Umpires playing roles in the outcome of baseball games

[thee sox]

you have to be crazy if you think that ball hit the ground..i mean come on, it was low, but it was clearly caught...and i guess you didn't watch posenick or whatever his name is get picked off at first by shields and then get thrown out stealing by molina...true the white sox had great pitching in that series but the angels got shaften, bad

The ball hit the ground, explain how it defies gravity and moves upward? Is it a magical floating ball or what?

Podsednik was picked off, but the umpire is in no position to make that call. If the tag came in higher, instead of behind Podsednik on his thigh, he would have been called out. No one can say they could make a better call in either opportunity.

And neither of these calls affected the ending of the game until THE ANGELS SCREWED UP. If the tying and winning run came in on AJ's play, then I guess there could be controversy, but you have endure umpire's mistakes, they're going to happen. The Sox had their fair share all year, including this series. Rowand looked safe to me in Game 2...and if he's called safe at home, the game is over before the bottom of the ninth even comes around. Sounds like bitterness to me...

[Manny Goes Boom]

The ball hit the ground, explain how it defies gravity and moves upward? Is it a magical floating ball or what?

Podsednik was picked off, but the umpire is in no position to make that call. If the tag came in higher, instead of behind Podsednik on his thigh, he would have been called out. No one can say they could make a better call in either opportunity.

And neither of these calls affected the ending of the game until THE ANGELS SCREWED UP. If the tying and winning run came in on AJ's play, then I guess there could be controversy, but you have endure umpire's mistakes, they're going to happen. The Sox had their fair share all year, including this series. Rowand looked safe to me in Game 2...and if he's called safe at home, the game is over before the bottom of the ninth even comes around. Sounds like bitterness to me...

Look regardless of the catch, I was more concerned with the call itself. If he thought Paul did not catch the ball and he apparantely did he should have SAID something. But that call led to the Angels screwing up, no call=no screw up. But regardless, the Angels only won one game ANYWAY, so if they lost in say 7 I think it would be more controversial and people would still be red hot about this. I think that people are calming down, especially after the 4 straight performances by the White Sox pitchers.

Not bitterness, chill out bro people only want the calls to be right, thats all. And have some humility, if that ump said anything and Paul got Pyrzenski out, they might still be playing the ALCS.

Oh and if you think about a splitters movement...when a glove covers it the rotation would bring the ball up. Think about it, its true...and a curve which wasn't what Escobar threw would bring the ball down. Escobar has a dominant split and it only makes logical sense that it would have the insane spin to grab the sides of the glove and pull itself up.

[liveordie1011]

w/o these bad calls, angels mightve gone to the world series

[Moose]

w/o these bad calls, angels mightve gone to the world series

Also, without Jose Contreras, Mark Buehrle, Jon Garland, Freddy Garcia, Paul Konerko, and Joe Crede, the Angels might've gone to the World Series.


Quit blaming the umpires.

[MC Hammer]

The ball hit the ground

No way. No fuckign way in hell did that ball even come close to hitting the ground. It was very clearly a catch even watching it live. Look, you and your team got a break ... please don't try to bullshit us and pretend that you wont hat game fair and square. Just accept the fact that you won 2 games in that series, either partly or wholey, based on the errors on umpires.

[Ray10]

Honestly even though I think the umps were terrible It didn't affect the outcome of the series. Considering that the White Sox had 4 complete games in a row from their pitcher which had nothing to do with the umpires. Honestly even if the umps were good the Sox would have won this series. Blame the Angels for getting beaten.

[empirestrikesback26]

Lets take the NBA approach. All foul balls with homer distance and close to the pole are reviewed.

[Sox Fan on Cape]

Opinion, tradition, and statistics are what make this game great. If MLB were to add all sorts of electronics to definatively call pitches, foul balls, close plays, etc. I really wouldn't be inerested in the game.

[yeszir]

Opinion, tradition, and statistics are what make this game great. If MLB were to add all sorts of electronics to definatively call pitches, foul balls, close plays, etc. I really wouldn't be inerested in the game.

Amen. Not to mention the fact that it would be all kinds of boring to see a manager turn his hat around and kick dirt at a computer.

[Sox Fan on Cape]

That would be cause for a blue screen.

[yeszir]

I'm a retard.

[YankeeDoodle]

Opinion, tradition, and statistics are what make this game great. If MLB were to add all sorts of electronics to definatively call pitches, foul balls, close plays, etc. I really wouldn't be inerested in the game.

While I don't think that umpires determine the outcome in the literal sense, I prefer the "human element" in the game to come from the players.