For those of you who think that with the addition of replay in baseball arguing will be stopped...Think again!

On Thursday, August 28th, Major League Baseball will begin using replay, which can be used for possible homeruns.

Why is Major League Baseball saying "MLB beings instant replay on Thursday?" Folks, it's not INSTANT replay. Instant replay is something you see on television. It's simply "video review, or video replay." 

Secondly, many people seem to concur that having replay will stop arguments between the umpire and manager. In fact, the rule states if a manager leaves the dugout to come on the field after the replay has been decided, he will be treated as if he were arguing balls and strikes, which leaves him subject to ejection. But wait a minute. Who decides when to use the replay?

The crew chief! That's right, the guy on the field who has been umpiring in Major League Baseball for years and years! The guy who more than likely has his own agenda and wants to do things the old fashioned way and believe his call on the field merits no review because he is the crew chief and is always correct!

So, what does this lead to? It leads to the unevitable. You will see managers come out of the dugout many times to argue with the umpire to use the replay, and vice versa! If Joe Girardi thinks it was a close call at the wall, he will argue that replay should be used. If the crew chief then decides OK he's right, then we will see the other manager come out and argue for using it.

The NHL does it right. They have an office in Toronto where EVERY goal is monitered. Most goals are easy to see, and there is not even a second delay before faceoff. When there is a close call, the game is paused until the goal can be verified. Nothing is done at the arena, and nothing is done by the actual official at the venue. It's all done in Toronto.  There are NO arguments following NHL reviews, because no official at the venue had a say in the result. When is the last time you saw a coach behind the bench call up someone in Toronto after a review? I just checked YouTube and can't find one.

Major League Baseball decides to build an office in New York that will have every game on television with technicians there to feed the replays to the particular venues. Why could they have not had an official there as well, that could make a decision? If you have someone deciding a controversial call in New York, a manager couldn't argue a thing!

How would my replay work? Easy.  You develop a system where the managers for each ballclub control the initiation of the replay. Each manager would get one a game. If you get it correct, you get another.  You are capped at two. You should be able to use it on any possible homerun call and any safe/out call at any base! If I am in a pennant race, why is a homerun more important then a blown call at home plate that would have tied or won the game for my team? The video is obviously there for us to use, so use it! MLB is giving too much value to the homerun. I'd love to see replay used at a play at first base in the bottom of the 9th inning, where my runner would have scored, since the bases were loaded.  Not only that, but if a manager initiates a replay, who can argue? No one!!!

The entire point of replay in MLB is to take the controversial call out of the umpires hands and verify it by using a monitor.

The only problem is, the umpire is still the one making the calls! Both for the review and the final decision!

Andy Slater is an on-air radio host for 640AM Fox Sports in South Florida.

For more information on the show, check out www.theslatershow.com

As family members, friends, and others watch on, there were near 40 girls on August 2nd, who came out to the Bank Atlantic Center to see if they had what it took to become a Florida Panthers Ice Dancer.

After a long day of auditions and learning a routine (pardon my dancing lingo), only a few girls were sent home packing, while the remaining 30 were told they were in for a LONG week!

So where do I come into all of this? How do I get a say in who makes this team? Well, gees, who can have a better opinion on how a girl looks on stage, how she can dance, and how many dinners I can take her to? (Well, I have to at least wait until the auditions are done for that!)

As a radio host for 640AM Fox Sports, I had the privilege of being one of the personalities to have a say in who makes the 2008-2009 Florida Panthers Ice Dancers Squad! 

I have been attending hockey games since 1993, many of them in fact. I know what I like to see on the ice... and I also know what I like to see OFF the ice.  There are many features that I look for when jotting down my score, and a note here and there.  To me, personality is key. You just HAVE to have personality! If an Ice Dancer comes up to me in the stands, she just has to know how to speak!  Looks? Well, of course. You just have to look great.  Sure we all meet people and they say "looks aren't everything, it's about what is inside," well, yes, that's true, but NOT when choosing an Ice Dancer!  Fans need eye candy! What happens when the Panthers are down one night 5-0 in the 2nd period? (Hopefully that won't happen this year) The fans need something GREAT to look at! Lastly, an Ice Dancer needs to know how to dance! You can look great, have a great personality, but if you can't dance, you can't get my vote!

This entire week, the remaining Ice Dancers have been through a "boot camp" led by the directors of the squad.  They have the day off today and are preparing for the final auditions, which take place Saturday, August 9th, at Sawgrass Mills Mall, in front of crowd of on-lookers! 

If they stick around until about 3:30pm, they will get to see who had the personality, the good looks, and the dance ability... They will get to see who made the 2008-2009 Florida Panthers Ice Dancers squad...

Oh, and you'll get to see me!

Andy Slater is an on-air radio host for 640AM Fox Sports in South Florida. You can listen to Andy's show this Saturday from 7pm-10pm on WFTL 640AM.

For more information on the show, check out www.theslatershow.com

Good afternoon everyone.

Andy Slater here... Sports Radio host for WFTL 640AM Fox Sports in South Florida.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Hall of Famer Frank Robinson over the weekend on the show.  After speaking with Frank (which you can listen to on my website, theslatershow.com,) he mentioned that he wouldn't mind coming back into the game as General Manager.

Currently, Frank Robinson is working in Bud Selig's office... which led me to ask him a question about Replay in baseball.  According to Frank, he "would have some input on it... if it became serious."  Is replay not coming to baseball anytime soon?

I'll be blogging from time to time on certain matters. You can always hear archives of interviews on the show's website.

Be sure to tune in also to 640AM Fox Sports in South Florida or on the net at www.wftlsports.com

For now,

Andy Slater saying see you later