Oh, happy day! Bud Selig has seen the light and "evolved" his opinion on instant replay thanks in no small part to recent rash of inconceivably stupid blown calls that the likes of Angel Hernandez and Fieldin Culbreth have subjected us to in recent weeks. The end result is that the ol' used car salesman is might be ready to relent and allow the expanded use of instant replay in time for the 2014 season. Of course, in Bud's infinite wisdom, he hasn't yet figured out exactly how that replay will work. This despite the fact that MLB has supposedly been "studying" the use of expanded replay for most of this century.

Since Selig and his appointed acolyte Joe Torre are stuck hemming and hawing over just how to implement this new system, we've taken it upon ourselves to lay out a plan that should be palatable to coaches, players and fans alike.

What should be reviewed?

First things first, MLB needs to determine which kind of plays are even eligible for review. Baseball is such a crazy game of inches that one could easily micromanage the bahjeezus out of instant replay to the point that there are a dozen replay situations per game. There is also the so called "human element" that the league seems to be quite intent on protecting out of some bizarre sense of nostalgia. As such, anything that is even remotely a judgment call should be considered off limits lest we want instant replay to rankle the traditionalists more than it already does.

That's a good thing because it really narrows down the potential replay opportunities. Home run boundary calls are already replay eligible, so it seems like a logical next step to include fair-foul boundary calls. Those kind of calls get blown with some regularity but mostly because umpires just can't be in a good position to make a proper call. This shouldn't upset anyone.

Similarly, the catch/trap call seems like it falls into the same bucket of umpires getting the call wrong because of their lack of vantage point. Cleaning those up should be easy and also shouldn't be too offensive to the "human element."

Where things get tricky is considering safe/out calls at bases. Somehow these have been designated as judgment calls even though there really isn't much ambiguity when you have the benefit of a high definition, slow-mo video replay at your disposal. But umpires get these calls wrong all the time, so they have declared them to be judgment calls if only to get people off their backs. Alas, there can be several close plays at a base every single game which creates a real threat of replay slowing games down. An effective compromise then would be to limit replay to plays at home since there is a much more at stake for such a call than on a bang-bang play at first base in the top of the ninth with the road team trailing by seven runs. This would be very similar to the NFL system where they place increased replay scrutiny on plays in the end zone.

That should be all there is. Boundary calls, trap calls and plays at the plate. None of this BS that the NFL has where nobody really knows if a certain kind of play in a certain part of the field is reviewable or not that results in a lot of coaches screaming at befuddled referees. And there definitely won't be any special rules based on the inning of the game. The last thing MLB wants to do is replicate the NBA model where every third play inside the final two minutes of the game results in a stoppage for video review.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. - Baseball fans normally don’t see a pitcher embrace a hitter who has just taken him deep. Fans also don’t expect a birthday cake to be delivered to a player in the middle of a game. And most games don’t feature introductions where the participants emerge from cornstalks in the outfield.

The Pepsi MAX Field of Dreams Game is no typical baseball game.

The exhibition, featuring some of the greatest players in Major League Baseball history, allows former players a rare opportunity to relive the glory on the baseball diamond while providing a once-in-a-lifetime chance for baseball fans to take the field with all-time greats. On May 18, over 13,000 baseball fans filled Frontier Field in Rochester, N.Y. for the second annual game featuring Reggie Jackson, Rickey Henderson, Pedro Martinez, Wade Boggs, Frank Thomas, Ozzie Smith, Trevor Hoffman, Mike Schmidt, Fred McGriff and Johnny Bench.

Let's just get the bad pun out of the way from the start. The San Francisco Giants caught a bad break on Monday night in their game against the Washington Nationals. 

Though the Giants did shut out the Nats, 8-0, to snap a three-game losing streak, the defending World Series champions lost starting pitcher Ryan Vogelsong with a broken finger. Vogelsong was hit on the right pinkie finger while swinging at a pitch from Craig Stammen, suffering two fractures and a dislocated knuckle in the finger. 

CSN Bay Area's Joe Stiglich reported that the initial diagnosis is for Vogelsong to be out for four to six weeks, but Giants manager Bruce Bochy said the team will have a more definite timetable after Vogelsong has surgery to place pins in the finger. (Vogelsong's wife tweeted that he would be sidelined for six weeks. But factor in rehabilitation and Vogelsong having to build his arm strength back up and it could be a longer time frame.) 

Even more frustrating for Vogelsong is that he was pitching his best game in what's been a rough season for him thus far. Vogelsong threw five scoreless innings and gave up only three hits before getting his pinkie finger crushed.

Coming into Monday's start, he'd allowed nine earned runs and 13 hits in just 6.1 innings during his past two starts. Vogelsong had given up four runs or more in six of his nine appearances this year, looking nothing like the pitcher who had emerged from mediocrity and obscurity to become one of the Giants' top three starting pitchers over the last two seasons.

It's still too early to tell just how much damage was done by the massive tornado that hit the Oklahoma City area Monday, but it's clear the rebuilding costs are going to be astronomical.

The Dodgers' Matt Kemp is from the OKC suburb of Midwest City, just a few miles from the city of Moore, the suburb devastated by the tornado. After homering in LA's win over Milwaukee last night, Kemp tweeted that he was donating $1000 to victims of the tornado for that homer and every one he hits until the All-Star break.

Kemp has been mired in a season-long power slump at the plate following offseason shoulder surgery. He didn't hit his first home run of the season until the 20th game of the season, and his blast off Yovani Gallardo last night snapped a 97-plate appearance homerless streak. The Dodgers as a whole have struggled to hit for much power this season -- Carl Crawford leads the team with 5 home runs, with two coming in the same game almost a month ago.

However many home runs Kemp ends up hitting between now and July, it's still a generous gesture -- something that's not unusual for him. Kemp is not the only Oklahoman in baseball looking to raise money, either -- Arizona prospect Archie Bradley tweeted he will be auctioning off game-used items on eBay.

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Back in January, we brought you the story of the independent league Florence Freedom, who would be giving away Lennay Kekua bobblehead dolls for a game in May. Well, that day has arrived, and courtesy of our friends at Larry Brown Sports via Darren Rovell, we've now seen what the doll looks like.

Well...we've seen what the box looks like. Since Kekua didn't exist outside of Te'o's imagination, the box is empty, though it still advertises it as a Kekua bobblehead doll. It'll be free to the first 1000 fans attending the Freedom's game on Thursday.

[Larry Brown Sports]

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If this isn't rock bottom for the new and improved Washington Nationals, it has to be close. Washington got pounded 8-0 on Monday in a game started by Zach Duke, thanks to the shockingly effective Ross Detwiler missing his start thanks to an oblique injury. Washington is now just a game above .500, 3.5 games out in the NL East, and they also have a -25 run differential, which is worse than more than half of the teams in the National League. The Nationals' schedule won't be getting any easier either, as after they leave San Francisco on Wednesday, they face the Phillies for three (who always play the Nationals tough), the Orioles for four, and the Braves for three in Atlanta. The Braves really have a chance to put some distance between the two teams over the next two weeks.

PIC OF THE DAY

Coco Crisp welcomes Jurickson Profar to the majors...hopefully for good, this time. (Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports)

Game of the Day: Indians 10, Mariners 8 (ten innings). It doesn't get much better than this, unless you're a self-loathing Mariners fan. Trailing 6-5 going into the eighth inning, Kyle Seager tied the game at six with a solo homer off of Vinnie Pestano. In the ninth, Seattle took a 7-6 lead when Endy Chavez (yes, THAT Endy Chavez) hit a solo homer of his own off of Chris Perez. Cleveland proceeded to tie the game in the ninth when Tom Wilhelmsen mishandled a throw from Justin Smoak on what would have been the final out of the game. In the tenth, Seattle once again jumped out to a lead after Smoak homered. But in the bottom of the inning, Michael Brantley singled, Drew Stubbs attempted to bunt him over and reached safely on a Smoak error, and Yan Gomes hit a walkoff, three-run homer to left to end the game, and break the Mariners' hearts once again. But it's OK Mariners fans, Root Sports proclaimed you the winners.

The Phillies beat the Reds 3-2 on Sunday in walkoff fashion after Erik Kratz and Freddy Galvis hit solo homers off of Cincinnati flamethrowing closer Aroldis Chapman in the ninth inning. The Cuban lefty's fastball velocity was slightly down (but not enough for people to get worried about an injury) during the 14-pitch outing and Phililes Spanish broadcaster Rickie Ricardo thinks he knows why...Cuban pastries. Seriously. This anecdote from CBS Philly has blown my mind.

“Aroldis Chapman, since he arrived in the U.S. and on a major league team, he has become a friend of mine, and as I do for many Cuban players they always ask me—there is a little Cuban bakery up near where I live in the Cuban strong hold of Union City, New Jersey,” Ricardo told Angelo Cataldi and the 94WIP Morning Show on Monday. “They cook this little Cuban pastry, which is a flaky-crust pasty with cream cheese and guava and it’s baked, and it’s absolutely delicious. Now, if you eat more than two of these you’re clogging up your arteries—you’re a stroke waiting to happen! Well, Chapman asked me on Friday night after the game to stop by the bakery and pick up a box of 50. For example, Livan Hernandez, guys like that—even Chooch, guys on our team, they’ll put 10-15 of these things away with a couple of glasses of milk. It’s equivalent of the Krispy Kreme donuts when they come right out of the oven, it’s that kind of a thing.”

“Could you imagine cream cheese and guava on a baked pastry? Well Chapman asked me for a box of 100, two boxes of 50. When I saw him on Sunday morning before the game, he was in the club house, he had just eaten about 18 of them. He couldn’t breathe! I looked at my partner, I said, ‘he’s ripe for the taking today.”

Moral of the story: don't binge eat before games. The outing on Sunday was the lone appearance for Chapman in the series, but he also blew the save (and eventually got the win) on Thursday in Miami during a game the Reds would later win 5-3. I just have to question the choice by Chapman to indulge himself on pastries (as good as they may be) before a Sunday day game.

[CBS Philly]

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The long-powerful bullpen of the Atlanta Braves is undergoing a huge overhaul six weeks into the 2013 season.

First, Jonny Venters had Tommy John surgery, ending his season.

Next, newly-acquired Jordan Walden was placed on the DL with an inflamed shoulder.

Finally, this weekend, Eric O'Flaherty was placed on the DL with a torn UCL, and will more than likely need Tommy John surgery as well.

When you put everything in a nice little package with a bow on it, the Braves are missing four of their top five relievers (in terms of innings pitched) from a year ago. Along with Venters and O'Flaherty, Chad Durbin joined the Phillies as a free agent this winter (though that is more an addition by subtraction move), and Cristhian Martinez was placed on the DL during the season's first week with a strained shoulder. Throw in Kris Medlen's transition to the rotation last year after 54 1/3 relief innings in 2012, and the only current Atlanta relievers with at least 20 innings last season are Kimbrel, Luis Avilan, and Cory Gearrin.

When Jean Segura was traded as part of a package to land Zack Greinke last season, fans of both sides seemed to be pleased with the deal.  Angels fans were excited over the prospect of having Weaver and Greinke in the same rotation and Brewers fans liked the idea that they had found a possible long-term solution at shortstop.  That’s when everything went right for the Brewers, and everything seemingly went wrong for the Angels.

The Angels had just recently signed Erick Aybar to an extension and were unwilling to gamble on Segura as their future shortstop.  They had however gambled on Greinke’s willingness to sign a long-term deal with the Angels, which never came to fruition and culminated in him signing with their cross-town rivals the Dodgers.  Meanwhile, Segura continued to grow as a player in his stint in the major leagues last season and during winter ball.  Now, Segura is proving to be one of the most dynamic players in the game. 

I recently spoke with a representative of the Dodgers organization who explained the folly in trading Jean Segura and how it will serve as notice to other teams with high profile shortstop prospects.  This story actually begins with another shortstop named Alcides Escobar, currently with the Kansas City Royals.  Escobar came up as a shortstop in the Brewers organization, and much like Segura, was part of a package to bring in Zack Greinke.  The Brewers didn’t necessarily regret this decision, however, they were not able to envision Escobar making the adjustments he’s made and becoming a potential .300 hitting, Gold Glove caliber shortstop that swipes 30 bases as he’s done with the Royals.  In the same respect, the Angels failed to properly evaluate Jean Segura.

Felix Hernandez vs Justin Masterson. Man, when you heard about that pitching matchup yesterday, I'm sure you all figured that while both pitchers would do well, Hernandez would stand head and shoulders above Masterson...right? Well, not so much. Masterson shut out the Mariners in Cleveland's 6-0 win, and Hernandez's day was done after just five innings and six runs (five earned). Masterson didn't just have the best game of anyone in Cleveland yesterday, he had the best pitching performance out of *anyone* in the game...but we'll get to that a bit later.

PIC OF THE DAY

Mets center fielder Juan Lagares tries (and fails) to make a diving catch at Wrigley. (David Banks-USA TODAY Sports)

Game of the Day: Phillies 3, Reds 2. The ending of this game wa bizarre. The Phillies picked up a run in the eighth off of Jonathan Broxton (who absolutely, postiively cannot pitch in Philadelphia anymore), and Aroldis Chapman came in to close the game out in the ninth. Chapman walked pinch hitter Delmon Young to lead the inning off, and Charlie Manuel pinch ran with Cliff Lee. Of course, Chapman managed to pick Lee off, much to the chagrin of Phillies fans. After taking a pitch, Erik Kratz blasted a game-tying homer to left field (which would have been a game-winner had Lee not been picked off). But Lee's baserunning blunder was wiped out when Freddy Galvis followed Kratz's homer with one of his own off of Chapman, giving the Phillies a big series win over Cincinnati.