By Bob Smizik | Wednesday, 11:30 a.m.
By their high level of incompetence on the field, the umpires of Major League Baseball are making an inadvertent but effective plea for more video review of their work.
It was another horrendous night for the umps in Game 4 of the ALCS between the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Angels Tuesday, with numerous blown calls. Fortunately, none of the calls had an impact on the game, won by the Yankees, 10-1. But this incompetence could well affect future games and MLB must strongly consider some sort of review system for close and/or important plays or lose the confidence of the public.
What most highlighted the poor umpiring was the camera work of Fox, the network carrying the game on television, and the superb announcing of Joe Buck and Tim McCarver.
T
he fact much-respected crew chief Tim McClelland was part of two extremely botched calls only heightened the sense of embarrassment for MLB.
In the fourth inning, with the Yankees Nick Swisher on third base, Johnny Damon hit a fly ball to center field. Swisher tagged up and scored. But Swisher was ruled out on appeal when McClelland said he left the base too soon.
Split-screen replays clearly showed Damon did not leave too soon, and that if he had there was no way McClelland could have known since he was focused solely on the play in the outfield.
``In my heart, I thought he left too soon,‘’ McClelland said in an interview after the game. ``But the replay showed that he didn't.’’
In the fifth innings, with runners on second and third, Swisher hit a bouncer to pitcher Darren Oliver, who threw to the plate and caught Jorge Posada in a rundown. Catcher Mike Napoli ran Posada back to third while Robinson Cano, who had been on second, moved toward third. Napoli tagged both runners standing off the bag - first Cano, then Posada. But McClelland ruled that only Posada was out.
``I thought Cano was on the base,’’ said McClelland, who acknowledged the replay showed Cano was off the base when he was tagged.
``I did not see that, for whatever reason. I'm just out there trying to do my job and do it the best I can.’’
In yet another blown call shown by TV, umpire Dale Scott called Swisher safe at second on a pickoff attempt, although he was clearly tagged by shortstop Erick Aybar before getting back to the base.
Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson, now an advisor with the Yankees, told the Associated Press, ``I haven’t seen it as bad as it was tonight.’’
All of this, plus what little drama there has been in the series, was brought into focus for viewers by Buck and McCarver, easily the best announcing team in televised baseball.
Buck learned at the hand of a master, his dad, the great Jack Buck, and he learned his lesson well. He uses an economy of words and isn’t, like too many announcers, afraid to allow the picture tell the story.
In the ninth inning of Game 2, Buck and McCarver were silent for 55 second when Mariano Rivera struck out Torii Hunter. The words told the story and nothing needed to be said.
McCarver is not afraid to call out players and not only pointed out the base-running gaffe of Posada but showed what Posada did wrong in only getting from second to third on a double.
Like Buck, McCarver isn’t afraid to keep quiet.
On the radio side, the NLCS is in masterful hands of Dan Shulman and analyst Dave Campbell, who are excellent and do a better job than the more celebrated Jon Miller and Joe Morgan, who are doing the ALCS on radio.
It’s a great show -- except for the umpires.
Posted
Oct 21 2009, 11:30 AM
by
Bob Smizik