Umpiring and the World Series
Posted on October 28th, 2009 – 9:56 AMBy La Velle
The scene from the 1994 NBA Eastern Conference semifinals between the Bulls and Knicks is branded to my brain.
With 2.1 seconds left in Gane 5, referee Hue Hollins called Scottie Pippen for a foul on Hubert Davis when it was beyond clear that the slight contact came after Davis released the shot. Davis sank two free throws. The Knicks won 87-86 and ended up winning a series in which the home team won every game. This is not revisionist history.
Bulls coach Phil Jackson compared the call to the U.S. Olympic team getting jobbed against the Russians in the 1972 games. Darrell Garretson, the supervisor of officials at the time, at first backed the decision, the next season, admitted that Hollins blew the call.
For the rest of his career, whenever Hollins worked a game in Chicago, he was booed by Bulls fans. I even heard a Chicago fan boo him at Target Center when he worked a Bulls-Wolves game (I swear, it wasn’t me).
I’m not saying that MLB umpires have lined themselves up for such treatment down the road. But right there with managers overmanaging and closers giving it up, this postseason will be known for bad umpiring.
We now know who C.B. Bucknor is after his two controversial calls during the Red Sox-Angels ALDS series,.
We now know about Phil Cuzzi for his call against the Twins in the ALDS against the Yankees.
And we know about Tim McClelleland - if you didn’t already know him for his role in the George Brett pine tar game (yes, he’s been around that long) - for his calls in the ALCS between the Yankees and Angels.
You can make a case for an expansion of instant replay for postseason games. It’s the time of year in which everyone hangs on every pitch and cares less about length of games. So another minute to get a call right doesn’t ruin the pace of the game.
MLB could have added instant replay to this year’s World Series, but commish Bud Selig has rejected those suggestions.
So we’ll just sit back and wait for the next controversy, Bud.
Meanwhile, you can read my man Jim Salisbury’s preview of the umpires for this year’s November Classic. It looks like the league has changed its approach in one aspect.
Sticking with Yankees in 5.
74 Responses to "Umpiring and the World Series"
I remember when Brett’s homerun got reversed and he came charging out of the dugout like a crazed bull. I really thought people would be beat up by him but they managed to calm him down but I didn’t remember McClelland was the umpire at the time. Real Nice! I would be in favor of a challenge flag to be used a couple of times for each manager for line calls, plays at a base but definitely not balls and strike calls. Think Bud Selig needs to get into the 21st century or else get a commissioner that is open to some change. Phillies in 6.
There’s no reason that all controversial calls can’t be reviewed. If it takes more than 30 seconds to decide if a call was right, then leave it as is.
I never supported the idea of instant replay in baseball before, but after this postseason I’ve lost a lot of faith in umpires doing their job.
Many of these blown calls are not because the umpire was “out of position”, like Tim McClelland’s two blown calls and the Phil Cuzzi call.
There has been a solution suggested for the problem that is so simple and without downside that it is inexcusable not to implement it. Put an umpire in the booth, or in a dungeon somewhere, with a TV feed. If he sees the umps on the field get a call blatantly wrong, he lets them know. That is all.
We don’t want coaches with challenge flags waiting until the last minute to throw them, continued arguments, or arbitrary rules about what calls can be challenged when. Just get the call right.
Part of the problem with instant replay is defining what is reviewable. The Cuzzi call (how can you miss a call 15 feet away from you, particularly when your only job is to call balls fair or foul?) would obviously be a reviewable call. But what if the ball ahd rattled around in the corner? Do you award 2 bases for that automatically? I’m not sure the McClelland call (how on Earth could he have missed that?) should be reviewable. If that’s reviewable, every close play at a base is reviewable. Where do you draw the line?
Why draw a line? Why not strive to get all the calls right? Take the time that the batters re-adjust their gloves, and give that to the review ump….
I like the umpire in the booth idea (similar to big 10 football) to simply get the call right if they see something wrong.
I also think mww has hit on something to make up for the time spent. Tell the hitters to come in to the box with their equipment/armor set how they want it. Any time they adjust their gloves or elbow/arm armor or anything (perhaps other than helmet for safety reasons) after the first pitch is thrown, it’s an automatic strike. We’ll have games played in 2 hours routinely! Then we can start working on the slow pitchers.
JC,
I don’t think your idea would work. With the avg MLB player IQ 84 these guys need this time to think.
When I go to a Twins game, I don’t care if it takes 2 hours or 4 hours, I am there to watch a good game. It is called recreation. I do not put a time limit on how long I am in a boat trying to catch walleye.
Mww, I don’t think the umpires are not striving to get the calls right. And if every call is reviewable (including balls and strikes), it will get tedious to watch. It’s not that I don’t think replay has a place; I think it does. I also think that you have to define your terms.
Boneyard, balls and strikes will never be reviewable. Very few others would be, with the exception of obviously missed calls like we have seen in this season’s post season.
Instant replay all the way, except for balls and strikes. The game moves too fast at times for the human eye, plus even well-intentioned humans just plain make mistakes sometimes. Technology has evolved to become very effective in most situations and should be used. It won’t take any more time to review a play than the arguments take after a questionnable call anyway. Plus if the call affects the outcome of the game, and your team wins or loses, wouldn’t you want it to be the RIGHT call? I wouldn’t want to lose on the wrong call - same as I wouldn’t want to win on a botched call either. This is a no-brainer…
“I like the umpire in the booth idea (similar to big 10 football) to simply get the call right if they see something wrong.”
Exactly. There is a supervising umpire at every game in the stands/booth anyway. Have him review the 3-4 questionnable calls each game (if necessary). It would take maybe 60 seconds to review any call… and to walkie-talkie the review decision back to the crew chief. Your talking a measely extra 3-4 minutes per game to get it right. In the current situation, with even one bad call during the game - and the manager argues, goes nuts then gets thrown out and your looking at 5 minutes and then a commercial break anyway….
DrDon,
With current cheap technology balls and strikes could be “sensed” with near 100% accuracy. The charm of the various strike zones from the various umpires is lost on me, and I think the average fan. I for one can’t wait for high tech to eliminate the umpire’s failings in this area as a component of the games outcome.
I think the time saved by not having 10 minute manager tirades would more than make up for any time lost utilizing replay. Manager comes out to argue. Crew Chief gets the word from the eye in the sky. Crew Chief tells the manager “you’re right, the call is reversed”, or “call was upheld, sit down and shut up.” If he doesn’t immediately turn around and go back to the dugout, you toss his ass and he’s suspended for 3 games.
JC,
Would you allow umpire discretion on awarding bases?
Paul, as long as they don’t use the TBS technology on balls and strikes, thats fine.
The thing that’s a challenge with b/s calls is that the strike zone, while uniform in width, is not uniform in height. It runs knees-to-letters (approx), based on the hitter’s normal batting stance, and that would vary by hitter.
Unless you’re willing to change the rule to just say the zone is from 18 inches above the plate to 48 inches above the plate, regardless of the size of the hitter, I don’t see anything replacing the plate umpire’s judgement on b/s calls any time soon.
I think you have to, Paul. You’d probably have the umpire in the booth, who in theory would have the benefit of seeing camera shots of where runners were at when the questionable call was made, make the decision on awarding bases as well.
You could even just be arbitrary about it, like they do with ground rule doubles. “Blown fair/foul or catch/no catch call in the infield, everyone gets one base. If it’s in the outfield, everyone gets two bases.” Yes, sometimes that means a guy who might have gone 3 bases will only get 2. But that happens on balls that bounce over the fence now, too. Still better than being called out or foul.
JC,
To call the “TBS technology” technology is a misnomer. It would be very simple to calibrate batters beforehand. And recalibrate them whenever they felt it was wrong. Minutes.
Betcha a nickel we see it in our lifetime.
I dunno, Paul. I’m pretty old!
Consistent strike zone is 10 times more important than all the blown calls combined. If the ump calls a borderline pitch a ball instead of a strike it changes the whole at bat which changes the game. So most at bats are dependent upon how the ump calls it. If you don’t believe me check out Mauer’s or Young’s or Cuddyer’s average when they are behind in the count vs ahead of the count. So I consider the rest of the umping to be minor but still why not get it right if it is easy to do.
Lavelle,
I am guessing you are not as upset about the shove that Jordan gave Russell in the finals against Utah. I think replays showed that to be as blatant as you can get. Fact is there were probably about a 100 other calls that game and the one you were talking about that could have gone a different way. I am not saying it all evens out because it probably doesn’t but they all affect the game.
JC,
You make a lotta sense with this. I can see this happening. As soon as the generations of umpires turns over.
Criminilities,
“Consistent strike zone”
Yes! Exactly.
I also believe, once the strike zone thing is fixed, we will see a pitching renaisance.
JC, Paul
The technology is available and it could adjust for varying strike zones with ease.
One of the great things about baseball is that it is an imperfect game. Hitters who are successful 30 percent of the time are among the best in the game. Umpires are not perfect either. Having replays and electronic strike zones would completely ruin the game.
Replays work in football, because football is a more exact game. You’re in bounds or your out of bounds. You fumbled or you didn’t. How many times have you watched the replay on a close play in a baseball game and it could have gone either way? And as for the strike zone, it is imperfect, as well. It’s different for each batter. The problem isn’t that one umpire calls outside pitches and another doesn’t. As long as the umpire is consistent on his calls, that’s all that matters. Do some players get calls that others don’t? Sure. It’s all about the tradition of respecting good players.If Baker’s in the strike zone all day, he gets a close call. If Liriano is throwing the ball all over the place, he’s not going to get the close call. I don’t have a problem with that. It’s a unique part of the game that isn’t found in other sports.
ES16,
Like I said, the charm is lost on me.
Paul,
Maybe you should consider watching another sport with far less charm and character. May I suggest track and field, or possibly swimming. Replays are already in place and you don’t have to worry about being bothered with the many nuances that give baseball its character.
Fair/foul should be reviewable, everything else should not. Replay was put in to make boundry calls - use to review all boundries, not just the outfield fence.
The problem with varying strike zones is they have a tendancy to favor certain players.
Quadruple umpires’ pay. And fire the ones who can’t call balls and strikes.
Sorry Lavelle,
boring column for Twins baseball…I was hoping for Twins insight….
My problems with umps lie with the ones that want to be “part of the game”. Just looking to make a controversial call so that they can be in the limelight. Umpires that have consistently arguable strike zones or have a penchant for throwing out more managers/players than normal, or that miss more calls than average, need to be thinned from the herd. Technology backup would be nice as long as games don’t get substantially longer.
ES16,
It wasn’t my intent to insult you. I’m sorry if you felt I insulted you or your opinion. Sometimes I’m fairly terse in communication.
You’re obviously a fan and have taken the time to become knowledgeable about the sport. So am I and so have I. You feel that the umpire bias, failings, personalities and proclivities add something you find interesting. Great. OK. I can appreciate that. For me it’s all about the game and the players. I don’t like it when Jeter gets a pass cause someone thinks he’s pretty. I don’t like it when Harris gets jobbed cause someone thinks he’s ugly. I don’t like it when batters with 20-12 vision get screwed by an old guy with 20-20. Been there. It sucks. And it skews the outcome. I prefer that the players and their ability decide the game.
shorter games?? i think the beer lobby would have a few words to say against that!!
E16, I’ve been involved with baseball in one form or another (even as an umpire for a time) for a half century and I find a great deal of charm in many aspects of the game. There is no “charm” however in the imperfection of umpires. In fact, if it were merely imperfection, I could live with that. But it’s not. It is blatant incompetency, and often arrogant incompetency, at that.
I see no more “exactness” in officials calls in football than in baseball. Fair/foul is no more inexact that inbounds/out of bounds. Fumble/no fumble is no more exact than safe/out.
I do not find umpires with widely diverse (not to mention erratic, based on the talents or reputation of the hitter and/or pitcher involved) strike zones to be “charming”.
If it’s simply to be accepted that AllStars get the benefit of the doubt on all close calls (and here I struggle not to ring up LEN with his complaint about one particular bad call against his Bulls when their superstar made a career out of getting every officiating benefit of the doubt possible… but I digress), then should we really be surprised if a team like the Yankees, who employ virtually nothing BUT AllStars, get 90% of the close calls in their favor? This is “charm”?
When the question of using technology comes up, I think a fair question to ask is, “had the technology been as readily available 100 years go as it is today, would it have been used by those who invented and developed the game?”
I believe umpires were used from the onset because that was the most available and affordable “technology” that existed at the time. If today’s technology had existed in a readily affordable manner at the time, it would have been employed. The goal should always be to “get it right” so all players and all teams are have rules applied uniformly. It’s not “charming” when such is not the case.
“gobbledygookguy says:
October 28th, 2009 at 3:01 pm
shorter games?? i think the beer lobby would have a few words to say against that!!”
ME TOO!!!!!!!!!
I often agree with many regular posters and a few familiar names weighed in on this subject. I am disappointed in the ones who want to incorporate more replays and do away with more of the human element in baseball. It’s not broke and it’s nothing new, don’t fix it.
“the human element in baseball. It’s not broke and it’s nothing new, don’t fix it.”
It’s broke.
It always has been.
It SHOULD be fixed, if it CAN be fixed.
To accept the unfair or incompetent enforcement of the rules is not defensible.
Especially by the “that’s the way it has always been” defense.
If it is crap, it should be discarded, and its remnants expunged.
Even if it is “old and traditional” crap.
Replays work in football, because football is a more exact game.
I gotta agree with JC…the statement above is completely ridiculous.
And I agree with sane…if you have the power to make something better, and CHOOSE not to, well, that’s completely ridiculous as well.
Empty seats in a World Series game…yes, New York is TRULY the best baseball fans. *eyeroll*
But thank god Derek Jeter is there, he’s helping Coke through this.
And now FOX has picture in picture with the game and Derek Jeter.
This is the most disgusting display of announcing I’ve ever seen.
Yankees down 5-0 and all they can do is talk about JETER. Not the Philies thus far.
Good lord.
Oo, all of a sudden everyone realizes the Yanks BP is young.
Oo, now everyone should know the Phils have 4 guys with over 30 HR’s, anchored by their first baseman.
BTW:
If you type in the Phillies’ first-baseman’s name, your comment will go into purgatory forever, awaiting moderation.
BTW II:
Schlug Selig is on Letterman tonight.
romer: Could that be because it’s also the name of the one of the Strib commenters?
I know there have been some users who verbally abuse those three…so it’s entirely possible that posts specifically directed at them (or potentially targeted at them) get modded.
Also, apparently the Phillies trying to turn the DP is “doing too much”
Yeah, T…….I presume they flag references to Mr. Sinker.
Oo, A-Rod back to his typical post-season self there with 3 K’s.
Of course when you mention Joe C or La Velle it’s not flagged.
Howwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwward.
Gettin’ giddy here with this Yanks loss.
I’m torn on the replay debate. Particularly as it pertains to balls and strikes.
I agree with an earlier post that these are the calls (subtle as they may be) that can really alter the game. I don’t agree with guys getting those calls based on reputation. However, a pitcher who figures out the ump’s zone early and consistently hits it (and tests its edges) deserves some calls later IMO. That IS one of the subtle nuances of the game. The problem is that takes an ump with a clear, consistent, unbiased strike zone.
Hence my being torn.
Yanks in 5 LEN??? Go Phils!
I’m with sane and JimC, if they had the technology to get the calls right when the game was invtented, they’d have used technology. Not using it now really adds nothing to the game. Imagine the TWins and other teams’ pitchers having the same width strike zone. That would be a true test of hitting and pitching ability. Giving some people different zones makes it an inherently unfair game. There is nothing charming about bad umpiring for me. For me, the game is about the players trying to outdo the other players.
World Series games are too long already. Why? Advertisement mainly. However, teams like the Yanks play painfully slow. An instant replay will not mess up the pace of the game since it already is glacial.
ump in the booth he buzzes the crew chief if a mistake is made, everyone in the crowd gets a free beer paid by the umpires union, everyone is happy.
well except the umps but i think they’d make better calls if it cost them, maybe even look like they care?
i watched most of the game last night i don’t recall that they ever said who the yankees were playing. was it the yanks against the yanks? that’s all they talked about. i did see long segments of how to play ss, all the things god-jeter does that no other mortal ss would ever do. it seemed like most of the night the tv just showed jeter standing in the field and a-rod eating seeds.
Hey, let’s just get rid of the umpires on the field and have one guy up in the box with a TV monitor. He could call everything. We could have a symbolic umpire robot behind the plate, who would yell out ball, strike, out, etc. in a Stephen Hawking computer voice.
Sounds good to me. Just as long as the robots don’t blow obvious calls.
I think that the fashion is to have robots speak in a British gal’s voice, though.
“Hey, let’s just get rid of the umpires on the field and have one guy up in the box with a TV monitor. He could call everything.”
The most entertaining by-product of that system would be seeing Gardy run up those stairs to get in the face of Monitor-man.
Or getting a cold one, while Jim Leland pauses to light up another cigarette on his “stairway to Heaven” (or Hell).
The robot should be equipped with a laser so he could zap any manager who questions his call just to add to the entertainment.
Lavel, here’s a talker….Is the current Yankee infield the best in history?
You have two with sure-fire Hall of Fame credentials, and one, if he keeps on his current pace will, and one who will have Ryan Sandburg type numbers if he keeps going at his current pace.
Comments
If Aroid gets in does that mean McGuire does too?
Ryne Sandberg should not be in the HOF that’s a joke.
I’ll take a pass on all discussions of who should or should not be in the HOF, and who should or should not win the postseason awards.
There are no answers to those debates and the solutions do nothing to enhance the game, IMO.
This La Velle post will help all of us remember the names of the umpires when they come to the Twin Cities next season ….
sane,
How bout the Miss nude America pagent?
“How bout the Miss nude America pagent?”
It’s not whether they win or lose…..
It’s how they play the game.
Steroid-era players who have not been implicated for PED use get bonus HOF points.
How’s that top 10 minor league list coming along, LaVelle?
I can’t believe they called the error on aroid a hit last night.
Right, Says. A-Rod is getting some breaks. His homer in Game 3 was called a home run although it would not have gone out if the camera was not there. Further proof that instant replay is not 100% accurate and should not even be in Major League Baseball.
“instant replay is not 100% accurate and should not even be in Major League Baseball.”
Unlike the umpires, who are so often inaccurate, that all their questionable calls should be subjected to review.
If 100% accuracy is the goal, umpires should NEVER be given final authority, because NO UMPIRE REMOTELY APPROACHES 100% ACCURACY.
So can somebody explain why Charlie Manuel didn’t start Lee tonight?
Looking at the box score this morning…looks like Lidge can add his name to the list of closers who need to be traded.
With replay on balls and strikes, pitchers would certainly throw less pitches against the yankee$.
