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They are PAID BIG BUCKS to make those calls. IMO, MLB umpires should be held to a high standard and IMO this umpiring crew has simply been awful. The strike zone - It might as well be redefined and the PU's look like they are auditioning for an acting career. It's one thing to emphatically punch out the batter on a called 3rd strike. It's quite another to do a dance routine on top of it. As for Welke - Someone upstairs must be shining brightly upon him. He has simply been awful to say the least. If this had been the LLWS instead of the MLBWS, this Forum along with many others would be buzzing with bashings. The word "Smitty" might have even been uttered. What we are seeing is a major flaw in the process of assigning officials at the BIG League level. We are NOT getting what is supposed to be the Best of the Best. There are most likely guys in the minor leagues "cringing' watching these performances and not having the opportunity to get their shot. Unlike football officials, MLB umpiring is a full time job and one would think that there is a better product MLB can put out there. If this was OUR shot at say a HS varsity regional game, NCAA Division one game or any other high level type assignment, and we were that bad, that would most likely be our one and only chance and a high level game, but in MLB these guys are for the most part there for life. So yeah Kellog made a great call but he is supposed to that's why one should get a WS assignment. I am surprised Buck / McCarver didn't mention that IR should be expanded especially when Welke flat out missed the call. He's lucky Lou Pinella was not still coaching the Rays. FWIW I am NOT a Rays fan so I could care less who wins. Pete Booth
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Peter M. Booth Last edited by PeteBooth; Mon Oct 27, 2008 at 09:31am. |
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I have read many of his other posts. This one is as good as most of the others. There is a lot of truth in what he says: This crew has had several missed calls. And pointing out that an umpire's strike zones needs improvement is just as valid as saying he missed some calls on the bases.
You might want to read more than one post from a person before being so dismissive. |
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Lately, however, he has changed. His posts are hard to differentiate from a typical fanboy. Year's back, Pete would never have said that MLB umpires are hired to make certain call. He knew better. MLB umpires are hired because they are the best trained and most experienced at what they do. Those who hire them know that theya are not hiring umpires to make certain calls. They are hiring umpires who, statistics disclose, get calll right a little more than 95% of the time, including balls/strikes, safes/outs and foul/fair. No one with a rational minds believes that MLB umpires are hired to be perfect. The old Pete would not have made light of the play Kellog had at first. Many, if not most, other umpires would not have adjusted during that mess to see what he saw and make the right call. To dismiss his effort on that play as "that's what he gets paid for" is the same as dismissing a player for hitting a home run in the upper deck of the center field bleachers. After all, that's what players get paid for. I'd love to see a pitcher strike out 95% of the batters he faces. Isn't that what he gets paid for? When was the last time a batter did his job correctly 95% of the time? Who could afford a .950 hitter...the Yankees? I've never said MLB umpires are perfect, nor have I said that some mistakes haven't been made in the WS. It seems however that the current fad of dumping on the umpires has obscured reality. Some of this, no doubt, they have brought on themselves. 30 years ago umpires would never admit their mistakes on national television. They would say, "i called what I saw" and that would be the end of it. The new warm and fuzzy movement that began about six years ago and includes excessive huddling that has resulted in correct calls being changed to incorrect calls as often and the other way around, was supposed to make umpires more human and accountable. An unintended consequence, I believe is that it has made them the target of an endless supply of fanboys and wannabes who use the umpires admissions to try to appear superior. The worst umpire at the WS this year is better than anyone on this board. Disagree if you'd lile, if that gets you through the night. |
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Especially the following portions...they apply to all sports!!!
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A-hole formerly known as BNR Last edited by Raymond; Tue Oct 28, 2008 at 08:16am. |
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This statement says a lot. So if you are not better than the guy in question, then you can't criticize him. Wow. What country is this again? Last edited by Kevin Finnerty; Tue Oct 28, 2008 at 09:06am. |
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With that logic, the observers/evaluators must be the best umpires in the world because in order to evaluate and to see flaws/areas for growth, you have to be an expert.
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It's like Deja Vu all over again |
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For Kevin and other reading-impaired posters: I was addressing Pete's missive. I rearely read anything Kevin writes these days. I said mistakes were made. I believe criticism can be valid. I don't, however, believe that, as in Pete's post, those facts must keep us from appreciating a spectacular effort, whether by an athlete or umpire. We applaud a player who may have been the goat in one inning, when he jacks a homer in the next. Yet, according to Pete, when an umpies makes near heroic effort to get a play right...it's just his job. That's a shame. If you need any additional help in reading comprehension, let me know. |
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LOL @ "heroic effort" by a baseball umpire! Somehow equating Tim McClelland with Audie Murphy makes me laugh.
Heroic effort? "you can leave demeaning nicknames out of your posts referring to our officiating brethren. K. Thanks. Bye." Officiating.com |
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I agree. McClelland's a much better actor.
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I couldn't agree more with these lines.
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