I don't know about any other White Sox fans out there, but I'm getting sick of hearing this guy Chicago Sports Reporter Mariotti trash them any chance he gets. What is it with him?
Through the years this sort of thing has happened in all sports. The NE Pats were handed the conference championship a few years ago because a Brady fumble was called a forward pass. In the end it all evens out and this kind of story is a waste of news print.
Question: "When a batter advances to first base on an third strike where the ball is not cleanly caught by the catcher, did the batter 'strike out' or 'strike safe'?
Did the ump make an out sign with his arm? That's what he seemed to do. That is what the fielders saw and walked off the field. Verbal decisions are needed so everyone can hear - enough of the umpire motion performance horsesh't.
Also, how many men did the Angels leave on base? Bellyaching about officials' calls as the reason for a loss is juvenile.
This guy writes like he's afraid of losing a bundle on this series.
I used to think there was a definitive answer to all umpire rulings. Was it a catch or wasn't it?
What I came to realize over time was that there will always be times when players make mistakes, and there will always be times when umpires make mistakes. It's all part of the game.
Humans fail. It's the hardest part of the game to come to terms with. There are times when you'll feel that you or your team were robbed. At times you'll be right, recognizing that at times the team you're playing will also be robbed.
Sports are a good place to develop character. As in all walks of life, things will sometimes not be fair. Understanding this and dealing with it builds character, and that's not only the hardest play to make in sports, it's the hardest play to make in life.
You can't take the human error factor our of your teams play. As I've grown older, I have come to the point that I don't think you should attempt to remove the human factor from the officiating either.
I'm sure I'll get a lot of flack for holding this view. There are certainly reasons to disagree.
On a somewhat related note, the day MLB institutes instant-reply will be the day I forswear baseball forever.
24 hours of replays? Is this guy nuts. I did not watch the game and saw one replay, rewound about 3 or 4 times on the news the next day. Not having a dog in this fight is nice. I can watch a video with an unbiased eye.
Point 1. The ball hit the dirt and the ricochet into the glove was quite obvious and dramatic. The catcher screwed up.
Point 2. The umpire screwed up by trying to justify his arm motions. Most umpires do the little, point the finger, clench the fist and then the arm pull thingy when the third strike is called. Who cares what your style is? The Umps have gotten so slack in their motions that the crowd can't tell half the time whether they called a ball or a strike until the announcer says what the count is. And, by the way... when did the officiating crews start holding press conferences? WTF is that all about?!
Some questions:
Just how does a team get away with calling themselves the "Angels" in the Peoples Republic of California?
Why do Angels fans sound so much like Algore in 2000?
Isn't it refreshing to have something (the dropped ball) exciting to break up the boredom of professional baseball?
Would they even consider slowing down that game more with instant replay?
And here I thought the only problem with Baseball was that Arrested Development won't be on again until it is over.
Doug Eddings says he needs to work on his mechanics. Yeah, maybe in Single A ball somewhere, but not the ALCS.
Whichever Molina is catching tonight should throw down to first base after every K just to make a point.
As if bad or controvertial calls just started a few days ago. The worst!
The Anaheim Angels are going down anyhow. F-ck them and their whiny fans. ;-)
If there is any doubt on the call, the catcher should tag the runner. I have seen it done 100 times by catchers on balls anywhere close to the dirt, and that one was close. I am not huge fan of the drop third strike rule anyways. If anything, this illustrates what a poor rule it is.