PARADISE VALLEY, Ariz.
Nike Roshe Run Dames Kopen . -- Ever since
the game was invented, before television or even radio existed, baseball counted
on the eyes and ears of umpires on the field. Starting this season, many key
decisions will be made in a studio far away. Major League Baseball vaulted into
the 21st century of technology on Thursday, approving a huge expansion of
instant replay in hopes of eliminating blown calls that riled up players,
managers and fans. "I think its great," San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy
said. "Its about getting it right." Acknowledging the human element had been
overtaken in an era when everyone except the umps could see several views over
and over in slow-motion, owners and players and umpires OKed the new system. Now
each manager will be allowed to challenge at least one call per game. If hes
right, he gets another challenge. After the seventh inning, a crew chief can
request a review on his own if the manager has used his challenges. "I tell you
the fans will love it," baseball Commissioner Bud Selig said after owners met
and voted their unanimous approval. "Its another in a long list of changes that
will make this sport better than it already is." Baseball was the last major pro
sport in North America to institute replay when it began late in the 2008
season. Even then, it was only used for close calls on home runs. The NFL, NBA,
NHL, some NCAA sports and major tennis tournaments all use a form of replay, and
even FIFA and the English Premier League have adopted goal-line technology for
soccer. Not that managers wont still occasionally bolt from the dugout, their
veins bulging. The so-called "neighbourhood play" at second base on double plays
cannot be challenged. Many had safety concerns for middle infielders being wiped
out by hard-charging runners if the phantom force was subject to review.
Ball-and-strike calls cant be contested. Neither can check-swings and foul tips.
Nor can obstruction and interference rulings -- those are up to the umpires
judgment, like the one at third base in St. Louis that ended Bostons loss in
Game 3 of the World Series last October. All reviews will be done by current MLB
umpires at a replay centre in MLB.coms New York office. To create a large enough
staff, MLB agreed to hire six new big league umpires and call up two minor
league umps for the entire season. A seventh major league umpire will be added
to replace the late Wally Bell. The umpires on the field will be able to talk to
the command centre. The replay umpire will make the final decision -- that could
include where to place runners if, say, a call is reversed from out to safe on a
trapped ball in outfield. In addition, managers and others in the dugout will be
allowed to communicate by phone with someone in the clubhouse who can watch the
videos and advise whether to challenge a call. "Im excited to see how it works
out. I am interested to see how the flow of the game is affected," Oakland
catcher Stephen Vogt said. "Its a good use of the technology that we have, the
fact that we will be able to get more calls corrected and fixed." Joe Torre,
MLBs executive vice-president of baseball operations, said work continues on a
proposed rule that would ban home-plate collisions between runners and the
catcher. The rule has not been written and talks on its content are ongoing
between MLB representatives and the players union, he said. Even since William
McLean became the first professional umpire when he worked a Boston-Philadelphia
National League game on April 22, 1876, baseball has celebrated its
old-fashioned traditions. Having umpires make the calls on the field was one of
them. So were arguments between managers and umpires, often to the delight of
fans. Worries that replays would slow the pace even more were offset by this:
Replay decisions cannot be argued. Replay umpires will make their final rulings
in no more than a minute to 90 seconds, MLB Executive Vice-President of Baseball
Operations Joe Torre estimated. "With our technology today we can do that in a
way I dont think we will interrupt the flow of the game," Bochy said. To make
reviews uniform, cameras will transit 12 angles from each ballpark. MLB Chief
Operating Officer Rob Manfred said it was uncertain whether the replay system
will be in place in Australia for the season-opening series between the Arizona
Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers. "For some, the discussions regarding
expanded replay appeared to move too slowly, too deliberately," said Brian Lam,
the lawyer for the World Umpires Association. "But there were technical and
operational challenges that needed to be addressed, and that took time. With so
many competing interests and opinions, it is unlikely that all will be
completely pleased at the end of the day, but thats often the nature of things."
MLB had talked for a few years about expanding replay to include fair-or-foul
calls and traps. Several missed calls in the post-season ratcheted up the
debate. The players union gave its approval for the 2014 season. "The players
look forward to the expanded use of replay this season, and they will monitor
closely its effects on the game before negotiating over its use in future
seasons," union Executive Director Tony Clark said in a statement. Selig said
the replay expansion ranks "very, very high" when compared with other moves made
during his time on the job. The new rule allows ballparks to show fans the same
replays on stadium video screens. But only plays under review can be shown on
the screen in slow motion. "Its the first time in the history of the game that a
manager has the opportunity to change the call of a play that may have
adversarily affected their team," said Atlanta Braves President John Schuerholz,
who chaired the committee that came up with the replay plan, "that may have cost
them the game, that may have cost them the division, that may have cost them a
World Series." The existing rule on umpires calling for a review of whether a
hit was a home run or not will remain, although the review will be done by the
umpire in New York. Torre said the number of manager challenges were limited to
a maximum of two to maintain "the rhythm of the game." "Were going to start this
way and if we feel something has to be adjusted were certainly going to be aware
of that," he said. Torre and MLB executive Tony La Russa, both ex-managers,
joined Schuerholz on the replay committee. "Were really going for the dramatic
miss, not all misses," La Russa said. "...This is a challenge for a
game-changing play that goes against you, and now you can correct it."
Nike Lunarglide 6 Dames . -- The Detroit
Lions signed first-round pick Eric Ebron to a four year contract Friday.
Nike Roshe Run Dames ." Inbee Park began her
bid to become the first golfer to capture four straight majors in one season by
teeing off at 7 a.TORONTO -- Morgan Rielly probably wont read this. Already wise
beyond his years at the age of 20, the Toronto Maple Leafs rookie defenceman
learned during training camp that he cant check Twitter as often as he used to.
That lesson has served him well during a season-ruining losing streak, but its
still almost impossible to avoid the chatter in a hockey-mad city. "When youre
out eating at Earls or something, its on a TV and theres people talking about
(us), whether its the skid were on, trade rumours or how weve been playing,"
Rielly said Tuesday. "Playing here in Toronto there are people that arent afraid
to have a chat with you if youre at the mall or something. Youve just got to
learn to deal with that and cant worry about it too much." Roommate
Jake Gardiner tries to take his mind off things by seeing movies, like "Noah" on
the teams most recent off day. Coach Randy Carlyle doesnt try to put on
sunglasses and a hood to hide from the attention because "thats not me." Even if
the Leafs wanted to, theres no real way to escape the pressure -- something area
natives and former players know all too well. "Its not fun for them right now, I
know that," said Calgary Flames forward Joe Colborne, who spent the past three
years in Toronto with the Leafs and minor-league Marlies. "Obviously theres a
lot of attention, even out West, on the Leafs, so its well-documented, for sure.
You definitely feel for those guys." Empathy was in short supply for Colborne
with his Flames at Air Canada Centre seeking to extend Torontos season-worst
skid. But even before his Detroit Red Wings sent the Leafs to an eighth loss in
a row Saturday night, Mimicos Brendan Smith expressed some sadness at how
friends Gardiner and Dave Bolland have to deal with the extra criticism that he
called "nonsense." "I think for everybody its difficult," Smith said. "I feel
bad for them with all that pressure. Its tough. Every professional athletes
going to feel pressure in some kind of way, but its definitely tough here." Red
Wings goaltender Jonas Gustavsson looked at the Leafs and recalled a "similar
scenario" he went through in Toronto. That was the infamous run in the winter of
2012 that then-general manager Brian Burke compared to "an 18-wheeler going
right off a cliff." Gustavsson went 0-3-11 during that 1-9-1 stretch that cost
coach Ron Wilson his job.
Nike Air Max 1 Uitverkoop. . But as a Swede,
he managed to avoid a lot of the negativity surrounding the team because he read
coverage from back home, not in Canada or the United States. After experiencing
that, hes quick not to make any blanket statements about how playing in such a
big market affects players. "I think thats very individual," Gustavsson said. "I
think some guys have no problem whatsoever with it because they dont really care
about media and TV, things like that. Maybe some guys follow it more than others
and maybe have tougher times with it." Flames forward Matt Stajan, who played
five full seasons and parts of two more with the Leafs, brushed off the emphasis
on the extra attention that comes with being in what some consider the centre of
the hockey universe. "Its not easy. In Calgary if we lose eight in a row its not
easy," Stajan said. "I think the pressure from the outsides one thing, but in
the dressing room you have expectations as a team and you feel that pressure
anyways. "People look too much at the pressure outside. I think youre in the
NHL. As a team you have pressure on yourselves to win games and be at your best
every night, and when it doesnt happen, youre feeling it." Theres no doubt the
Leafs are feeling it, even if its not something players would like to admit.
Assistant general manager Claude Loiselle said Tuesday on Toronto radio station
Sportsnet 590 The Fan that players have been squeezing their sticks during this
skid. In talking to reporters, players tend to shift the focus back to hockey
and away from the white noise. "Its just a matter of keeping concentrated on
just playing the game and not what everybodys saying," Rielly said. "You cant be
too concerned about whats going on out there, you just got to worry about what
youre able to control." No ones denying the talk is out there. Captain
Dion Phaneuf conceded that in a results-oriented business, theres bound to be
some heavy "scrutiny" on the Leafs. A losing streak like this in a place like
this ratchets it up even more. "You look on Twitter or TV, its pretty much what
everyones talking about right now," Gardiner said. "But were kind of used to
that. ... You just got to have fun with it and try to ignore what people are
saying."
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