The Braves were off Thursday, so they had some extra time to think about the new, far more extensive system of video review by umpires that Major League Baseball unveiled and plans to have in place for the 2014 season.
A day to ponder it didn’t seem to clear things up for some Braves before they were asked about it Friday.
“I have mixed feelings,” third baseman Chris Johnson said. “I don’t want it to slow the game down. But if we’re taking – they said on average is 3-1/2, 4 minutes – for every review now, and there could be three challenges per team, that’s six challenges times four minutes each – how long is that? That’s a lot of standing around.”
Under the new system, which was devised by a special three-man committee that included Braves president John Schuerholz, managers will be allowed to challenge one call over the first six innings of a game and two after the sixth inning. Calls that are challenged will be reviewed by a crew in MLB headquarters in New York City, where a final ruling would be made, ideally in 75 seconds or less.
A manager would file a challenge with the home-place umpire or crew chief. Only reviewable plays can be challenged, but non-reviewable plays still be disputed by managers, who can request that umpires discuss such calls to see if another ump in the crew saw the play differently.
“I wish we had it (last year in the Wild Card game),” Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman said, referring to the controversial infield-fly ruling that worked against Atlanta in its loss to St. Louis. “I like that you can’t challenge every single play (under the proposed system). Some people are going to have mixed (reaction).
“The human element is a big baseball thing. But as long as the call gets right, I like that it’s only one (challenge per team) through six innings, and I guess two in the later innings. I think it’s good. I’ll see what other people think about it. Human element is a big factor, but when you’ve got close play – we saw it last year with us — it can change the course of a season. I think it’s good.”
Reviewable plays would no longer be open for argument by the manager, nor would the subsequent ruling.
Challenges not used in the first six innings will not carry over to the later innings, and a manager who wins a challenge retains it and can use it again. Umpires themselves can also decide to review a call if a manager is out of challenges.
“I don’t know all of it, what exactly the details are, but I’m not a big fan of replay,” Braves shortstop Andrelton Simmons said. “ It just drags out the game. And, I mean, if you’re going to look at everything (on replay), why do you have so many umpires out there anyway? I’m not a big fan of that.”
Balls and strikes and hit-by-pitch calls would not be open for challenge or review, but all other plays would be. The current replay rules used for home-run calls would grandfathered into the new system.
“I’m not a huge fan of it, but I guess they know what they’re doing,” Simmons said. “I mean, they’re trying to make it better. But I like – even though they make mistakes, I like the human element. It’s OK, I think. It really hurts when it doesn’t go your way, but that’s the way it’s been played so long. To change that … I don’t like changing the game that much.”
The new system will be presented to baseball owners for a vote in November, and must also be approved by the players association and umpires.
“I just think we need to leave the game alone,” veteran Braves catcher Gerald Laird said. “I just feel they’re so much history in the game, and teams have won championships and games, and lost games, on (questionable) calls. I just think that’s part of what makes our game so special total, we don’t have the replay. The human element.
“I know we’re more advanced now (technologically), I understand that. But it’s the purity of the sport. You’re going to miss some things. I think fans like to see the manager come out and argue. I just don’t think there’s any need for it.”
Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said he would wait to talk to Schuerholz and get all the details before commenting on the matter.
“Just on the basis of whatever has come out so far (about the system), I don’t like it,” Gonzalez said. “But we’ll see. It’s a new thing. I didn’t like replay back when it first came out. I didn’t like the wild card — I don’t like the one-game wild card definitely — but when the wild card came out, it’s been almost 20 years, I was (against it). But you know what? It’s OK. You kind of grow into it so. I’m going to hold on until I find out more information.”
Laird said if the new system is put in place, it would only be a matter of time before replay would be expanded again.
“Yeah, they want to get the calls right,” he said, “but we’ve been doing this for a long time now, why change it?… It’s going to be weird. I’m not for it. I hope the guys stand by and go with how it is. Because it’s never going to end (if we pass this). It’s going to come down to balls and strikes now. That’ll be next, if this goes through.”
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