The Early Candidate for Worst Call of the Year

[istanbultaye]

i'm pretty sure the crew chief has jurisdiction to overturn plays after a conference between the umps, if the other umps were able to see the play correctly.

[TooLiveBrew]

MLB needs to seriously consider going to sensors in baseballs & bases, along with electronic strike zones. Every season, there are plays that are missed, and in any given game, there can be plays where an umpire just has no real chance at making the correct call (blocked sightlines, etc.)

 

Take Swisher getting called out for tagging up early tonight. The call was wrong (as was the call on the pickoff earlier that inning at 2B where Swisher should have been out), and the 3B umpire (Tim McClelland) never even looked down at Swisher's foot. He just assumed he'd left early because of Swisher's body's motion. However, if an umpire is supposed to be watching the CF catch the ball, how is he supposed to also look at the player's foot? He can't.

 

Baseball just shouldn't continue to limit itself anymore. The technology is there, and just being ignored. The rhetoric of 'human error is a part of the game' is just plain silly imho. Human error is part of the game because humans allow it to remain part of the game. I would much rather take my chances on what would be much, much rarer electronic error.

 

Jonah Keri (of Baseball Prospectus) wrote a piece on this for the Wall Street Journal (see below), which popped back into my head as I watched the replay of McClelland's eyes never looking down at Swisher's foot. I used to be on the fence as to whether or not 'robo-umping' was a good idea or not. No longer -- there's just too much compelling evidence imho that major changes are needed.

 

Does Baseball Need Umpires?

 

 

EDIT: And I should clarify that I don't think human umpires should be completely done away with, and even with its title, Keri's article doesn't make that ultimate assessment, either.

[TooLiveBrew]

And, McClelland strikes again. Unbelievable. Cano & Posada were just both tagged while standing off 3B, standing right in front of McClelland. Cano was somehow ruled safe.

[logan82]

Yup, I have to vote McClelland. It really should be unanimous after that call. I would LOVE to hear an explanation for that.

[TooLiveBrew]

He could go with Phil Cuzzi's explanation for the missed ground rule double by Mauer in the ALDS @ Yankee Stadium -- he was too close to the play.

[Team Canada]

That call was astounding.

[logan82]

I haven't been watching the post season much. Both times I turn a game on I see a bad call within minutes. First Saturday and now again today.

[TooLiveBrew]

If 'the human element' being a part of the game means this garbage, bring on the robots.

[logan82]

Bow to your new masters.

[dlk9s]

Bow to your new masters.

I, for one, welcome our new robot overlords.

[joepepsi]

It looks to me like the umpires have an edict from Above to favor the yanks.

[Richie]

Tim McClelland: "I'm not sure I believe the replay on the first one."

 

Wow.

 

http://www.blitzcorner.com/MLB/Umpire-Tim-McClellands-Talks-Mistakes-ALCS-Game-4-Video

[TooLiveBrew]

Yup, the good old "human element"

 

- "The first one with Swisher leaving too soon... In my heart I thought he left too soon."

- "When he tagged Cano, I thought Cano was on the base, and when Jorge touched the base and continued and tagged Posada out, I thought Posada was out."

 

Sounds like Tim needs to use his eyes, and not his heart. However, like I mentioned above, how on earth is a human supposed to watch a CF catch a ball, & simultaneously watch to see when the runner's foot leaves the base? The explanation on calling Cano safe, however, is just inexplicable. He was a over a foot away from the 3B bag when Napoli tagged him. (Link to transcript of McClelland's postgame comments)

 

Kudos to Napoli, by the way, for a very alert play & good hustle as well.

[logan82]

I agree that the wrong call on Swisher leaving to early is a tough call to make. There is almost no way to keep the fielder and runner both in your sight. It still seems like something that is very easily fixed with instant replay.

[Teatoe993]

I have a suspicion that the Swisher play was to make up for the botched pick-off call at 2B just before that.

[owbc]

I used to be against all forms of instant replay. I am now 100% in favor of all forms of instant replay, including ball/strike calls. It can be done just like in tennis. The batter or pitcher challenges, the result is instantly displayed on the scoreboard, and everyone moves on.

[sbrylski]

Umpires have capably been ruling on sac flies for over 100 years. This is a McClelland's a complete doofus thing, not an umpires are incapable of making the call thing.

 

In a diagram I entirely spent too much time on, I illustrate how easy it is to see both at once, if you're standing in the right spot:

 

http://gickr.com/results2/anim_dcdb1534-c8ce-5154-7545-d970315bd04b.gif

 

One thing you don't ever, ever do, especially in a playoff game, is call a guy out for leaving early when you actually didn't really see what happened because your head is stuck up your you-know-what.

[Baldkin]

http://images.nymag.com/images/2/daily/2009/10/20091021_missedcall_560x375.jpg

 

Yeah, Cano was on the bag there....

 

 

[trwi7]

He's right there looking at him too. That's the lamest excuse for sucking that I've ever seen.

[TooLiveBrew]

ALCS Coverage: The Umps. The latest from FanGraphs (by Dave Cameron, also of USS Mariner)

[hawing]

In a diagram I entirely spent too much time on,

 

Golf clap for your efforts, Sam. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

[TooLiveBrew]

But did it take longer than mullet-izing & handlebarmustache-izing Prince Fielder?

[crewcrazy]

Tim McClelland: "I'm not sure I believe the replay on the first one."

 

Wow.

 

http://www.blitzcorner.com/MLB/Umpire-Tim-McClellands-Talks-Mistakes-ALCS-Game-4-Video

 

Yeah, that was my favorite line, too. And I'll agree that the only possible explanation for that play was that it was a make-up call for earlier that inning. Swisher never should've been at third to begin with, as he was picked off by a mile in another horrible call (and the ump at second was looking right at him!). At the very least, we'll know which umps aren't working the World Series now. Yeesh.

[logan82]

They're also willing to defer to each other. The home plate umpire asks the base umps for help on check swings.

 

Most umpires are willing to defer to the base umpires. There are some who would rather just call it themselves. It is one of my biggest pet peeves with certain umpires. They are usually the confrontational type or they seem that way since not checking with base umps usually aggravates players and coaches.

[SoCal Brew Crew Fan]

The umpiring in these series has been a travesty. I'm all for replacing these arrogant overpaid imbeciles with computer and cameras. These ball/strike calls have been particularly bad tonight.