Welke admits to blowing call...

[brian43]

anyone see this? i havent seen any replays or anything on TV, just read about it. was it that bad? do you think he should have came out publicly and say he would have wanted another shot at the call?

heres an article i found:

Sunday, August 3
Updated: August 4, 2:28 PM ET

Missed call at first base negated tying run

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Associated Press


PITTSBURGH -- Umpire Tim Welke admitted Sunday he probably
missed a call at first base that cost the Colorado Rockies
the tying run in a loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates the day
before.


Welke, the crew chief, called Colorado's Jay Payton out at
first base to complete a game-ending double play in
Pittsburgh's 1-0 victory Saturday. There were runners at
first and third and one out when Payton came to the plate.

Replays appeared to show Payton beat the throw from second
baseman Abraham Nunez. Welke said Payton probably was safe.

"Now I looked at the replays, and I know the replays aren't
very good, but I don't get a second chance at it. It was a
rough night sleeping last night," said Welke, a major
league umpire for 21 years.

"Sure, I would have liked another whack at it. It was a
close play, and I understand the situation. But every day
you turn a new page. You have to."

The Rockies were livid Saturday, arguing that Payton was
clearly safe. Colorado general manager Dan O'Dowd said
Sunday he filed a complaint with Major League Baseball.

"You hear people say that umpires don't care -- that was
living proof," Rockies star Larry Walker said. "(Country
singer) Ronnie Milsap could have made that call, and he's
blind."

Welke, who was behind the plate Sunday, objected to
Walker's comments.

"I totally disagree with that," Welke said. "Games are full
of close plays and close pitches. As umpires, we get one
shot at it, and you have to call it the way you see it. At
the time, I thought absolutely it was the correct call.
There was no doubt in my mind."

After the game, Colorado first-base coach Dave Collins said
he could have made the correct call "from my hotel room."

"I don't know what happens when umpires make bad calls,"
Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said, "but I know what happens
to us: We get fired and sent to Triple-A."

Welke said he understood the Rockies' frustration. It was
their third straight one-run loss, including a 12-11 defeat
Friday in which the Pirates scored six runs in the ninth
inning.

"Whatever happens out there, you want people to stay
professional," Welke said. "I'm not going to answer a
comment that maybe was made in the heat of the moment. I
know sports are like that. I respect their will to win. I
respect their effort.

"As an umpire -- and I can speak for my profession -- our
goal is to have nothing to do with who wins or loses the
game. Our goal is to judge the game fairly, to the best of
our ability. As an umpire who's done this for a long time,
I take a lot of pride in that."

None of that mattered to the Rockies.

"It was obviously predetermined that if we hit a
groundball, it was going to be a double play, and everybody
could watch the (postgame) fireworks show," pitcher Jason
Jennings said Saturday. "It was probably the worst call
I've seen all year."

The Rockies were still angry when they arrived Sunday at
PNC Park.

"It wasn't even a bang-bang play," Jennings said. "It was
obvious. I don't know how he could've missed the call."

[Edited by brian43 on Aug 5th, 2003 at 04:58 PM]

[Jim Porter]

Here's the problem: Welke's integrity was on the line. He's a crew chief. Part of his duties as a crew chief is to field questions from the media. When faced with an obviously blown call on replay, what else is he going to do except admit his error? To do otherwise would make him look like a fool.

[brian43]

i havent seen the play and how potentially wrong the call was so im not sure on that part of it. i wasnt aware that the crew cheif fields questions from the media either. i guess he did the right thing then admitting it since it sounded like a bad call. i thought he went to the media and admitted it, but i guess they asked him about the call.

[TriggerMN]

I can live with Larry Walker saying that Ronnie Milsap (who is a blind country singer, for those of you who don't know) could have made that call, but what Jason Jennings made me outraged. To say that the call was obviously predetermined is questioning the integrity, honesty, and sportsmanship of the umpiring, and Jennings should absolutely be fined.

[johnSandlin]

I know Tim Welke being from Michigan myself and I have nothing but total respect for the man. He is a class act both on and off the field. I have not seen the play myself, but as umpires after seen what Welke did when he addressed the media by admitting his mistake, you have to feel very proud to classified with as an umpire with people like Welke working as an umpire.