Expanded instant replay could be in place by 2014
Major League Baseball is optimistic that expanded instant replay will be in place in 2014, but a system for making it possible has yet to be decided. Joe Torre, MLB's executive vice president for business operations, nudged that process further along Thursday with his presentation at the quarterly owners' meetings in Manhattan.
"There are a lot of hurdles," Torre said. "We're just trying to do what makes sense for the game. You could start replaying stuff in the first inning on and then time the game by your calendar. We have a rhythm in this game that we certainly don't want to disrupt."
MLB currently utilizes video replay for disputed home runs, and the original intent of expansion was to include fair or foul calls beyond the line as well as trap plays. But as more on-field problems have surfaced, the thinking has changed and everything is on the table, with the exception of balls and strikes.
"One of the decisions we have to make is how much of this do we want to do," Torre said, "without disrupting things and putting people to sleep. The technology is there. We just have to make sure we can apply it to what we need to do."
MLB already has experimented with different replay cameras installed at both Citi Field and Yankee Stadium. One of the systems being considered is the "Hawkeye" line-calling camera that's used in tennis. MLB also is discussing the use of a replay official situated in an upstairs booth or at a centralized location, which the NHL employs.
Torre, who said he's "hopeful" for replay in 2014, initially had no plans to make a presentation as soon as Thursday. But he chose to do so in order to maybe expedite the process at the next owners meetings in August in Cooperstown.
"I think it's just trying to make a decision on how to go about it," Torre said, "and what we think is most important."