Is Tim McClelland done?
 

I'm watching the Yanks v. Sox, and Tim is even slower than ever. Once a player favorite, he is no longer. I mean he just now called Matt Holliday safe at home.

The ring up of ManRam was just awful. Manny tossed his bat, and was three steps down the line before Tim fired up the chainsaw. It's one thing to have timing, but quite another to be in a coma.

Is he OK?

I am unclear as to how his "bad back" would affect his timing.

he must have had this bad back for the last 15 years then.

He is a very good umpire and a great guy, he will certainly hang it up when the time is right. I have a hard time believing someone of his stature will hang around for 20 more years barely being able to run, etc.

If your back is hurting, you don't want to make any sudden movements. Tim is moving very slowly lately. His switch from the knee was probably about five years ago, because it was about the same time I switched too. He was always a model for me for stance and timing. No longer. It's a shame because I tried to keep my mechanics like his for such a long time. Plus you can't even hear him any more.

After that Padres/Rockies game last year, and the subsequent interviews, I don't think he's as sharp as he needs to be. But who's going to tell him?

Anything related to the back (spine, neck, etc.) can be a serious issue. This is one reason why Larry Poncino, currently on medical leave, will almost certainly never be back on the field. He was told that to go back behind the plate would risk paralysis or possibly death with the injury he sustained. I doubt anyone would risk that.

Did Mr. Poncino get injured on the field? If so, how?

I'm still waiting for Matt Holliday to touch home plate, as is the rest of the baseball world.:rolleyes:

I seriously doubt that McClelland has a worse back than I do, having degenerated vertebrae from L-2 to S-1 from a serious car wreck in 1981, but I have never let it affect my timing or hustle.

After games was always a different story (one of sheer agony, usually).

I don't recall the specifics of the conversation I had where Poncino's name came up. The person with whom I was conversing didn't focus on what caused the injury; rather he had mentioned that Larry was told he'd be risking a lot if he went back. It does, however, sound like the injury was caused by something related to his head or mask getting nailed pretty good. Don't quote me on that because I don't have the exact specifics, but it sounded like this was the reason.

I noticed on some plays he doesnt even take his mask off or even move.

Are you seriously saying that you're a better man than Tim McClelland? It's kind of hard to judge the man and his threshold for pain without knowing him.

According to the Red Sox radio broadcast team last night (4/17) John Hirshbeck had back surgery this week. I haven't heard anything about that...but the Red Sox announcers cited the Yankees/Red Sox series umpiring crew as their source. The announcers said they had gone out to dinner with both the Yankees/Red Sox crew AND the crew that was umpiring the Mets series the night before (4/16).

Where's our favorite poster here with the inevitable question of "What did the crew eat for dinner?"

be careful what you wish for....

Who gives a darn?

The announcers went out to dinner with the crews? First of all, given that they were both home consecutively, it was more than likely the same crew. Second of all, I, personally, would find that to be a conflict of interest, ESPECIALLY if either one and/or both of the game (s) had a questionable call (s).