Replay Likely; Asterists not
Commissioner Bud Selig took Manhattan on Tuesday in the hours before the 79th All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium.
He told two distinct audiences that instant replay is a possibility on a limited basis for Major League Baseball playoff games. He also said for the first time that it isn’t practical to place an asterisk next to the name of any player who set a record during Major League Baseball’s so-called steroid era.He said that changing the first-round playoff format has been considered, but won’t be altered at this point because of the season’s length.
And finally, Selig said he’s happy with the All-Star format, which was collectively bargained and is part of the current Basic Agreement, which is due to expire after the 2012 season.
Selig, though, was asked in both places about Barry Bonds, MLB’s all-time home run leader who is an unsigned free agent this season with criminal proceedings pending next year in a San Francisco federal court.
Do you really think people, especially those wearing San Francisco Giants merchandise, want to see Barry Bonds taint their franchise any more than what it already is? No, I didn’t think so.
About instant replay, last year the general managers voted 25-5 to institute replay on home run calls only — fair or foul or in and out of the park.
MLB is trying to determine whether an official in a central location will have access to the television broadcasts of every game and communicate with the umpire crew chief on location when a call is in question.