[tballump]

SDS

Not arguing that the call was kicked big-time or whatever phrase anyone would like to use.

Did the ball tick the glove in this case? Have you read anything about that? If so, he probably couldn't hear that with all the noise, even though that would have made it fair also. If he thought the ball was going to be caught, and then would have to point fair, and then follow the player's momentum into the wall before making the catch sign, and then the ball wasn't caught and the empty glove blocked his view of where the ball hit the ground until after the bounce, who knows, especially when you get the tunnel vision of being too close to the play and it all kind happens in the blink of an eye.

If you are too far from this play (although in this instance maybe it could have helped) and the ball just ticks the glove while barely fair but does not show a change of direction, and some how would have been just foul, then everyone would say he wasn't close enough to the play. There just may have been more involved in the whole process, including trying to stay out of the way of the fielder, (what a disaster if one were to run into the fielder on that play) and fighting that natural instinct to go out as far as you can to get a good look at the play when working during the regular season.