Tim McCarver just noted that Shane Victorino was a pretty good kicker for his high school football team and that he was offered a scholarship to the University of Hawaii. However, now that he’s driven in four runs tonight, McCarver feels Victorino chose well to go into baseball.
Presumably, had Victorino NOT driven in four runs tonight, the question would still be open as to whether or not a ten-year veteran, three-time Gold Glove winner, All-Star and member of a World Series championship team with 1200 games in the major leagues had made a good decision to play professional baseball.
Way to go Sox!!! My wife and father-in-law are big-time Red Sox fans, and they’re feeling mighty good. His late father, Jake, is joining us in spirit but probably ghosting about Fenway right now.
Speaking as a Red Sox fan, the idea that Lackey won the deciding game of the World Series is a freaking miracle considering his Boston history.
Regarding the season…Dead wrong on every sox prediction. I thought they’d be fourth in the division ahead on Toronto and just behind the Baltimore. Happy to be wrong and makes this one a bit more fun.
When obstruction is signaled when no play is being made on the runner, the obstruction is nullified if the runner is not tagged out, and in the umpire’s judgement, would not have attained additional bases. It’s much like an umpire calling catcher’s obstruction but the batter and all runners advance at least one base. In such a case, the catcher’s obstruction is ignored. The obstruction is also nullified if the runner is thrown out by such a margin that the umpire believes the runners still would have been out had there been no obstruction. (Remember, I’m talking only about plays in which the fielder isn’t making a play on the ball.)
This is exactly what happened to Miguel Tejada in the Boston/Oakland playoff series in 2003. Bill Mueller, who was not fielding the ball, obstructed Tejada near the third base bag. Tejada erroneously thought he had home and jogged in only to be thrown out by a mile. Tejada was out, and the obstruction was ignored. In that play, the plate ump judged that Mueller did not impede Tejada enough to make up the difference in the play at the plate. Of course, had Tejada not erroneously thought he had the free base, he probably would have run harder, but it isn’t the umpire’s fault that Tejada didn’t understand the rule. Fielders are charged with errors when they are charged with obstruction. Mueller was not charged with an error.