Umpires want to be part of instant replay discussion

COMPTON, Calif. -- Big-league umpires want a chance to make their own call on instant replay.

General managers recommended this week in Orlando, Fla., that replay be used on boundary calls -- whether potential home runs are fair or foul, if balls go over fences or not, and if there's fan interference.

There was no time frame on when such a system might be put in place. Umpires and players would have to approve it, and owners and commissioner Bud Selig will certainly weigh in.

"First, it's kind of premature to have an official position," Lamell McMorris, a spokesman for the World Umpires Association, said Thursday.

"We're aware of the vote that took place in Orlando," he said. "We fully anticipate at the appropriate time we'll have discussions with Major League Baseball. I think it's natural that those who officiate baseball would be included in the discussions. We're the ones that are going to have to implement its usage, equipment and otherwise."

McMorris was at the Major League Baseball Urban Youth Academy during the second annual MLB Umpire Camp.

"This will affect the collective bargaining agreement that expires in December 2009," he said. "We're open, very open, to the possibilities. Right now, we don't have an official position. We don't know exactly what's involved. I don't think they've narrowed it down as to how it's going to be used."

McMorris said the eight umpires serving as instructors at the camp would not comment on instant replay at this time.

"They're speaking now," he said, referring to his comments.

Television replays can be used for many calls in the NFL. In the NBA, they are often used to determine whether players get shots off before time expires. In the NHL, replays are applied to check whether pucks cross goal lines. In Grand Slam tennis, replays can be used to see whether balls are in or out.