The addition of instant replay on MLB's opening day is nicely summarized in the article: http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2014/04/01/mlb-instant-replay-first-challenges/7160551/
In Major League Baseball (MLB) there was added a major change to the
rules in the new 2014 season. In the new season the addition of reviews of
plays has been put into play. As the new season began on Monday, March 31,
there were 5 challenged plays during the set of 13 opening day games. In that
five two of the challenges were overturned and three were upheld with only one
of the challenges called by an umpire. The average time of the reviews only
lasted 93 seconds with all five challenges. The Cubs manager Rick Renteria gets
credited with the first ever challenge called in the MLB but his called was
upheld. With the new challenge rule the managers are now slowly getting
adjusted to the availability of the challenge. They have began to use new
signals to each other such as the “never-mind” signal when they go to argue but
are then reassured that the play was correct they will back down. Along with
this “never-mind” signal the managers are now starting to meander to the
umpires instead of the usual bolting from the dugout. The players and managers
of the MLB are slowly adjusting to this major change to the game.
The
challenge rule added to the MLB is between me. I see the advantages but also
the disadvantages in my head. The new change will answer many questions to
whether the right call was made or not. One major advantage of the challenges
is how quick they can look at the play and either uphold the call or overturn
it. The umpires are all connected to one main headquarters in New York in which
other umpires and technicians are there to go over the challenged plays called
in so its not like the umpires in the game are all running off the field to
take a second look at it like in football. The challenges allow for managers to
be more laid back as a call is made as they can just take a second look at it
if they don’t agree with it. They no longer will have to taking that bolt off
the bench to spit in the umpires face that they did not like the call they just
made. The advantages are clear and will very much help the game make better
calls.
On the other hand though, I don’t
particularly like this new system because it strives for the perfection of the
game in which just can never be reached. They are taking away the tradition of
the game and changing it by adding the challenge. There will be no more tossing
of the managers from yelling at the umpire at the call they disagree with. Just
look at all the great moments of managers going bezerk over a bad call when
they get in the umpires face and throw their little temper tantrums. The game
has been played without the challenge for as long as its been around and it has
been the nations pastime being the way it is so I do not see a reason why they
should add the challenge. The players and managers will have a lot to adjust to
with the new addition of challenge on all calls and it may take awhile for they
have played their whole lives of the game without it already. 