pic of mlb ump lopking at tv screen replay

'It's a new system as we go … the people that put together this system could not have dreamed up every single scenario that would happen and there is no precedent so the review official has to make an interpretation to the best of his ability.' 'You would like to say the system is completely objective,' Coughlin said, 'but the calls are made based on interpretations by humans, so what we are seeing in our clubhouse and what the review officials in New York are seeing don't always match up. Both clubhouses have the same exact views as they do in New York.'Ĭoughlin said it's important to temper impressions of replay with the reality of the newness of the program. 'Until those umpires take off those headsets and make the call, we're just as in the dark as the fans are. 'I have no contact with the review officials in New York or the umpires on the field,' Coughlin explained. The final call is completely up to the umpire crew at Major League Baseball Advanced Media's headquarters in New York. In the end, the decision is Bryan's and I am just trying to give him the best information that I can,' Coughlin said.īut from there, it's hands off. 'I'm definitely factoring the game situation in when I am talking to Jay Bell - he's my contact in the dugout. 'If it's too close to call, then Jay or Bryan will make a determination if the game situation warrants using the challenge. 'If something is definitely right or definitely wrong, I will tell them,' Coughlin said. So in the end, it'll be up to Coughlin to give a recommendation to Reds bench coach Jay Bell.

From there, it's a matter of figuring out whether there are angles that show the play clearly enough to provide the incontrovertible evidence necessary to overturn a call. Hopefully within that time, I've had a chance to find a conclusive angle on the play,' Coughlin said.Ĭoughlin said the number of angles on the play in question depends on the TV coverage - whether the game is broadcast by both teams or just one. 'When the manager runs out onto the field, I would say I have 30-45 seconds to make a determination about the play.

In the case of whether the ball hit the player or a pickoff at first you have to make a decision in a matter of seconds because the challenge has to be made before the pitcher gets back up on the rubber or the batter gets back into the box. 'The manager's not going to run out for every play. 'I can pause, rewind, do slow motion, but first you have to find the angles that are going to give you the best look and you will have time to only look at one, maybe two, in-depth. 'Any that look blatantly wrong, Bryan will go out on the field to discuss the call with the umpire, and that will create some time for me to review a couple of different angles,' Coughlin said. Once a play is over, the process of deciding whether to challenge occurs in seconds. The collision rule at home plate has been subject to a lot of scrutiny and all of these rules are being refined as we go,' Coughlin said. But there are some quirky plays that have come up that we are still working through. 'Safe/out at first base, you'd think it would be pretty clear cut - and most of the time, it is. It's added a new dynamic during the game, though,' Coughlin explained, saying he uses replay angles provided by TV broadcasts - factoring in game situations - to give a recommendation on whether or not to challenge the play in question. 'The instant replay hasn't added any time to my day, because I was already charting every pitch. Other clubs have hired somebody specifically to handle the job and some teams are using an assistant coach.'įor example, the Reds assigned replay duties to Coughlin. Some teams, it's the video coordinator, like myself. 'You see the manager go out onto the field, you see the bench coach pick up the phone talking to somebody in the clubhouse. 'I think you can see the method that most clubs are using,' Reds manager of video scouting Rob Coughlin explained. Well, there's someone sitting in every Major League clubhouse, surrounded by MLB-installed video monitors, watching the action with a careful eye tuned to up-to-the-minute details that could mean the difference between a win or loss. How does a ballclub know whether to challenge a play, an option granted to managers this season under MLB's new instant replay system?

Pic of mlb ump lopking at tv screen replay