MLB 2005

[JediMAC]

You can't ever complain about an umpiring call being the reason why you lost.  Had the Angels scored a couple more runs it wouldn't have even mattered.  You win some umpiring calls, you lose some umpiring calls.  Plenty of calls broke in the Angels favor in the Yankees series, and I didn't hear any Angels fans complaining about the officiating then.  If the Angels won, it was a non-issue.  It's only now that one didn't go the Angels way that the crying starts.  That's the way karma works for the way umps called stuff in the Yankee series.  The umps got this one right.

The umps got this one right?!  Dude, you're seriously a total idiot then.  Or a very bitter liar.  Or as completely blind as the 6 umps on the field.  Take your pick.  Pathetic, Matt.  Seriously.  That one comment there shows me exactly why you have so many problems in the Fantasy threads here.

But maybe you didn't hear me.  Spewing that karma bull**** with respect to the similar play in the Yankees series is just that - bull****.  You're damned right I can complain that this is the reason that the Angels lost tonight!  You can't be serious about that, right?  That was the THIRD OUT in the bottom of the ninth inning.  They should've been going into extra innings after that, instead of having the very next batter come up and win the game for the Sox.  Sure, the Sox may have won the game in extra innings, but they sure as **** shouldn't have won it in regulation.  Only a dumbass bitter Yankees fan would claim some nonsense BS like that, and you did so exactly as I predicted. 

If umpires make bad calls throughout games/seasons, then why has every media outlet across the country been saying all night long that this is one of the worst calls in the history of baseball, which will lead towards a strong push for, and the likely implementation of, video replay in the majors.  No one said that **** after the Yankees series.  At all.  This call was slightly bigger than the average blown call, of which there are many during games and seasons, no doubt.  Have you watched ESPN, or any other sports news, at all tonight?

But to blow this off as some average blown call is pure horse****, and tells me you don't know nearly as much about the game as you claim.  You think this is just a bitter Angels' fan complaining here?  No.  Like I said, I'm INFURIATED whenever something like this happens to any team, and a game isn't decided by the players on the field - regardless of whether one of my teams is involved, or not.  I'm sorry your Yankees sucked in the postseason again, but that doesn't mean that any team that plays them and beats them has karma working against them.  You don't think there were blown calls in favor of the Yankees in the last series?!?  ****, I could list at least 5.  You had ONE remotely questionable call go against you, for a runner running INSIDE the baselines, which is AGAINST the rules.  I assume you did see the replay on that, right?  Tonight's strikeout (and subsequent catch) was a hundred times more obvious than the similar play in the Yankees series.

Not to mention you guys didn't have to face our Cy Young probable pitcher, or our number 3 pitcher, both due to injuries and illnesses.  Not to mention your team has the luxury of fielding a $200 million+ lineup of all-stars.  If that's not enough to beat anyone, then you guys have a serious problem, and it's not the umpires making one call against you.  Hell, you guys should've been winning every single game 11-5 with that team.  Why they didn't, I have no idea.  But as I was forced to learn the hard way when my Lakers got waxed by the Pistons 2 years ago, the best individual talent does not always win out.

But you've really shown me a lot with that comment about the umps getting this one right.  You know what?  I think everyone at JD has gotten something else right, and that's that when it comes to sports, you can be a completely classless moronic *******.

Like I said, don't get me started...

- M

[Ryan]

I'm just glad the Yankees and the Red Sox got eliminated, they are easily my least favorite teams in baseball and are right up there on my list of least favorite teams in any sport.

As for the Angels/Sox game tonight....

The Angels got SCREWED. That was eaily one of the worst calls I have seen in any sport. The umpire clearly called the batter out. That's the kind of **** they need replay reviews for. Just to be clear I'm not even an Angels fan, if anything I want the Sox in the Series more than the Angels. Of course there are bad calls in any sport on any given day, but this was one of the worst I have ever seen. It was an absolutely pathetic call. That umpire should never set foot on an MLB field again, because he clearly signalled the out and then once the guy was on base, he denied ever making the call.

That being said one call like that doesn't make a game. It wasn't the reason the Angels lost. It certainly contributed to it, but it wasn't the sole reason. If the Angels had had some better offense earlier in the game it wouldn't have been as big of an issue. That doesn't change the fact is was an absolutely ****** call though.






Go Rockies.

[John C]

I don't care for the Angels, but I hate to see a team lose due to a blown call.  That sucks, man.

[Jeff]

Yeah, I agree that the Angels got the screw job on that call.  "Changed direction" my ass.  I didn't see any angle that lead me to believe the ball hit the ground. 

Maybe the Angels wouldn't have won the game anyway, but they sure deserved to go to the top of the tenth to give it a try...

[Dressel Rebel]

My whole point here is that umpires get stuff right and wrong all season long, some break your way, others break the other team's way.  Any call in any game in any regular season or playoff game can make or break you.  This call in the Angels game is no different than one in say game 45 of the regular season that broke against, I dunno, say the Marlins, costing the game and the 1 game in the standings that kept them out of the playoffs.  There's no difference.  You can't come in here Colman and start bitching about one call in this game and claim you got screwed, and not bring up the other 300 questionable umpiring calls throughout the season, 1/2 of which broke your way.

The Angels lost, if they did some things better in the game, they wouldn't have had to worry about that call.

[JediMAC]

You can't come in here Colman and start bitching about one call in this game and claim you got screwed, and not bring up the other 300 questionable umpiring calls throughout the season, 1/2 of which broke your way.

Then why is that one call the the leading story throughout the sports world right now, with talk of rule changes, instant replay changes, umpire changes, etc.  It's the playoffs, and things are highly magnified right now.  Get a clue.

That umpire screwed that play up in so many different ways:

1.  Blew the call.  The ball was caught.  It didn't bounce, and it was not dropped.
2.  He gave the "out" signal with his fist, which everyone (players, coaches, media) all say was the "Third Out" signal - not the "Third Strike" signal.
3.  He never verbalized "No catch!  No catch!" to the catcher (and batter), as he's supposed to in that situation.

So the guy screwed it up on every possible level, and then looked like a complete ass trying to explain it (along with his pals) in the press conference afterwards.  Hey, do they have press conferences throughout the regular season too when calls are blown?  Apparently they do, since all blown calls are created equal, right?  Yeah, whatever.

So, you're still sticking to your guns and saying that was the correct call, Matt?  Or are you going to actually be honest and say that you just said that because you were still bitter and jaded over the Yankees loss, and were trying to be a prick and start some **** in here?  If you really think that was the correct call, then you're more of a fool than the umps, since you've had the benefit of seeing the replay a million and one times by now...

- M

[Dressel Rebel]

Dude, you're seriously a total idiot then. 

Only a dumbass bitter Yankees fan would claim some nonsense BS like that, and you did so exactly as I predicted. 

you can be a completely classless moronic *******.


- M

Matt -

I have a right to come in here and express my opinion.  If I believe in the call, then I believe in the call.  It's easy for all these monday morning quarterbacks to doubt a call that took a split second to make during a game.

And with all your swearing and namecalling, you're worse than Philip.  And you're a moderator Matt.

If I liked the umps call, I can log in here and say that, and I shouldn't have a moderator like you fire a profanity-laced tirade at me for it. 

My post on this topic contained no namecalling or profanity of any kind.

And I do believe in an umpire's on-the-spot call-making ability.  Whatever they say goes, they were standing right there when it happened.  You win some, you lose some.  You're acting like this was the first time you watched a baseball game.  I've seen this 100 times.

[JediMAC]

Heh.  Whatever Matt.  I've seen that identical rhetoric from you a hundred times when you complain to all the moderators about anyone and everyone who's "not nice" to you in the forums.  Guess what?  You can swear here.

I'm also saying your "opinion" is actually a lie, and not really some random "opinion" on something.  That's why I now believe everyone else in these forums who's constantly questioning your integrity and honesty about things.  Guess what?  Yep, they're right.

BTW, tell me something, what's your "opinion" of the "Jeffrey Maier incident" in Game 1 of the 1996 ALCS?  Just your average blown call, right? 

You can say whatever stupid **** you can think of, like this "is the first baseball game I've ever watched".  Grade school bull**** like that doesn't bother me.  It just makes you look like an idiot.  I'm also enjoying watching you dance around my questions of whether you truly believed that call was correct.  You're acting just like the umps did after the game.  Amusing.  I don't care about this "on the spot" call.  I want to know what you thought of the call after you saw the replay 100 times.  You said they got it right.  I say you're just being a petty, bitter, jaded prick when you say that.

Now please go report me to the moderators here and ask to have me banned, like you did when Scott questioned your integrity... 

- M

[Dressel Rebel]

Heh.  Whatever Matt.  I've seen that identical rhetoric from you a hundred times when you complain to all the moderators about anyone and everyone who's "not nice" to you in the forums.  Guess what?  You can swear here.

I'm also saying your "opinion" is actually a lie, and not really some random "opinion" on something.  That's why I now believe everyone else in these forums who's constantly questioning your integrity and honesty about things.  Guess what?  Yep, they're right.

BTW, tell me something, what's your "opinion" of the "Jeffrey Maier incident" in Game 1 of the 1996 ALCS?  Just your average blown call, right? 

You can say whatever stupid **** you can think of, like this "is the first baseball game I've ever watched".  Grade school ******** like that doesn't bother me.  It just makes you look like an idiot.  I'm also enjoying watching you dance around my questions of whether you truly believed that call was correct.  You're acting just like the umps did after the game.  Amusing.  I don't care about this "on the spot" call.  I want to know what you thought of the call after you saw the replay 100 times.  You said they got it right.  I say you're just being a petty, bitter, jaded prick when you say that.

Now please go report me to the moderators here and ask to have me banned, like you did when Scott questioned your integrity... 

- M

I refuse to argue with you over this.  I have no problem with the umps call in that game, and if we're going to refute that call, then the same thing should be done for every umpiring call this season, some of which allowed or disallowed teams to get to the playoffs in the first place.  It's only now that your precious Angels caught one on the chin that you raise this issue.

And Matt, a lot of teams should suck like the Yankees do.  They've been to the playoffs for 10 straight seasons, and won 4 championships.  That's more than I can say for those whining baby Angels.

[Dressel Rebel]

3.  He never verbalized "No catch!  No catch!" to the catcher (and batter), as he's supposed to in that situation.

I think you need to check this, as it is not required as per the MLB rulebook.

[JediMAC]

3.  He never verbalized "No catch!  No catch!" to the catcher (and batter), as he's supposed to in that situation.

I think you need to check this, as it is not required as per the MLB rulebook.

I'm well aware of that.  But all the umpires in the major leagues do it anyway.  Eddings said he didn't do it last night on that play, but should have.

Thanks for the clarification on the Yankees there.  I had no idea they were so good of late, since I don't know anything about sports at all.  Please, if you've got any other brilliant insight into the sporting world, or helpful information like that, please LMK.  Thanks, 4-LOSW Jr.

- M

[Dressel Rebel]

3.  He never verbalized "No catch!  No catch!" to the catcher (and batter), as he's supposed to in that situation.

I think you need to check this, as it is not required as per the MLB rulebook.

I'm well aware of that.  But all the umpires in the major leagues do it anyway. 

No, you weren't well aware of that, because in your original post as you can see above next to #3, you stated "as he's supposed to in that situation". 

And he is not supposed to in that situation Matt, it is not a rule.  Sometimes umps do offer that up as a courtesy, but he is not "supposed to" as you originally claimed. 

It's time to get over it.  The ump made an on the spot call in a split second, and that's how baseball goes.  You can sit around and watch an instant replay 100 times and say how "wrong" the ump was, but you better sit around and review every single play: every catch, every tag, every check swing, in the series, because there are a lot of close ones that go on during the game, some were right and some were wrong, some break for your Angels and some don't.  And all of them contrbute to who wins and who loses, not just the one call at the end of the game that you're blaming the Angels latest loss on.

And if that call went for the Angels instead of against them, you wouldn't be sitting around here like you were drunk on a bar stool cursing at someone who disagrees with you about the call. 

[Jesse James]

I don't necessarilly agree that citing a bad call is basically irrelevant, especially at key moments which they do tend to get more focus then.  I think MAC's got a legitimate beef with the call...  But you're right DR that it's one of many questionable calls and that's in any sport really but Baseball it's worse I believe.

But I tend to agree with MAC's point of view when it comes to this general debate in sports (and it comes up almost every playoff for every major sport I think).  And there's the question of "questionable calls" and "judgment calls" by the officiating and there's some real grey area there...  To me this is where the main argument in MAC's favor comes into play because while replay's aren't the thing in baseball, the highlights I saw of this bad call were really a GOOD argument for replays being allowed and where an ump's very possibly using his judgment only to decide the game...  It's the rule though, no doubt, and I agree it wouldn't have necessarilly decided the game to the Angel's favor (or against it) but it certainly has to be frustrating for the Angel's fans that a bad call is that final nail in a game.  Maybe the golden nail too...

The argument of officiating in any sport is a valid one though I think.  I know it was a hot debate after the Steelers game Monday, and people were citing the bad calls for and against both teams...  and that wasn't anything to do with playoffs or anything.  Maybe I just travel in some really deep football circles but I know it was a hot topic around the water cooler and people were citing the calls that DID go to SD as well as those that hurt them and the ones that went for or against the Steelers too.

To me I'd be upset at a win if my team got it via a horrible call...  A win is a win they say, but there's been times even when I played a sport where a bad call in my team's favor took some of the umph out of a win...  Not enough for me not to celebrate with the team of course.   

[Chris M]

I agree that the umpire blew the call and unfortunately for the Angels, it put the winning run on 1st.  However, over the course of a 162 game season, plus playoffs, the umpires get it right 99% of the time.  From the angle of the umpire, it couldn't tell if the ball bounced or not...I give him that, he can check with the infield umpires on that, but they clearly deferred the call to home plate on consultation.  As a baseball fan, I hate seeing this happen to any team...even if it had been the Yankees.

The problem to me lies with the umpire giving the out signal as he had been doing all night long on both third strikes and outs.  That to me was a bad call by the umpire.  But, had the Angels hit the ball a little better, or had Mark Buerhle (sp?) not been in the groove as he was, the 9th inning strikeout wouldn't have mattered.  Although the call was blown, this is one of the things that makes baseball interesting to me.  The human error factor can change the direction of a game.

I hope my points here didn't sound like someone rambling on.

[JediMAC]

3.  He never verbalized "No catch!  No catch!" to the catcher (and batter), as he's supposed to in that situation.

I think you need to check this, as it is not required as per the MLB rulebook.

I'm well aware of that.  But all the umpires in the major leagues do it anyway. 

No, you weren't well aware of that, because in your original post as you can see above next to #3, you stated "as he's supposed to in that situation". 

And he is not supposed to in that situation Matt, it is not a rule.  Sometimes umps do offer that up as a courtesy, but he is not "supposed to" as you originally claimed. 

Don't tell me what I do and don't know, you idiot.  Like I said, I'm WELL AWARE of the rule.  Unlike you, I don't lie.  They've been talking about the rule since the night it happened, and I've seen it quoted 20 times by now, jackass.

But at the same time, they've also been mentioning that it's become standard practice for all umps to call "No catch!  No catch!" if there's any question at all, which this clown didn't do in this situation, even though he said he did it at an earlier point in the game.  Is that in the rule book?  No.  Do all Major League umps do it, and the catchers expect it?  Yes.  Any chance you wrap your 4-LOSW brain around that?

So shut up, you prick.  Now go make up some more stories.  Tell us more about how the ump made the absolutely correct call here, 'cause that's my favorite one...

At this point, I'm over the call.  What I'm not over is your continued idiocy in the Sports Forum here at JD, but considering everyone here has come to expect this of you, thanks for maintaining your stellar reputation.  You're pathetic.