ALCS - Game 5

[Mr Umpire]

I noticed there is no talk about game 5. Only 1 missed call and no one is complaining now. Since so much focus has been on the umpires, did anyone notice all of the mistakes the players/managers made. Can anyone point those out?

I am not defending the umpires and their mistakes. They made them and need to own up to them. But, I have a question of how many noticed the mental errors of positioning, pitch selection, and running the players made?

McClelland screwed up, mentally and physically. We know that. Cuzzi and Bucknor screwed up as well. All of this focus on the umpires, did anyone notice the mental mistakes made by Hunter and Molina when Hunter was on 3B and Guerrerro hit the ball to Jeter.

First, Hunter went on that. No chance to make HP. Any descent runner should have been able to read that and know. He did stay in the run down long enough to get Guerrerro to 2B.

Second, Molina did not continue in the run down after he gave the ball to ARod and threw it too early to ARod. He stopped in the infield grass and became a spectator when he should have gotten in line on the 3B end when he threw the ball to ARod.

Did anyone (even here) notice that or were they too focused on the call of Damon at 1B? Which, to me, is a tough call since the angle would be tough and the umpire can't listen for the pop on that toss. Tough call to make at regular speed.

And, the fact that Mathis can't lay down a bunt.

So much is put on the umpires, no one is noticing how poor the play is as well. Or, no one knows what to look for to know the play is just as poor. I wonder which it is.

[Umpire in Chief]

:crazy:

Simple because umpires and all officials have been made the villain, even when we're right we're wrong. Add to that as umpires we're generally unknown, but when Cox, Torre, Socia, Pinella et all come out they are "The Manager" they had well known careers and must certainly know their stuff better than some guy whose name they could care less about.

Then you have He-who-shall-not-be-named, Morgan, and other announcers that the great unwashed fan who doesn't know that these guys don't know their a$$ from their elbow, but they liked He-who-shall-not-be-named or Morgan or you fill in the blank and they played for a long time and sound like they know what they're talking about, so that umpire guy just doesn't know what he's talking about. After all the announcer works for Fox or ESPN or TBS so they must know what they're talking about. That's where they have learned their favorite rules like tie goes to the runner, hands are part of the bat or they have to pause for one Mississippi and are the source of all that fans vast baseball knowledge.

And you know these incredible baseball fanatics who think they can dazzle you with their great statistical knowledge which came straight from that void which is surrounded by their sphincter. But are the first to scream, "Oh, hes out he ran out of the baseline!" or something equally rediculous when something happens against their team, but it's a different story when it's another team. And these are the morons who become your local daddy-coach.

The media has been too quick to bury the umps for their mistakes but not so quick to mention how the heck you get bases loaded with no outs and not score a single run? That must be the umps fault too. And has it been said that in game 4 of the ALCS that while the umps had it rough the score was a blow out and no matter how bad the umps were it was still a blow out where the umps really didn't make a difference.

The umpires are a common enemy which both Red Sox and Yankee fans can agree to blame without swallowing their pride and saying their team just didn't get it done.

B)

I feel much better now.

[Mr Umpire]

Well, I will say this. Cal Ripken, Jr. did say one thing I'll agree with. No one knows if the calls affect blow out games. I understand that mathematically it didn't.

But, picture this and it is always "What if's". What if Cuzzi calls that ball fair? Who knows what that would have sparked? What if McClelland calls Posada and Cano out? Who knows what kind of motivation that might have caused?

So, I will agree that so many other mistakes were made to cause a 10-1 ball game. But, those may not have happened if the calls went the other way. I am not bashing the umpires but who knows what could have happened.

Still, there is no excuse for McDumba$$'s ignorance of the rules.

Also, can anyone explain to me what "taking the sting out of the ball" means? McDumba$$ said "Usually, the catchers and pitchers take the sting out of the ball. Molina and Burnett are not taking the sting out of the ball." What does that mean? How do you take the "sting out of the ball"?

[Aging_Arbiter]

Simple because umpires and all officials have been made the villain, even when we're right we're wrong. Add to that as umpires we're generally unknown, but when Cox, Torre, Socia, Pinella et all come out they are "The Manager" they had well known careers and must certainly know their stuff better than some guy whose name they could care less about.

Then you have He-who-shall-not-be-named, Morgan, and other announcers that the great unwashed fan who doesn't know that these guys don't know their a$$ from their elbow, but they liked He-who-shall-not-be-named or Morgan or you fill in the blank and they played for a long time and sound like they know what they're talking about, so that umpire guy just doesn't know what he's talking about. After all the announcer works for Fox or ESPN or TBS so they must know what they're talking about. That's where they have learned their favorite rules like tie goes to the runner, hands are part of the bat or they have to pause for one Mississippi and are the source of all that fans vast baseball knowledge.

And you know these incredible baseball fanatics who think they can dazzle you with their great statistical knowledge which came straight from that void which is surrounded by their sphincter. But are the first to scream, "Oh, hes out he ran out of the baseline!" or something equally rediculous when something happens against their team, but it's a different story when it's another team. And these are the morons who become your local daddy-coach.

The media has been too quick to bury the umps for their mistakes but not so quick to mention how the heck you get bases loaded with no outs and not score a single run? That must be the umps fault too. And has it been said that in game 4 of the ALCS that while the umps had it rough the score was a blow out and no matter how bad the umps were it was still a blow out where the umps really didn't make a difference.

The umpires are a common enemy which both Red Sox and Yankee fans can agree to blame without swallowing their pride and saying their team just didn't get it done.

I feel much better now.

A perfect example of why retired umpires should do color commentary. Of course they woule need someone sitting next to the with the little "bleep" edit button.:banghead:

Edited October 25, 2009 by Aging_Arbiter
edited to add 100th post icon

[Umpire in Chief]

They can hire me. I can keep control of my tongue. Now they might need to hire somebody to physically prevent me from beating He-who-shall-not-be-named.

[DirtyDawg]

Also' date=' can anyone explain to me what "taking the sting out of the ball" means? McDumba$$ said "Usually, the catchers and pitchers take the sting out of the ball. Molina and Burnett are not taking the sting out of the ball." What does that mean? How do you take the "sting out of the ball"?[/quote']

I would need more to go with this to be sure, but usually when they speak of a catcher "taking the sting out of the ball" they are referring to him pulling his catch back towards him softening his catch. To get a better idea, I would have to see what plays are being referred to, though.

[Mr Umpire]

I would need more to go with this to be sure, but usually when they speak of a catcher "taking the sting out of the ball" they are referring to him pulling his catch back towards him softening his catch. To get a better idea, I would have to see what plays are being referred to, though.

He was talking about it as the Angels were lighting Burnett up and knocking him to the fence. I don't think it had anything to do with actual catching. I think he was just spouting something off b/c it sounded good to him at the time. I honestly don't think it had anything to do with the game of baseball at all.

[DirtyDawg]

No telling, unless he was throwing a lot of fastballs. The harder they come in, with everything else being kept equal, the further they will fly.

[mstaylor]

They can hire me. I can keep control of my tongue. Now they might need to hire somebody to physically prevent me from beating He-who-shall-not-be-named.

At one time they had a MLB umpire supervisor in the truck explaining rules, Steve Palermo I think, but they stopped, maybe because he couldn't explain fast enough because he was laughing too hard from hearing the stupid things coming from the booth.