Ump Wrong Then Right

[Boston99]

During the Red sox A’s game on Monday September 6, the score was 4-3 Red Sox in the bottom of the eighth when the A’s Mark Kotsay led off the inning with a low line drive that left fielder Manny Ramirez trapped. The umpire Brian Knight ruled the play a catch.

The players in the A's bullpen jumped off their seats in disbelief at the call. Kotsay needed to be restrained by the A's first-base coach. After the inning, teammates escorted Kotsay out to center, just to make sure he didn't continue to argue and get ejected.

In the ninth the Red Sox scored four more runs. After the first three runs were in Doug Mientkiewicz hit a blooper into center, and Knight ruled correctly that Kotsay trapped the ball. Kotsay gestured at Knight clearly indicating that it was the second call he got wrong. The fans got fired up and littered the field with debris, mostly water bottles, and the game was halted for about five minutes.
The umpire got one wrong on a play which may have had an impact on the game. The player riled up the fans on a play where he showed up the umpire when the umpire was right. At the major league level the reply can speak for it self. Any thoughts on how to handle some thing like this at lower levels of play?

[cowbyfan1]

What I would have done is dumped Manny Ramierez for impersonating a left fielder.

Seriously, Kotsay should have been dumped for showing up the Blue. As far as the fans, nothing would have prevented that. Even if Kotsay had done nothing, the fans would have looked at it that both calls were blown and they, more than likely, would have acted the same way.

Of course this is all part of MLB 's grand plan to get the Red Sox and Cubs into the World Series against each other and then may the best curse win. :-)

[umpyre007]

Originally posted by cowbyfan1
Of course this is all part of MLB 's grand plan to get the Red Sox and Cubs into the World Series against each other and then may the best curse win. :-)

I'm sure the mini-meltdown of the Yankees at present is a calculated MLB strategy to keep things interesting in the AL East and to keep revenues up. God only knows that the Yankees need excitement and increased revenues right now so they can pay their salary obligations. :-)

Then the Yankees want a cheap forfeit against Tampa Bay?

U7

[Boston99]

In 1999 The Red Sox played the Evil Empire in the ALCS. Game 1 or 2 was in NY and was tied in the ninth. The Sox had a man at first and Chuck Knobloch dropped a double play relay at second, he never had control. The I’m really cool ump made a nonchalant automatic out call. The Sox lost a chance for 2 on and no out and of course lost in 10. Mr. umpire apologized later saying he did not get the call right. In game 5 at Fenway the Sox were trying to come back. Jose Offerman was ruled out at second on a ghost tag play. The fans started to riot (yes I was there). We were very frustrated, we figured it was tough enough to beat the Yankees with out this sort of activity (see Jeffrey Mayer’s HR catch for NY against the Orioles). They took the teams off the field. Again the umpire apologized in the paper saying he did not get the call right. This was back in the day when MLB umpires did not confer on something like this.

Last year these two teams were at it again in the ALCS when a Red Sox player hit one off the foul pole in NY. The I’m really cool ump with his hat in the 50 mission crush position called it foul. Because of events like what happened above the men in blue conferred and changed the call and got it right. What I liked was that the integrity of the game was restored.

“What I would have done is dumped Manny Ramierez for impersonating a left fielder.”

Actually Manny is not really that bad in left. The Sox did try to dump him but no one wanted him.

[johnSandlin]

I wish as umpires, we as a whole would step up and do what Mr. Barrett did the other day. Now, grant as high school and college umpires, we have the no talking to the media rule, but we can still admitt our mistakes to coaches during the game when we make a mistake.