Panel 1: Not many noticed, but the Little League World Series had a twist this year.
Not only were TV-reviewable plays expanded to include force-outs, tags, missed balls and hit basemen…
Panel 2: but both umpires and MANAGERS could call for a replay and the manager could demand a replay AFTER an umpire had declined to call for a disputed play to be reviewed.
Panel 3: Some umpires said that managers being able to call for replays after an ump has passed empowers managers - in addition to sharing responsibility with umpires to get a play right - with a powerful tool that diminishes umpires’ authority.
Panel 4: Still other umpires wonder if giving the final option on reviewing a play to managers isn’t essentially the same thing as giving them final say and some wonder how long this Little League rule - so obviously inspired by the NFL - will take to get to MLB, so troubled by recent umpire mistakes.
So be prepared to hear a familiar call ring over venues of America’s pastime…
Panel 5: “Hey, are you CRAZY!?”
But now it’s coming from an umpire and directed at a dugout.
Panel 1: Not many noticed, but the Little League World Series had a twist this year. Not only were TV-reviewable plays expanded to include force-outs, tags, missed balls and hit basemen…
Panel 2: but both umpires and MANAGERS could call for a replay and the manager could demand a replay AFTER an umpire had declined to call for a disputed play to be reviewed.
Panel 3: Some umpires said that managers being able to call for replays after an ump has passed empowers managers - in addition to sharing responsibility with umpires to get a play right - with a powerful tool that diminishes umpires’ authority.
Panel 4: Still other umpires wonder if giving the final option on reviewing a play to managers isn’t essentially the same thing as giving them final say and some wonder how long this Little League rule - so obviously inspired by the NFL - will take to get to MLB, so troubled by recent umpire mistakes. So be prepared to hear a familiar call ring over venues of America’s pastime…
Panel 5: “Hey, are you CRAZY!?” But now it’s coming from an umpire and directed at a dugout.