Quote:
Originally posted by gordon30307
I was appalled by the umpiring.
#1. The home run. Ball goes out of the park hits a fan in the chest who is wearing a black jacket. White ball black jacket how could there be any question it was a home run? What was the umpire on the left field line looking at? The umpire on the line shouldn't he have been following the flight of the ball hustling out there then stop so his head is not bouncing up and down and have gotten a clear view of that play? It looked like an easy and obvious call to me.
But six umpires huddling discussing plays looked bad in my view.
I would hate baseball getting instant replay even if it was for home runs. I think it would only result in more committee decision by the umpires on other plays. Just my opinion.
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Umpires are taught to watch the player, not the flight of the ball. If you are trying to pick up an eight inch white orb while dancing around players attempting a play, you will get hurt. Second, the ball was flying into the stands filled with light colored faces and clothing. Yes, it hit against a black jacketed person, but that person was only three feet above the fence! He made a bad call - agreed! But, until you've had your adrenaline flowing and been in a stadium with fans visible beyond the home run fence, it is tough for you to judge how difficult that call is.
The huddling did not look bad. The fact is that it is a new mechanic and people are not used to seeing it unfold. The telling detail here is how the coachs recated after teh corrected call was made. Torre went out to discuss it but as a life long baseball guy, knew it was the right call - both of them. The fans - the same ones that boo when the pitch isn't called their way - don't understand what transpired. How many of you were yelling at the TV when you saw both plays? As a fan, as an umpire, I was proud of how they did the job. Yes, the original calls were brutal, but umpiring has evolved. Darwin was right!