, trap plays”, but we’ll take it. And this coming from a Mets fan who may or may not have but definitely did shed a tear or two after Johan Santana’s no-hitter. Would replay have ruled Carlos Beltran’s no-hit-bid-crushing foul/fair ball fair? It sure would have, but, for lack of a better word, it would have been fair.

It’ll be baby steps until the MLB has replay instated across the board, but this welcome sign is a good start.

[ESPN.com, Getty Images]

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