Selig staying the course
Bad calls won’t broaden replay
NEW YORK - The spate of umpiring mistakes in the postseason apparently has not convinced baseball commissioner Bud Selig that instant replay should be expanded beyond determining home runs.
“I think my position has been clear,’’ Selig said before the Yankees’ 3-1 victory in Game 2 of the World Series last night. “This is a game of pace, we’ve worried a lot about that. I’ve spent a lot of time talking to people about it.
“I understand we had some incidents that were most unfortunate. They were controversial and beyond controversial. There’s no sense in hiding that. I don’t miss a pitch and I understand all these things.
“I think there are other ways we can make corrections. During the offseason we’ll deal with all these things.’’
There was another controversial play last night, a low line to Philadelphia first baseman Ryan Howard in the seventh inning that was ruled a double play after the umpires convened. Replays showed Howard may have trapped the ball.
Selig said the performance of the umpires would be reviewed after the season. But his initial reaction is not to increase the use of replay.
“I don’t want to take it lightly,’’ he said. “I take it very, very more seriously than anybody you know. But there will be a time and place to think about all this.
“I don’t think anybody has engineered more change over the last 17 years than I have. I’m not afraid of change. But you have to be very careful when you tamper with this sport.’’
Selig also defended the idea of playing World Series games in November, saying there was little choice but to start the regular season later in April because of the World Baseball Classic.
“These things are very complicated,’’ Selig said. “There’s no easy solution.’’
Selig had no comment on the contentious divorce of Dodgers owner Frank McCourt and wife Jamie, a case that could affect control of the team. But he did voice support of Mark McGwire being named hitting coach of the Cardinals.
McGwire has been out of baseball since retiring 2001, and when speaking before Congress in 2005, he refused to comment on whether he used steroids. Selig said he spoke with Cardinals management and manager Tony La Russa about McGwire’s return.
“I know how badly the Cardinals wanted to do it,’’ Selig said.
Johnny Damon, who has switched sides in the rivalry, remembered being a conscientious objector that day, as he was still recovering from a concussion suffered when he collided with teammate Damian Jackson during the Division Series against Oakland.
“I had to try to be as careful as I could. I was still out of it,’’ Damon said.
“So I was just trying to make sure if there was something going on, I would try to help prevent something because there was no way I was ready to get into headlocks with guys.’’
Then Damon smiled.
“But now,’’ he said. “Who knows?’’
Amalie Benjamin of the Globe staff contributed to this report. 
