Posted on 04/30/2012 5:41:51 PM PDT by Pharmboy
I have noticed this for a LONG time, but I have never asked about it, nor have I ever seen it discussed.
I am watching my Mets against Houston, and the Astros have a man on first. Sharp grounder to third, and Wright backhands it and throws to Murphy at second, and Murphy is AT LEAST 1.5 feet off the bag when he catches it, wheels and throws to first; BUT the ump calls the Astro OUT at second.
When did this start??
+1!
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Thanks — I was hoping someone would at least take note of the effort into which I placed the massive sarcasm toward the OP (or SP, I guess)..
:)
Just plain funny.
Post on....
I carry a scar on my ankle where I took a spike while completing a double play.
Nice to hear about your daughter, of course, I am sure that you are not one of those parents that ever yells at the umpire about his ever shrinking strike zone. :)
I actually wasn’t being sarcastic at all. What did we all learn growing up? A tie goes to the base runner, right? I would submit that there are many times when the base runner either beats the throw by a hair or arrives at the same instant as the throw and is called out at first. Only when the runner OBVIOUSLY beats the throw do they call him safe (and Don Denkinger even screwed THAT up).
Me? Yell at an Umpire?!
I may make “general comments” to other onlookers seated near me in my “naturally” loud voice.... ;) Occasionally...
I did once and only ONCE plop my lawn chair directly behind the Ump and sigh quite loudly a few times. It did actually work, but my daughter told me to MOVE!
I don’t have any permanent scars, ouch!
My fault. I read your post wrong. I thought you meant the first baseman didn’t have to be anywhere near the base and they’d call the runner out, like on second with the double play. My bad.
They instituted a very limited instant replay rule a couple of years ago. It essentially only applies to whether a ball went over the fence on a home run and was it fair or foul. A number of ball parks have a hard wall a couple of feet behind the outfield fence and when the balls barely clear the fence, they can bounce of the wall behind the outfield wall and back into the field of play. It was difficult to determine sometimes if the ball bounced of the outfieled wall or the wall behind it. After a couple of missed calls, MLB started the instant replay rule, but only in those limited situations.
Unless the relationship is direct rather than inverse, I don't know how that explains me.
≤}B^)
“Tell me who has to get lives again?”
The loser with nothing better to do than cause trouble on a thread totally irrelevant to said loser.
Rude and stupid...nice combination.
“They would have to wear armor to protect their shins. Everyone agrees that it’s better to let it slide, so to speak.”
Also eliminates knee injuries at second.
Having been both ripped with steel spikes at second (gave back as good as I got too) and had my knee blown out at the same base it is a very good way to protect the players.
In 1969 at Al Somers umpire school (taken over by Harry Wendlesteadt (SP) and I think now his son). we were taught to call it safe if they missed the bag.
I had the same point. It didn’t appear that that was the case in practice. Not as many re-runs payed as you see now with various camera angles and multiple play-backs.
Personally and with my partners in the minor leagues, we would call a missed base tag safe only if we were sure of it. Many close swipes went to the fielders.
When you’re inside the bases because there’s a runner on base its not always the easiest call . Most of the short stops go behind the base and will get a “close” call.
The injury thing is an issue also. But it wasn’t something to which I gave priority.
In umpire school we were told that the good players will touch the bag, but I think they all worry about the injury.
In professional sports, if both sides don’t want it called, it may not be called. Position is, if you call it that way for them, you have to call it that way for us. The umps learn what those calls are and I think they often do what the teams want.
Basketball is similar and many times more often. Also, it looks like stars get more slack than the average player.
Here’s a story. A new rookie pitcher was on the mound when Ted Williams came to the plate. They say Williams eye was so good he could read the label on the pitched ball as it came to the plate.
The pitcher threw one near the outside corner. Williams didn’t swing and the umpire said “Ball one.”
The next pitch was very close on the inside corner. Williams took the pitch and the ump said “Ball Two.”
The pitcher came down off the mound a little and said “looked like a strike.”
The ump took off the mask and went around to the front of the plate and said: “Son, Mr. Williams will let you know when it’s a strike.”
Can’t fault him that, excepting its inappropriate for such newbie (though God only knows what incarnation this is). But he clearly has no love for baseball, and that, along with Mom and apple pie, is an essential for any true conservative.
And yet you are here....
Now that’s respect! Lovin’ it! Haha.
Nicely played.
Yes, it does ... and it's as corrosive to honor and decency in sports as it is in the 'real' world.
Why aren’t you here? :)
I think it peaked somewhat with Michael Jordan, but when I see Kobe force his way through a defender to push off and get a shot and/or call, I know it’s still alive. Easy to spot in the NBA.
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