The Umps Are Blind!
I know a lot of people always yell “Kill the Umpire!” (myself included), and take shots that the men in black are blind as can be when making a call (I’m also among the guilty). But for the life of me I cannot remember the sheer amount of times MLB umpires have gotten the calls wrong during - of all times - the postseason.
Especially this call where veteran Tim McClelland calls Jorge Posada out as he’s running back to third and allows Robinson Cano to be called safe when he’s not even touching the bag! And blowing it again when Nick Swisher tagged up on a fly ball. Then there was Phil Cuzzi’s call down the left field line during Game 2 of the ALDS between the Yankees and Twins where the ball should have been a ground rule double, and instead was ruled a foul ball.
Lest you think the errors are confined to the American League (and the Yankees), calls by home plate ump Jerry Meals and first base ump Ron Kulpa helped decide a 6-5 Phillies victory over the Rockies in Game 3 of the NLDS. Kulpa ruled that a chopper hit by Chase Utley and thrown to Todd Helton pulled the Rockies firstbaseman off the bag when he kept his foot on the base. But that’s not the half of it: Meals should have ruled the hit a foul ball since it hit in foul territory and then off Utley’s right leg!
I guess Ron should just take a (drumroll)... Mea Kulpa.
Sports Cartoons
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
