Score an error for baseballas it adds instant replay

What sports fan among us doesn't live for the moment when Mike Nolan of the 49ers, Lane Kiffin of the Raiders or one of their NFL brethren flings a red flag on the field?

Yes! Time for a coach's challenge.

Emphasis on time.

We wait breathlessly -- OK, not so breathlessly; our lungs don't have that kind of capacity -- but wait we do as the referee trots off the field and ducks under a black shroud to watch replays on a TV monitor to resolve a disputed call.

Instant replay has been a staple of NFL football since 1986, implying a level of high-tech certainty beyond the ability of the mortals who officiate the games.

Beginning with its games today, Major League Baseball is introducing instant replay to review umpires' decisions on what officials are calling "boundary disputes."

Under a policy unveiled Tuesday by baseball Commissioner Bud Selig, replay can be employed on potential home runs to determine if the ball actually cleared the fence, was fair or foul or was affected by fan interference.

Balls, strikes and all other close plays are exempt. Because, as Selig explained, that's the way it's always been. Of course, that's the way it's always been for home runs, too.

But now baseball fans, like their football cousins, can wait (and wait some more) as the umpires leave the field to watch TV replays to determine if there is "clear and convincing evidence" to overturn the call on the field.

So far, no red flags for the managers. It will be up to the umpires to decide whether to consult the instant replay videos.

Selig contends the introduction of replay might actually speed up games by eliminating some of the arguments over controversial decisions. The snap reaction of Giants manager Bruce Bochy, however, was that there's "nothing to lose," so arguments may be more frequent with replay available.

Call us Luddites, but we wonder, where's the need? If there's one thing replays have shown, it's that officials usually get the close calls right on their own. And if they do miss one now and then, what's wrong with acknowledging human fallibility in our games?

Besides, isn't one seventh-inning stretch enough?