Death of the neighborhood

[PeteBooth]

I am surprised this Forum has not been "buzzing" with the play that happened in the Angels / Yanks series the other night at Yankee Stadium. here's a link for you to view.

The play cenetered around Angels F6 Eric Aybar who straddled second base on a routine play and the runner was ruled safe.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20091018&content_id=7486540&vkey=news_ana&fext=.jsp&c_id=ana

Baseball has now come full circle and for those traditionalists as they say in Brooklyn NY - FORGET ABOUT IT.

We had the lowering of the pitching mound.

Advent of the DH.

Smaller ball-parks

Inter-League play

All Star Game deciding HF advantage in the World Series

A tie game in the All Star game

Wild card teams

and NOW

THE DEATH OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD

REASON: SLO MO Replays have IMO ruined the game of baseball. The play in the link "back in the day" was an AUTOMATIC. Now it's changed.

CATCH 22: Perhaps in the not so distant future, some high priced F4/F6 will be lost for the season ON A ROUTINE PLAY where they are now "forced" to touch the base and therefore, risk injury. Now these saem people who said the call was correct (which by the rules of the game was) will say WHAT HAPPENED to the neighborhood - GO FIGURE.

Today umpires cannot win because of replay.

In Summary: Do you guys give the neighborhood and also the phantom tag. FWIW I do but then I am not on TV.

Pete Booth

[NovaScotiaBlue]

I don't think replay has brought and end to the neighbourhood play. In my mind the neighbourhood play will still be called if certain criteria are met. The call on the field is and always will be based on the actions of F6 or F4. MLB umpires will still give the infielder the neighbourhood if he is passing through. In other words if he drifts past the bag showing the umpire that he is attempting to touch the bag and at the same time avoid getting taken out. If this happens the right hand will come up. BUT in the play at Yankee stadium Aybar clearly did not make an effort to try and touch the bag. Replay or not nobody is going to get that call

[Mr Umpire]

I give the neighborhood play if it is within reason. I don't think the Aybar play is within reason. He was 6 inches from the base during the entire play. He has to have better feet work than that to get it.

I don't give the phantom tag. I think it is the timing of the play and b/c it happens so fast. I don't think about it. Either the runner gets tagged or the appearance of the tag. Such as the Jeter play. In a 2 man system, no BU is ever going to see that tag get missed.

But, I wouldn't give the neighborhood play for the Aybar play. He has to make it look like he touched the base or attempted to better than that. Drag his foot behind the base or something. The nose bleed section could tell he missed the base.

I don't think it is the death of it. I believe the umpires want more than what he did. Also, along with replay, you can thank Jeter and players like him for this kind of thing going away. I think that may have been in the umpires mind as well here. It was the Yankees after all. :WTF

[LMSANS]

:WTF...and don't forget...

the 8-game world series,

no all-star game,

one umpire wearing a suit and tie,

weekday day-time ball games,

regularly scheduled double headers,

no teams west of the Mississippi,

152-game season,

the press covering up ball player off-field behavior,

no free agnecy...

The game has evolved, and will continue to evolve or die.

A player does not even make an attempt to touch a base and you want to give him an out? I don't think that play would have been an out 30 years ago either, because it was such an obvious avoidance. He had more than enough time to at least pass his foot over the bag or slide it next to the bag on his throw.

Where is the neighborhood? 3 inches? 6 inches? over the bag? Behind the bag? I don't know where the neighborhood starts or ends, that's why I don't call it.

[jjb]

Look at Aybar's earlier DP's, and then look at the play in question. In the earlier plays, he receives the ball on the way to the base, and then tags it as he slides by. Now look at this play: he gets there too early, and has to wait for the throw. Once he gets the ball, instead of doing the Ali Shuffle trying to find the bag, he keeps his feet planted, makes the throw to first, and then bitches because he didn't get the call...

..the problem wasn't Jerry's, it was Aybars.

[Umpire in Chief]

I don't think replay has brought and end to the neighbourhood play. In my mind the neighbourhood play will still be called if certain criteria are met. The call on the field is and always will be based on the actions of F6 or F4. MLB umpires will still give the infielder the neighbourhood if he is passing through. In other words if he drifts past the bag showing the umpire that he is attempting to touch the bag and at the same time avoid getting taken out. If this happens the right hand will come up. BUT in the play at Yankee stadium Aybar clearly did not make an effort to try and touch the bag. Replay or not nobody is going to get that call

Agreed

[SNIPERBBB]

They've brought instant replay into NFHS basketball now too. Its creeping into everything.

Personally, if a middle infielder gets hurt, its usually due to either the receiver of the throw or the thrower that messed up. As a player, the times that I have been hit at second or have hit as a runner going in to second someone did something stupid or delayed getting the ball out of the glove.

I may give the defense the benefit of the doubt but never will they get away with something obvious.

[kcfan102]

I don't understand why people cry bloody murder over a pulled foot at first, but the neighborhood play is acceptable.

Look at the video at 0:42. Milky still gets his head under Aybar's crotch. Moving his foot 6 or 7 inches TO THE BAG isn't going to save him from contact. I don't think it's a matter of safety. It's apart of being a short stop in my opinion. So safety isn't the issue.

I'm left handed and thus never played the middle positions. I don't quite understand why this is even an issue?

That being said, I don't give the neighborhood rule. If the first basemen doesn't get it, nobody else will.

My $0.02

[carolinablue]

I played a little F6 and F4 in HS and was taught not to concentrate so much on the bag because " The umpire will give it to you if your in the neighborhood". I was the benificiary of it many times and now that is why, if for nothing else, I will give it. I guess you can call it Old School . They have to make it look good though, the play in question is something completely different. No way I am giving that to him. Good call.

Also, when you talk about a phantom tag, is that refering to a tag of a base or a tag of a sliding runner ? Honestly, I will give a phantom tag of a runner as long as the ball clearly beat the runner and it is not a severe miss. If it's a banger, I call what I see, right or wrong.

Edited October 21, 2009 by carolinablue

[Don]

Also, when you talk about a phantom tag, is that refering to a tag of a base or a tag of a sliding runner ? Honestly, I will give a phantom tag of a runner as long as the ball clearly beat the runner and it is not a severe miss. If it's a banger, I call what I see, right or wrong.

Yes, phantom tag is when the ball beats the runner, fielder puts the glove down for the tag, but does not make it, but it is the expected call by everyone who is not 15' from the bag with a better view.

[kcfan102]

Aww ya see that, to me, is the best par about being an umpire. Being in position and seeing something that everybody in the park can't see. Then carrying that little smirk back to your position knowing that everybody hates you because you got the call right.

...but that's just me