The umpiring in Monday’s Blue Jays/Yankees game was atrocious on many levels. Not only did they get three plays wrong, the explanation for one of them was outlandish:
“I was told by the umpire that I didn’t have to be tagged to be out,” an annoyed Jeter said after the game.
Reporters went to speak to Foster to get his side of the story. Crew chief John Hirschbeck spoke instead. “Marty asked me to handle things today,” he said. “We hopefully learn from our experiences. It’s the only way we get better at what we do.”
As for the call:
“It would make (Jeter’s) actions seem appropriate if that’s what he was told,” Hirschbeck said. “The best way I can answer it is to talk to Marty about it. “Not here at the ballpark, but if I see him tonight, or if not, we’ll have lunch tomorrow and we’ll discuss it. Getting a play right is one thing, but how you handle it is also important. Nowadays, with the cameras, ESPN and the reporters, I say the media, I actually mean television — it used to be if the ball beat you, you were out, but it isn’t that way anymore. It’s not a reason to call someone out. You have to make a good tag.”
This is why people dislike umpires so much, they make up their own rules out of laziness. Did Foster have a long day behind the plate on Sunday, so he gets to take the day off at third? I’m sorry, that guy should be sent back to the minors. How many times have you seen a base runner lose to the throw but gain the bag on a fancy slide? I know the umps are never going to be perfect, that sometimes they get blocked from seeing a tag. Don’t use the excuse that the throw beat the runner. Get some help.
If the ump had said that he thought the guy tagged Jeter, or that he blew the call, that’s one thing. It’s the human element. But his explanation is totally horsesh!t.
Bad umpiring has become the norm. In the Phillies/ Reds game 7/8/2009. There were 13 called third strikes. Neither team, apparently, got the memo expanding the strike zone to five inches on either side of the plate. This is not sour grapes, since I think my Phillies were the chief beneficiary of this horrific performance. If Jamie Moyer had been pitching he would have thrown a perfect game. It is beyond my comprehension that the baseball powers that be do not avail themselves of technology to get the calls right. I suppose if they were running the US Navy, the navigation would be by dead reckoning. If balls and strikes were called electronically, both pitchers and hitters would know the strike zone.