Replays will change baseball

Notoriously slow to embrace change, Major League Baseball is unveiling a replay system it says will be the most expansive of any sport’s and perhaps put an end to missed calls by umpires.

The system will cover almost every play except balls and strikes, checked swings, a trapped ball in the infield and the so-called neighborhood play when a defensive player turning a double play comes close to second base but perhaps does not actually touch it.

says ex- player and manager Joe Torre, who is the MLB executive vice president in charge of developing and implementing the system.

Managers are allotted one challenge a game, where they can force the umpire to have a play reviewed at a command center in New York that is manned by an umpiring crew.

Before a challenge, though, managers will have to assess whether the call is likely to be overturned and, in most cases, they’ll have to do so quickly.

One American League manager, who requested anonymity for competitive reasons, told USA TODAY Sports he wants an ex-ump even though the team video coordinator, who already handles the equipment players use to analyze their play or to study opponents, might be more tech-savvy.

Torre estimates the average challenge and subsequent replay can be done in 60-90 seconds because umpires will connect with the New York command center through a headset behind home plate and be told the decision.

Seeing the manager turn his hat around and get nose-to-nose with the umpire is part of it, too.

26, 1985 — World Series, Game 6: Umpire Don Denkinger calls Kansas City Royals batter Jorge Orta safe at first base in the ninth inning even though he was out by a step.

Torre and his staff plus former managers Tony La Russa and Jim Leyland, both part of a committee for on-field matters set up by Commissioner Bud Selig, have been part of the sessions with managers, coaches and general managers.