The biggest criticism about baseball’s instant replay system in 2014 was the prevalence of managers taking their time walking onto the field, chatting with the umpire, and then walking back into the dugout without challenging the call. It drove everyone insane, especially when it would happen every inning.
Thankfully, MLB EVP of baseball ops Joe Torre is putting a bullet in in the stroll. Via the New York Post…
“That was really my baby,” Torre said. “The one thing we talked about challenging, I didn’t want to take away from the manager the fact that he could run out there and argue. I didn’t really plan on them meandering out there and having conversations, You live and learn.
“I think that’s one area [where] we’ll do something different. We’ll eliminate some of that standing around because 10 seconds in our game seems like a lifetime. Hopefully we can make that a little more comfortable.”
It drove fans insane to see this multiple times every game. Thankfully, it didn’t happen much in the Postseason. Hopefully this will end up speeding games up a little bit and making the replay system go a little more seamlessly. I do not need to see Fredi Gonzalez slowly walk out of the dugout after every close play, look like he’s talking about his garden with the umpire, and then walk back to the dugout with a dumb smirk on his face and no challenge initiated.
