1) Watch this video.
2) Tell me what you see.
If you saw the same thing I saw, you saw a) a short hop to Ryan Howard, b) no stepping on first base, and c) a throw wide of second base.
In theory, the Yankees should have bases loaded, one out, with Mark Teixeira at bat.
Instead, the play was ruled a double play--that Howard caught the ball and tagged the runner--and instead of being able to expand their lead and perhaps momentarily avoid using Mariano Rivera, the Yankees had to call on their 39 year-old closer for a 39 pitch save.
I was seated in the right field grandstand last night (check the photos from the post below), and, with Howard's back to me, I knew it was a blown call.
How did I know? If it really was a double play, Howard had utterly no reason to throw to second base.
It seems, that with every round there' yet another botched call, and each one increasing in severity after the last.
It has now gotten to the point where every play, even ones that should be utterly routine, have become the subject of much dissection.
Umpiring along with journalism has one single, cardinal rule: never become the story.
Alas, in the 2009 postseason, the umpires have.
Original Story:
http://www.puristbleedspinstripes.com...
2) Tell me what you see.
If you saw the same thing I saw, you saw a) a short hop to Ryan Howard, b) no stepping on first base, and c) a throw wide of second base.
In theory, the Yankees should have bases loaded, one out, with Mark Teixeira at bat.
Instead, the play was ruled a double play--that Howard caught the ball and tagged the runner--and instead of being able to expand their lead and perhaps momentarily avoid using Mariano Rivera, the Yankees had to call on their 39 year-old closer for a 39 pitch save.
I was seated in the right field grandstand last night (check the photos from the post below), and, with Howard's back to me, I knew it was a blown call.
How did I know? If it really was a double play, Howard had utterly no reason to throw to second base.
It seems, that with every round there' yet another botched call, and each one increasing in severity after the last.
It has now gotten to the point where every play, even ones that should be utterly routine, have become the subject of much dissection.
Umpiring along with journalism has one single, cardinal rule: never become the story.
Alas, in the 2009 postseason, the umpires have.
Original Story:
http://www.puristbleedspinstripes.com...
