Postseason Scoreboard watching....

[757690]

I rest my case:

Look at the rows of grass caused by the ground crew. Kozma is in a light colored row the entire time he calls it and then backs away. The ball falls in the dark colored row next to the row in which Kozma is standing.

I think that is definitive proof that Kozma never was camped under the ball, and needed a more than ordinary effort to catch it. Just because Kozma could or even should catch it, doesn't mean it could be caught with routine effort. Most balls hit in that area of the field are from routine, even if they are catchable.

[Wonderful Monds]

Hamilton K's to end the 8th in Texas

[Virginia Beach Reds]

Hamilton K's to end the 8th in Texas

and the crowd is booing him mercilessly.

[Wonderful Monds]

and the crowd is booing him mercilessly.

I do not expect to see him back there next year.

[kaldaniels]

Billy Hamilton could ordinarily catch balls well hit into the outfield. What would the umps do then.....

[Brutus]

The infielder was running away from a ball in short left field when an infield fly was suddenly called. That is absolutely relevant. It was a quirky play, you want to apply the call as black and white rule application. And it is also relevant that Matheny would not likely argued "that was infield fly rule" if no call was made.

That just further cemented the umpire's belief that it looked as if it were ordinary effort. He ran away from the ball only because he was called off (or at least thought he was). That does nothing to take away from the application of ordinary effort.

It isn't black and white that it was ordinary. It absolutely is black and white that the umpire does not need to worry about why he didn't make the catch. Whether he tripped or lost the ball in the lights or was called off and evacuated the area. None of those things matter when determining whether it could have been caught with ordinary effort.

As far as Matheny, show me in the rules where the standard exists "if the opposing manager would not argue, then it should not be called." I know that one isn't in the rulebook.

[757690]

I do not expect to see him back there next year.

Especially after his defense in the last game of the season.

[Brutus]

I just think there's a consistency issue.

If in your mind you expected, like most everyone else in that ballpark and watching on TV, that ball to be caught, then by nature it was probably an ordinary effort and in the spirit of the rule, the job of the umpire is to call it an out. I don't think one can say on one hand they thought it would be caught, but then on the other say the spirit of the rule is to protect the offense. The spirit of the rule is to keep balls that are likely caught by infielders from being dropped on purpose to turn a double play. That's the spirit of the rule. So if there is a play where most people expected an out on a pop fly, then the spirit of the rule is to call it an infield fly. It sucks that sometimes a team will wind up getting hurt by that rule when it's designed to help them, but that's how it works unfortunately. It's applied to keep it simple. Rather than making the umpire determine if a double play is probable or possible, it's simply just determined based on effort of anyone on the infield. As far as everyone else on the field, they truly are irrelevant to effort.

Thing is, people are throwing around this contrarian business because it's easier to just assume someone is arguing for the sake of arguing. No, I'm arguing because I believe it based on many years of training and experience.

Also, I hate the Cardinals. I would absolutely under no circumstances justify a win of theirs if I didn't believe it. Of all teams I don't want to justify a controversial call, it's them.

[HeatherC1212]

Enough about the crappy call in the previous game. Can this thread get back on track as a post season scoreboard watching one now???! Good gracious.

GO ORIOLES!!! Three outs away now!!!!

[kaldaniels]

Are there any fielding charts that show the deepest infield fly calls in the past say, 10 years?

[Tony Cloninger]

The Braves lost that game before that magical inning.

Josh Hamilton looks like he checked out of this season a few weeks back. He has a kind of D Bag attitude and whatever about the whole fiasco in OAK.

In 1973....when OAK and BAL were going at each other in the ALCS, i was looking forward to revenge on either of those teams once the Reds got past the Mets. It did not happen and there was finally revenge on the A's in 1990.
I look forward to revenge on the O's in WS this year.

[HeatherC1212]

I think I may have stopped breathing....

Come on Orioles!!!

[Tony Cloninger]

I think I may have stopped breathing....

Come on Orioles!!!

So what are you going to do if the O's and Reds meet in the WS?

Besides be very happy of course.

[kaldaniels]

Nice to see division titles really matter...I like this 1 game stuff.

[Wonderful Monds]

Hamilton looking like a manic Will Ferrell in the dugout