Quote:
Originally Posted by Kevin Finnerty
It was the single worst high-profile missed call of my lifetime. Denkinger's was pretty bad for a couple of reasons, but this one was extreme.
There are plenty of young umpires waiting for a shot. You had a great career, to a point. And your pension plan's out of this world. What do you say, Tim?
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Age had nothing to do with the miss. It could have happened to anyone of any age. Tim is still rated one of the top 3 balls and strike umpires in baseball on QuesTec (or whatever they call it).
He is so good, that after he umpired the one-game playoff (the 163rd game) two years ago, a coach (while wildly celebrating) actually stopped on air to congratulate Tim (by name) for calling a great game behind the plate and said he, "was a credit to his profession". That almost never happens in MLB. Not that a coach is qualified to evaluate umpires...but when MLB (via QuesTec) and the coaches and players (remember, Tim was also the highest rated umpire in MLB in the SI players' poll) rate you the highest, you must be doing something right.
It is so hard for an umpire to make the Hall of Fame for a lot of reasons...but if I had to bet on ONE current MLB umpire to be a future hall of famer, I'd put my money on him...even with that one miss.