Voices The Pros and Cons of Instant Replay in Major League Baseball Aaron Smith, Yahoo Contributor Network As other sports have become more and more friendly to instant replay, the calls for instant replay in some form were getting quite strong and Major League Baseball couldn't fight it anymore. Certainly the NFL has had a ton of success with its instant replay and challenge rules, which no doubt played a large role in forcing Major League Baseball executives to decide this was a necessary move. The implementation of the replay system is starting off in a limited manner in baseball. Major League Baseball approved use of instant replay only in the case of whether a ball is a home run or not. The review could be brought on by a question of whether the ball was fair or foul, if the ball actually went over the fence, or if there is a question as to whether there has been fan interference. I thought it would be appropriate to take a quick look at some of the pros and cons of this very important step that baseball has taken. The PROS of instant replay in baseball 1. In baseball one bad call can mean a whole lot, even more than some other sports. Instant replay will help to avoid a bad call costing a team the game. 2. In theory, instant replay shouldn't take too long on a baseball play. Things are generally more clear cut than they are in other sports. 3. Instant replay provides more accountability for umpires. Accountability is something that everyone else has to have at their day job, so why not umpires too? The CONS of instant replay in baseball 1. If the scope of instant replay in baseball gets too big it could really hurt the game. A replay of every close play at first base or called strike three would be horrible for the typical fan. 2. The current system is taking too long. One night in Houston a review of a potential home run left fans and players waiting for about seven minutes. That is a long break for an already long game. 3. Though accountability is good, we can't question everything an umpire says. Umpires are human and make mistakes and those mistakes will always be part of the game and there is simply no way around that. Instant replay has its solid backers and those who believe it will be a huge drag on the sport. The jury is still out, and the trial is still ongoing. Let's see how it works! Source: http://voices.yahoo.com/the-pros-cons-instant-replay-major-league-1979733.html?cat=19 .