Comments on: Some Run Scoring Plays Ending Long Games Since 2007

By: Cabriael

Cabriael — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 06:55:19 +0000

Joe Torre bleated that people should accept the 'human factor' and (just shut up). Well, he might have forgotten due to his age, but I never forgot what happened during the playoff game between Yankees and Orioles. Ever since then, Orioles suck. It's only fitting that such senile comment would come out from someone who benefited enormously from bad calls, and it shows that the opinion of Joe Torre and his generation is simply 'off-sync' to today's reality. Joe's time has passed. When Bud Selig and his coterie retire, instant replay will come in and all these wrongs will be partially righted. People who don't like them can start their own league. Whether they like it or not, umpires are obsolete and they will be going the way of buggy whips.

By: mccombe35

mccombe35 — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 00:52:32 +0000

Somewhere, Harold Baines was hoping you went back a few more years. (or decades)

By: Fireworks

Fireworks — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 23:39:32 +0000

I didn't think Meals' call was that bad and I thought his explanation was sound.

That said, the game ending on that was terrible.

As for the games above, that NYY-BOS game was sexcellent. Watched that one from start to finish (at home, of course), and I knew that no matter which team won it was going to be an instant classic. That isn't how you want to make your MLB debut, pitching in a tense August game for the Sox in New Yankee Stadium, in extras, in a scoreless game, and then having Alex Rodriguez put a fastball into orbit for the walk-off.

By: Cabriael

Cabriael — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 23:36:22 +0000

>unfortunately, it's going to take a bad call in the playoffs for baseball to make a change. it doesn't make any sense for them to drag their feet on this.

Don't you know what happened to Denkinger?

The day after he awarded the game 6 of the world series to the Royals, he was the home umpire!

Only an umpire carried away in a gurney, preferably with his face covered with a white sheet, will change things.

By: Cabriael

Cabriael — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 20:35:52 +0000

>Meals knew on some level that he was struggling (as anyone is wont to do from time to time), was stuck for much longer than normal trying to deal with it, and subconsciouly found a way to get the hell out of the situation.

And I hope he will get the hell out from a ball park (and out of a job) for good.

By: nightfly

nightfly — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 19:26:36 +0000

Ken - I'm with you, having refereed hockey as well, and the faster the pace, the easier it is to miss something. In fact, last night I was playing (not reffing) and ran face-first into the difference between honest mistakes and willful indifference to the job, and it was infuriating.

Waking up this morning and hearing about the call on this play was like cosmic kismet - it's almost like Meals knew on some level that he was struggling (as anyone is wont to do from time to time), was stuck for much longer than normal trying to deal with it, and subconsciouly found a way to get the hell out of the situation.

By: Jacob

Jacob — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 18:50:04 +0000

@13
That wasn't the first smelly call of the night by that umpire. And the smelliness worked against both teams.

By: eorns

eorns — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 18:40:24 +0000

It's interesting that the guys who got the run in with the bases loaded and nobody out only got 0.06 WPA. That must be the smallest reward for a game-winning PA!

By: ken

ken — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 17:43:26 +0000

I can forgive any honest mistake, even Jim Joyce's, because I've refereed hockey games and umpired baseball games, and I can't even imagine how difficult it must be to officiate at the major-league level. I'd never get angry over a bang-bang play where only a TV going frame-by-frame shows the umpire "blew" the call. That said, there sure was something smelly about last night's call. Very smelly.

By: Kahuna Tuna

Kahuna Tuna — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 17:32:25 +0000

So this was the third 19-inning game this year. When was the last time that happened? If you're okay with including games that went longer than 19 innings, the last time was 1973: Indians-White Sox, 5/26/73 (21 innings) Braves-Phillies, 5/4/73 (20 innings) Mets-Dodgers, 5/24/73 (19 innings)