Braves/Dodgers, Pirates/Cards, Rays/Red Sox, Tigers/A's: Who wins it all?

I've umpired. Umpires are trained to shout out as they make the signal. No umpire would shout out and make the signal seconds later and certainly NO major league umpire would do so. Unless it's windy the call is usually made before the fly ball reaches it's apex. This play was a hot topic among umpires and the three other umps I discussed this with plus several baseball coaches all agreed the call was muffed. Your love for the Cardinals is making you biased.

And no, the players would not have heard the ump over the crowd noise.

 

<jealous>

Let's look at it from a player's perspective. Take a look a base runner Uggla's positioning in the base path. He's darn near halfway to third base. That's not the base running strategy of a runner thinking the shortstop is going to make an easy play, as he would be in danger of being doubled up.

 

Ever see someone stubbornly refuse to admit they are wrong? Look in the mirror.

 

The Red Sox need to stop trying to throw people out a third base.

 

Looks like John Farrell is a bit in game strategy impaired. I can only imagine the uproar in Boston since he:
1. Had a rookie pitcher, Brandon Workman, with zero career MLB at bats hit in the top of the ninth and left slugger Mike Napoli on the bench. It seems Farrell wanted Workman to pitch the bottom of the ninth. Workman struck out, then pitched to only two batters in the ninth.

What he should have done when he inserted Workman into the lineup in the eighth inning was pull a double switch, having him in the lineup in Saltalamacchia's spot. Saltalamacchia's would have been out of the game and catcher David Ross would likely not have thrown wildly to third which set up the game ending obstruction play.

Then again the obstruction play may never have happened if Farrell would have:

2. Intentionally walked John Jay to load the bases, and pitched to weak hitting Kozma instead.

 

Great game. Rookie mistake getting thrown out to end the game, they shoulda had him on a tighter rope.

Now my biggest question, since the series will now be decided in Boston, will the ancient Fenway Park (the biggest dump in baseball, BTW, and that's MY home team) stay together if the Red Sox win it.

Love the Red Sox, always will. But I never realized what a gross, disgusting slimepit Fenway Park is, until I had a daughter, and had to bring her to use the bathrooms. There is no excuse for this. I have been to a lot of Baseball parks around America, and while they aren't all as clean as Safeco Field, Boston takes the prize. Build a new one, with modern bathrooms.

/rant

Go Sox !!!!!

 

They'll need at least 6 games. that's what I meant.