There are some dissenters, but the quick read from the Rays’ clubhouse is that instant replay, which will be in effect at Tropicana Field beginning with Friday’s game against the Orioles, should be a positive.

Replay will be used only on home run calls—whether balls clear the fence, are fair or foul, and in cases of fan interference. There will be no challenges, as in the NFL. The umpire crew chief will be responsible for initiating a replay review, and he will determine the proper call after watching the replay. According to MLB’s official release, no argument will be permitted from any player, coach or manager once replay is initiated.

“As it’s constituted now, we’re certainly a proponent of it,” said Rays executive vice president Andrew Friedman. “With all the different nuances in these new parks, it’s extremely difficult to discern between a home run and a ball that hits the top of the fence or a fan interferes with. Fans are much more on top of the field than they’ve ever been, and it’s an extremely difficult thing to ask umpires from 150 feet away to be able to discern that.”

Evan Longoria, the Rays’ union representative, said he sees pluses and minuses to instituting replay.

“I think it’s going to be a good thing and a bad thing,” he said. “I think it’s going to be a good thing because it’s going to get some calls right that are going to change games, but at the same time it’s giving the umpires to gripe about and it kind of puts a chip on their shoulder as far as, we don’t think we’re doing as good of a job as they can. And I really don’t want it to open up Pandora’s Box, with calls at home and calls at the bases and eventually behind the plate – I just don’t want it to get to that.”

Joe Maddon has been consistent in his statements for some time now that he is in favor of reviewing home run calls but doesn’t want replay to extend any further than that.

We’ll see how it all works starting Friday; surely there will be some growing pains, particularly in the amount of time it takes to go through the nuts and bolts of the process the first few times. Might see a couple extra minutes added onto games for a while.

Updating: Just got a quick look at the room where replays will be reviewed here at the Trop. It’s a small storage space just off the visitors’ dugout, featuring a newly installed 19-inch flat screen TV with a phone alongside it. The umps may have to close the door to keep managers out of their ears while they’re checking the video…

In other news today, Troy Percival threw off the bullpen mound and apparently felt quite good, and Evan Longoria threw into a sock—a rehab device Scott Kazmir grew weary of during spring training—and hopes to throw for real tomorrow. Sounds like he’s eyeing the start of the Yankees series next week for a return.

And now—live, not Memorex—here are the lineups:

Blue Jays
Inglett 2B
Scutaro 3B
Rios RF
Wells CF
Lind LF
Overbay 1B
Stairs DH
Barajas C
McDonald SS
Halladay P

Rays
Iwamura 2B
Upton CF
Pena 1B
Floyd DH
Aybar 3B
Hinske LF
Navarro C
Gross RF
Bartlett SS
Shields P