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Thursday, October 13, 2005

ESPN Spinning This Into Controversy


ESPN is doing its best to argue that the umps' call was clearly wrong and that the Sox should have lost. In the "Game 2 Breakdown" in this recap, some smarmy ESPN staffer writes that:
Goat
Home plate umpire Doug Eddings, with an assist from third base ump Ed Rapuano. A.J. Pierzynski struck out swinging to end the ninth, but wasn't ruled out because Eddings said the ball hit the dirt and Angels catcher Josh Paul didn't make a clean catch of Kelvim Escobar's pitch -- even though Paul clearly did. Eddings checked with Rapuano; the blown call stood, and Pierzynski was safe at first.

(emphasis added). As I discussed in my last post, the ball rather clearly hit the ground, and the call was right. In any case, ESPN shouldn't be editorializing what is at best a questionable call (I don't understand how anyone does NOT see that ball bounce) to bump up the controversy.

And despite the fact that some low-level ESPN stringer says that Paul "clearly" caught the ball, the umpires held a press conference saying that: (1) they saw the ball bounce at the time and on replays; (2) Eddings never made an audible "out" call; and (3) it is unusual for catchers NOT to tag the hitter in those circumstances.

Regardless, the game did not "turn" on that play. The game was tied, and there is no reason to believe that the Sox could not have simply won the game in the 10th inning, or the 11th even.

Comments-[ comments.]
Comments:
Can we have some snarky breakdown of Eddings blowing the checked-swing call on Konerko? Calling Everett out on a ball in the next at-bat? How about the missed call at first on a brilliant 2-6-3 sac bunt into a double play where they ruled the baserunner safe?

It was one baserunner with two out in a tie game.

Not once did I hear anybody in the FOX booth mention that the Angels have now hit exactly five balls hard in two games, scored two runs on choppers following seeing-eye singles, and benefitted from at least a half dozen lineouts in two games. Instead everybody is focused on whether Doug Eddings should have been able to see through Paul's glove in the first lucky break the Sox have gotten in two games filled with Angel fortunate-ness. Ridiculous.
 
whoa rage there buddy ? Verbal outs do not matter, he held up this arm and then pumped the other one, he singaled him out...the players in the field do not hear him anyways, eddings is a showboater....check out his history around the league...not good in many instances.....how many good hits do the sox have? Nice "smart ball" they score almost 50% of their runs on HR's ...its like the sCrUBS do ....Garland? gonna get rocked
 
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