Are the umps tired from working the Arkansas-Florida game? Jeez-o-peets, that call where Posada and Cano were both off the bag at 3rd and both got tagged while off the bag and only one got called out was the worst call I’ve ever seen in my life. Then you had the bad call on Swisher being picked off at second, only to be made up for by another bad call on Swisher leaving third early on a fly ball. Worst umpiring ever, this postseason. MLB really needs to do something.
It is the worst umpiring I can recall seeing. The collection of bad calls is sad. McClelland was clearly out of position to render a call on Swisher leaving early. I see no way anyone could have missed the double tag of Cano and Posada. Worst pair of calls I have seen in a single game and they are lucky neither affected the final outcome. The Yanks did not take advantage of Cano being called safe on 3rd.
The play at 2nd on Swisher is a typical bang bang play and not a big deal. Same a little later when Gardner I think it was, was called out but actually slid in underneath the tag. It could have been someone else though.
I hope that McClelland, at the very least, had his ass handed to him behind closed doors after the game. I don’t like bad umping, even when it benefits my team.
Still, even if McClelland erred on the side of the Halos for every call in that game, the result would not have changed. CC, A-Rod and the rest just buried them. I guess we now know how CC pitches in the ALCS on 3 days rest. Next experiment…the World Series.
Sounds like it’s just as well that I slept through most of this one. Nice to have a game where I was actually that relaxed about the outcome. The over the last five games has been excellent, but it was about damn time the team started hitting with runners on base.
I couldn’t believe some sportswriters were questioning the decision to pitch Sabathia on three days’ rest. Were these people AWOL last year, when he went out on three days’ rest over and over for Milwaukee and was flat out incredible? Yes, he got tired in the postseason after he did it four or five starts in a row, but… do the math. A slightly tired Sabathia > Gaudin.
I agree strongly on the first part and as far as CC, well see the next.
The sportswriters, Fox pre-game and Michael Kay needed something to talk about but what shocked me is everyone was talking about how good Kazmir was against the Yanks and ignored 3 large facts.
CC is a horse than has often worked on 3 days rest and only ran into issues in the past as he was asked to do too many in a row.
Kazmir had only pitched twice in the prior month before last night and the last one was October 3rd. Yes, October 3rd. How was this not part of the story?
Those two starts, one was against the Yanks in Anaheim and he lost and did not look too good.
What the hell DID happen to Scott Kazmir? Since the Rays weren’t really in contention this year I didn’t pay much attention to him. I was very surprised when he was traded and then saw what kind of year he was having…
He is a 25 year old lefty with some control issues. If you are not patient, he will strike out a lot of your batters and look great. If you are patient, you can usually keep him from get 6 innings in and walk fairly often. He has good and bad games against the Yanks and always has. He actually pitched well for the Angels and helped them easily hold off the Rangers and Mariners.
Why Tampa moved him? They have limited resources and his extension is fairly expensive, I think it is $12 million next year or at least the following year. He is somewhat injury prone and only thrown 200 innings once in his young career and they decided for what the Angels offered they could use Kazmir’s money to keep other talented and more reliable players. Kazmir might turn into an Ace someday or he might just stay and injury prone lefty with control issues that shows moments of brilliance. I think the trade made sense for both teams involved.
Too many talking empty heads trying to fill up too much air-time with too little interesting to say, coupled with too many lame producers forcing them down the “company” story line (which was trying to make the game seem evenly pitched, trying to draw in more viewers).
Could the umps’ performance this postseason finally embarrass them and MLB into some changes?
Incredible.
It was right in front of you, about 3 feet away.
If that’s the best you can do, McClelland, it’s time to go home and turn the job over to somebody with functioning eyeballs.
100% correct. It is time for him to retire or baseball to can him. He is a bad ump anyway. I have a rule of thumb. If the Ump is good, I do not know his name. If I know his name he is a bad ump. I know McClelland’s name and have for years.
Better yet, you remember their nickname. Exhibit A, Balkin’ Bob Davidson. It’s like being “Incredibly Wide Strike Zone McGee.”
Meanwhile, this Mets fan is apparently looking at an October of played out and self-cancelling schadenfreudes. I put myself on the rooting DL.
I thought he looked like a guy with a stiff neck. He didn’t look at Swisher’s feet on the tag up play, he got faked out by Swisher’s upper body motion that preceded his getting off the base. I don’t think he saw Cano was off the base because he didn’t seem to be looking down. He was in poor position but I think he had trouble moving his neck.
I don’t remember Davidson? How long ago? Was it when umpires were by league still?
Umpire basics on the Swisher one, the umpire is suppose to back up to be able to see the runner and the fly ball.
The Cano one was he called what he expected to see and not what actually happened.
I am so not looking forward to seeing each manager issued a red challenge flag. 
But the umps will have brought that on themselves.
I don’t want it, I don’t. If MLB just did the right thing and started rewarding playoff games to good umps instead of senior umps it would be a big step up. Review the umps and shuffle them out if they are not good.
NL umpire from 1982-99, but he’s still around.
Truer words were never spoken.
I’m very happy tonight, Phils are back in the WS. I’m expecting we’re gonna fight the Yankees, which is what I called back when the playoffs started (sorry, I didn’t post that opinion on the dope to cite at this late of date…).
I repeatedly told everyone I talked to that I hope we don’t fight the Yankees in the end, they’re the only team I was worried about from the start. If the Phillies can knock off the Yankees in the series, I half-heartedly predict 10-20% of Philadelphia might go up in flames due to drunken/ornery fans.
After getting beat 11-0, a team can bounce back. Lose 11-0, and then lose the next game in the bottom of the 9th w/ 2 outs, and you’re now down 3-1 instead of 2-2… that’s a very hard thing to overcome, even if you try your damnest to keep Broxton off the mound.
Congrats, and thank you for knocking off the Dodgers.
NL champions two years running? Goddamn right the Phillies are! Bring on the Yankees, because we’re ready for a fight.