[PeteBooth]

Originally posted by BigUmp56


I find it amazing that another media outlet want's to place the loss on the shoulders of the umpires due to one controversial call.

Professional sports deals with momentum. Let's take this past Sunday's game between the Giants and the Broncos. The Broncos outplayed the Giants for 3 Qtrs. and 5 minutes of the 4th Qtr. leading by 13 points. Eli Manning drove the Giants for 2 4th Qtr. touchdowns and the Giants won the game.

ok what does the aforementioned have to do with baseball.

Regardless of how bad a team is getting outplayed it only takes one or 2 key hits to turn things around.

In the Angels / Sox series, Game 2 should have gone into extra innings PERIOD: It's a joke and IMO a CRIME that it didn't. No-One knows what would have happened. If the Angels did come back and win game 2 the entire series changes.

Angels / Sox again involving the CI that wasn't called. If memory serves the Angels would have had bases loaded and only one out instead of what happened. Again only a hit away from turning things around.

IMO, the problem lies with MLB more than with the umpires. The technology is there for Instant replay and IMO it should be used.

You can go on and on about how the Angels didn't hit, Guerro was 2 for something, and ultimately the Sox still had to drive the runner in from second but the POINT is: there should have been no runner at second base to begin with.

IMO, an umpires blown call ( in which there are ways to correct) is synonomous with a long bomb in football in which the receiver was close to the sidelines and having both feet in bounds was questionable. A call like that can change the complexion of the game and at least the NFL has IR.

All other major sports use IR and IMO so should baseball.

Also, I find it ironic. Suppose the umpiring we have witnessed thus far was the LLWS instead of the Major league baseball World Series. The umpiring crews would be chastized "to death" but because they are PRO Umpires they "get a pass".

The other venue is to improve the rating process. My gut tells me that there are Fine young umpires in the Minor League System just aching to get a chance and maybe after witnessing what we have seen thus far they should. Apparently politics plays an important role in the BIG leagues as well as every where else.

Pete Booth