The Devil's Advocate

[jicecone]

"Bottom of the seventh, V-2, H-0 two outs, bases empty. Plate ump calls ball four on a two-strike cock shot to the batter. Next batter grounds to second, throw makes F3 stretch, but he stays on. BU says he didn't, runner safe. Next hitter hits a long, slicing fly over the fence, inches foul. PU says it was fair when it crossed the fence.

For those who believe that improper calls did not cost the visitors the game, especially since they have no opportunity to play over them, we will simply have to disagree.

The frequency of it is far rarer than players, coaches and fans would have us believe, but the proposition that poor officiating never costs teams victories is ludicrous."

OK OK I will agree that the use of "NEVER", is stretching the truth a tad bit. But I will garantee you that the precentage of times it happens are far, far fewer than the times a team affects its own outcome. And I will use your example to show you.

Mistake 1.
"Plate ump calls ball four on a two-strike cock shot to the batter." Why was that batter allowed to get on? Pitcher failed to do his job.

Mistake 2.
"Next batter grounds to second, throw makes F3 stretch." Why wasn't it a good throw to first? Second failed to do his job.

Mistake 3.
"Next hitter hits a long, slicing fly over the fence, inches foul." Sounds like another bad pitch to me.

Now lets add this up. Players 3 mistakes Ump 1, possibly two (in your opinion). And this, in reality, is how most all of the games commence. I know your comeback is going to be. "Hey nobody said the players are perfect, their human beings too." And thats MY POINT, thank you.