Welll.....

jimpiano · #1 (**permalink**) Thu Oct 23, 2008, 11:52pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kevin Finnerty

... Ahem... he rang a guy on a check swing and then asked the first base umpire if he swung ...and then Rollins got nicked pretty clearly and Danley kept him at the plate and helped kill a key rally.

I love the guy and I work in the same unit with his big brother. They're both great guys. Kerwin gives a lot back, too. But it was a nightmarish kind of outing for him. He didn't leave on a gurney this time, so it was only his second worst game of the season. Now he gets to hang out down the left field line and listen to all those Philly fans.

I am sure he is just shaking at the thought.

Pensaump · #2 (**permalink**) Fri Oct 24, 2008, 07:40am

I gotta kinda blame the 1st base umpire as well.

He should have banged the guy. The check was close enough to go either way (at least the replay I saw) and if he would have pumped him out it would have bailed out Kerwin at that plate.

One of the few times in my opinion that you have to bang the batter out from the wing regardless. At least in a "protect the crew" mentality.

Kevin Finnerty · #3 (**permalink**) Fri Oct 24, 2008, 11:02am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pensaump

I gotta kinda blame the 1st base umpire as well.

He should have banged the guy. The check was close enough to go either way (at least the replay I saw) and if he would have pumped him out it would have bailed out Kerwin at that plate.

One of the few times in my opinion that you have to bang the batter out from the wing regardless. At least in a "protect the crew" mentality.

Precisely! Definitely close enough, and definitely would have bailed him out of the screwed up mechanic. It was just a fart that made his arm go up, and then Culbreth burned him. Brutal.

mrm21711 · #4 (**permalink**) Fri Oct 24, 2008, 11:13am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pensaump

I gotta kinda blame the 1st base umpire as well.

He should have banged the guy. The check was close enough to go either way (at least the replay I saw) and if he would have pumped him out it would have bailed out Kerwin at that plate.

One of the few times in my opinion that you have to bang the batter out from the wing regardless. At least in a "protect the crew" mentality.

I thought Culbreth was trying to "protect the crew" with his no swing call. However, I would have pumped him out and dealt with the consequences if I was at 1B and that happened to me.

NickG · #5 (**permalink**) Fri Oct 24, 2008, 11:38am

Not to pile on (although I suppose I am), but did anyone else feel that his zone was a bit inconsistent. There were some pretty erratic b/s calls.

johnnyg08 · #6 (**permalink**) Fri Oct 24, 2008, 12:05pm

he seemed a bit jumpy...but he's got to get his experience somehow...that's how you learn...I'm not bailing him out, but I'm sure this may have been one of his first experience on a global stage...probably a bit nervous.

mrm21711 · #7 (**permalink**) Fri Oct 24, 2008, 01:03pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnnyg08

he seemed a bit jumpy...but he's got to get his experience somehow...that's how you learn...I'm not bailing him out, but I'm sure this may have been one of his first experience on a global stage...probably a bit nervous.

He is a 12 year MLB umpire......

SAump · #8 (**permalink**) Fri Oct 24, 2008, 06:35pm

The batter's performance would win an Emmy for good acting and no one talks about it. The batter was swinging at a close pitch on the corner and held up when it appeared to track out of the strike zone. He tossed his bat and ran to 1B, selling it to both PU and BU. It would have looked just as bad if the batter was called out half way up the first base line.

SAump · #9 (**permalink**) Fri Oct 24, 2008, 09:01pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by NickG

Not to pile on (although I suppose I am), but did anyone else feel that his zone was a bit inconsistent. There were some pretty erratic b/s calls.

I feel the K-zone pitch tracker, or whatever name it goes by, has been a bit inconsistent.

kylejt · #10 (**permalink**) Fri Oct 24, 2008, 11:54pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by SAump

I feel the K-zone pitch tracker, or whatever name it goes by, has been a bit inconsistent.

Is that anything like "the truth has a liberal bias"?

TussAgee11 · #11 (**permalink**) Sun Oct 26, 2008, 08:42pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by SAump

I feel the K-zone pitch tracker, or whatever name it goes by, has been a bit inconsistent.

A friend who works for MASN was told how the Fox system works by one of his producers. Don't know how reliable all this is, but here's what he said.

ESPN uses basically the Questec system of 3 high cameras (also the technology used for tennis challenges).

For FOX, a guy in the truck draws a box where he believes the strike zone to be for that batter. From there the comedy continues. The pitch is tracked from a low center field camera, and a guy in the truck basically presses a STOP button when he believes the pitch to be across the plate on the replay. The computer then just freezes where the ball was on the camera at that point and puts a little mark there compared to the batter's already arbitrary assigned strike zone.

Just for everyone's information...

SethPDX · #12 (**permalink**) Sun Oct 26, 2008, 10:09pm

I wonder if this is how Questec is used as well. If so, I would not like to be graded with it either.

Naturally McCarver is relying on the pitch tracker when making his pronouncements...

jimpiano · #13 (**permalink**) Fri Oct 24, 2008, 03:12pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrm21711

I thought Culbreth was trying to "protect the crew" with his no swing call. However, I would have pumped him out and dealt with the consequences if I was at 1B and that happened to me.

I hope I would have made the call on what the swing/no swing dictated.

Nothing else.

SethPDX · #14 (**permalink**) Fri Oct 24, 2008, 03:37pm

I hope I would have been thinking quickly enough to repeat what my partner just called. If my partner rings up a strike, it remains a strike.

David Emerling · #15 (**permalink**) Fri Oct 24, 2008, 06:04pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimpiano

I hope I would have made the call on what the swing/no swing dictated.

Nothing else.

As the base umpire, whenever asked about the swing, I always just rule how I saw it, with total disregard to the fact that the homeplate umpire had called it a ball.

But I think, in this particular case, I would have called it a strike regardless of what I really thought - based on the fact that the homeplate umpire had already called it a strike.

It was clearly a knee-jerk mistake by the plate umpire in honoring the appeal. I would not have compounded that mistake by overruling his indication of a strike.

You have to remember, the catcher signaled for an appeal on a pitch that was called a strike. That is highly unusual and I think that is what fooled the plate umpire.

David Emerling
Memphis, TN