Mike DiMuro: You should resign.

[Mountaincoach]

Originally Posted by Eastshire

He certainly did try to sell the catch as he holds his glove as if it has the ball. The fair, sporting thing would have been to show the umpire the empty glove. He cheated.

I disagree. Wise got up and jogged toward the dugout AFTER the call was already made. If it's the rule or code or whatever that the field umpires don't correct such a terribly bad call, then there shouldn't be a double standard where other umpires call the player a cheater either. What's the difference between Wise keeping his mouth shut and the other umpires on the field keeping their mouths shut and not helping their fellow umpire? Is that the "sporting thing to do"?

Like I said before, I don't feel that anybody should attack DiMuro for a bad call. We're all human--we all make mistakes, whether we're MLB umpires or a 14 year old kid making minimum wage umpiring a T-ball game. I place blame completely on the other umpires (OR the rules of umpiring) for allowing that man to become a piece of history and the focus of ESPN highlight reels for the next 50 years.

[Eastshire]

Originally Posted by Mountaincoach

I disagree. Wise got up and jogged toward the dugout AFTER the call was already made. If it's the rule or code or whatever that the other umpires don't correct such a terribly bad call, then there shouldn't be a double standard where other umpires call the player a cheater either. What's the difference between Wise keeping his mouth shut and the other umpires on the field keeping their mouths shut and not helping their fellow umpire? Is that the "sporting thing to do"?

Like I said before, I don't feel that anybody should attack DiMuro for a bad call. We're all human--we all make mistakes, whether we're MLB umpires or a 14 year old kid making minimum wage umpiring a T-ball game. I place blame completely on the other umpires (OR the rules of umpiring) for allowing that man to become a piece of history and the focus of ESPN highlight reels for the next 50 years.

You need to watch it again. DiMuro signals out after Wise gets up with a closed glove. I agree that if another umpire knew that the ball hadn't been caught they should get it right. However, there's no way any of the other umpires knew it hadn't been caught. Yes, a fan held up a ball, but they had no way of knowing it was the ball and not a ball thrown into the stands earlier.

One of these days, baseball is going to get dragged out of the dark ages of each umpire is an island, but that doesn't mean we can't call out cheating when it happens (and besides, I'm not an umpire at all anymore, so whatever hypothetical standard you're proposing doesn't apply to me).

[Mountaincoach]

Originally Posted by Eastshire

You need to watch it again. DiMuro signals out after Wise gets up with a closed glove. I agree that if another umpire knew that the ball hadn't been caught they should get it right. However, there's no way any of the other umpires knew it hadn't been caught. Yes, a fan held up a ball, but they had no way of knowing it was the ball and not a ball thrown into the stands earlier.

One of these days, baseball is going to get dragged out of the dark ages of each umpire is an island, but that doesn't mean we can't call out cheating when it happens (and besides, I'm not an umpire at all anymore, so whatever hypothetical standard you're proposing doesn't apply to me).

I just went back and watched it again very carefully. Wise was simply trying to get out of that "hole" he had fallen in with his glove on his hand in a very natural sideways position when DiMuro signaled the out. He didn't make any kind of motion to "present" a closed glove to the umpire. I think we're splitting hairs here (and I do indeed enjoy a spirited debate), but I respectfully disagree that Wise did anything wrong or misleading as he climbed back across the wall and onto the field. In even Little League, fielders are taught to raise the glove and "present" the ball to the umpire after a catch like that. Wise did nothing of the sort. As far as your statement that the ball held high by the fan in the red shirt could have been just any ball, I'm sorry, that's just lawyer talk. Either way, the other umpires should have stepped in and looked in Wise's glove. BUT, this is a classic case of Monday morning quarterbacking here. It's easy for us to dissect the play frame by frame, but it's another thing to be in DiMuro and Wise's shoes as it was happening.

(BTW, I have never liked the Yankees. I'd love to call Wise a cheater, but that's just not right to say in this case.)

[MD Longhorn]

Originally Posted by Eastshire

One of these days, baseball is going to get dragged out of the dark ages of each umpire is an island, but that doesn't mean we can't call out cheating when it happens (and besides, I'm not an umpire at all anymore, so whatever hypothetical standard you're proposing doesn't apply to me).

The dark ages that baseball will be dragged out of is called instant replay. It's coming - faster and faster as these kind of correctable errors happen.