Crew coaches to learn more about expanded replay

PHOENIX -- Brewers manager Ron Roenicke is looking forward to meeting with other managers and club officials in Scottsdale on Monday afternoon with representatives from Major League Baseball, who will shed more light on the expanded replay system being instituted this season.

Roenicke is very eager to hear details of the challenge system, which to this point has been discussed only in broad terms. He plans to have one coach on his staff, probably John Shelby, serve as the point man on choosing when to challenge, but has held off setting firm plans until hearing from MLB precisely how the system will work.

"I'm not uncomfortable about the [pending rules changes governing home plate collisions], but I'm uncomfortable about the replay," Roenicke said. "You know, you've got enough to focus on with what's going on out there, and to have to worry about all this stuff with the replay, and what to challenge and what not to… I enjoy managing games, not umpiring."

Make no mistake: Roenicke believes it is entirely appropriate for the league to expand instant replay.

"I don't think that you have to go to a challenge [system], but I think replay is here and it should be here," Roenicke said. "We've got all this camera work and this technology; we should be using it. I just don't know if a challenge system in baseball is the way to do that, but we'll see."

Monday's meeting is at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, the spring home of the D-backs and Rockies. Extra cameras were installed there last year so the replay system could be tested during the Arizona Fall League.

Even when he gains a full understanding of how the system will work, Roenicke will have to discuss with his coaches a philosophy of when to challenge a call.

"According to what they tell us about how many plays are missed in games, it really doesn't come up as often as you think it does," Roenicke said. "So I think we have to kind of feel our way through this and figure out, is it best to just challenge a play when it happens, regardless of whether it's in the first inning, regardless of whether there's two outs and nobody on base?"

Shelby, bench coach Jerry Narron, general manager Doug Melvin and assistant GM Gord Ash are among the other Brewers officials set to attend Monday's meeting.