You thought wrong. :) Done on merit, with the above cited rules (no back-to-back playoff rounds; no back-to-back world series). According to a (SF) Bay Area newspaper story printed on-line yesterday, MLB has 7 supervisors meet toward the end of the season to review each umpire's body of work for the season (quest-tec; handling situations; rules knowledge; pace of game; etc.) and then make the post-season selections.

You say that last part like it's a bad thing.

BTW, there are times when an umpire actually does not want or cannot work a special event. I know from personal experience that this is the case when one of my MLB friends told me he requested no post-season assignments due to personal reasons. This might be why he didn't get any this year, too. ;)

Hmmmm, Mark Carlson?

Also, watching the LA/Mets game last night, I was reminded how big of a boy Ted Barrett is!

Vanover's missed a couple tonight in Detroit. The Rodriguez play at third was close, but sure looked like ARod tagged him before Pudge got to the bag. The tag was high and maybe that influenced the call. Also called a ball down the line foul after white paint clearly flew up. Not his call, I think, but he had to give help and didn't have it.

And he had great positioning on both calls.

Even in real time, the tag at 3rd was a pretty basic call, not really that close. The ball was there and a solid tag applied well before he reached his meathook on the base.

On the foul call, he was turned and set to call it, and should have called it fair. I think he saw McClelland with his hands up to his chest and perhaps thought he meant that he was about to signal foul, but was looking for confirmation.

Teddy was my roommate at umpire school, and let me tell you, he wasn't a small boy then, either! :p

I was pretty surprised to see Vanover on the playoff roster (his first ever, at the end of his 11th season [1993-1998, 2002-2006]). Prior to this year, he was the only umpire hired prior to the 1999 fiasco to not have a postseason assignment (and only 3 other pre-1999 ump have less than 5, even if they were out for a few years with the resignation thing). Interestingly, one of those 3 others is Larry Poncino, who'd have the plate for game 5.

I think Paul Emmel is calling a helluva good game in Detroit today. He has that good, comfortable looking scissors stance that I used to enjoy so much.

I'll second that. Throw in the fact that FOX mentioned he's about to become a father for the second time, and he's had a hell of a day. Very good umpiring out of this crew, except the little Vanover incidents last night.

Cooper's drawing the wrath of Maddux already, one batter into the game!