I got a fair number of emails and phone calls Wednesday after my column on baseball’s new replay rule. For a change, nobody ripped me. Life is good.

Here’s a quick sampling:

EXPAND REPLAYS: Instant replay has shown many, not all, bad calls in football have been changed, at times possibly affecting the outcome of the game.  Sometimes the refs still screw up the visual evidence, but they sure do better than the baseball umps. My suggestion for Bud “The Elf” Selig, would be to implement replay on fair, foul, homeruns, as he had done, but to also allow each team to request a review of a replay twice ( even once) per game. If the call is upheld by the umpires after the review, the requesting team would receive a penalty of one out. That should eliminate frivolous challenges and added game time. As O’Reilly says, “What say you.” Rich DeWitt, Brooksville

AND FURTHERMORE...You’re saying what I’ve been telling anyone who will listen.  Why limit replay to a single event? 

Didn’t the powers that be in baseball, the media, pundits, and fans alike beat themselves up in hindsight over the steroids issue, correctly assessing that their allegiance to, and obsession of the God almighty home run, is what drove the majority of players to use performance enhancing drugs?  “Chicks dig the long ball” and all that?  Feature the home run alone to “save” baseball and then just put the blinders on?  Didn’t we all agree that mindset was a mistake?

Well, here we are doing it again!  Making the home run the most important, hell the ONLY important happening in the game.  Only the home run is worthy of the instant replay.  Not obvious blown calls at bases, screaming line drives down the line that may or may not have kicked up chalk. Trapped balls vs. catches in the outfield at a crucial point in the game.  Or bogus obstruction calls and phantom “the runner turned towards 2nd base” call.  What about Matt Holliday at home plate last year?  Not reviewable.  It wasn’t a home run.  The way they have set this up is ONLY the home run is relevant in a baseball game.  Nothing else that happens between the lines matters.  Here we go again, glorifying the dinger!

You nailed this one, Joe!  You dispelled their myths about too much technology and slowing down the game.  I agree 100%.  Thanks for being a voice of reason! Bill Filippone
Colorado Springs, CO

RULES INTERPRETATION: I must ask you to consider correcting the following comment contained in your column. In reference to the call (a bad call in my opinion) on Willy Aybar. You wrote “Willy Aybar of the Rays was flagged for phantom interference”. The correct term for what was called by Mr. Doug Eddings is “obstruction”. Interference is called on the offense (except catcher’s interference) and obstruction on the defense. Interference results in an out and obstruction typically results in the award of bases. Umpiring and studying the rules of baseball is a passion for me as I am an amateur umpire and my son is a professional umpire in the Florida State League. We are always explaining the obstruction vs. interference rule to amatuer coaches and players. Mark Carlson .

Here are some other voices on this subject I gleaned from scouring about. Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports says the new rule is flawed but necessary. ...  Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe wonders why baseball is changing the rules in late August.