by Pete
On Tuesday night I watched the Pittsburgh Pirates get screwed on the single worst blown call since Don Denkinger cost the Royals a World Series in 1982.[1] Yes, I’m well aware that Jim Joyce had a famous blown call last year. But let’s be honest, that particular biff happened to occur on the edge of another notch in baseball’s history books. A late July game between the Pirates and Braves that goes to the 19th tied at three is great fodder for Sports Center – for about 20 seconds – and not much more.
At the time of my viewing of this particular game[2] my initial reaction was “Wow, I guess Jerry Meals really wanted to go home.” That was quickly followed by, “I’ll bet he thought McKenry’s swipe tag missed Lugo, that’s why he called him safe!” The former is probably the truth, the latter was part of Meals’s defense on Wednesday, and in the long run nothing will come of it.
And, honestly, nothing should. It was a bad call. It happens.
The main problem with the call is that it appears Meals is calling Lugo safe before he ever touches the plate. At best it’s a ‘bang-bang’ play, which means Meals was looking at the tag only. But, as many umps have admitted before, on tag plays it is not uncommon for a runner to be called out if the ball beats them there, regardless of the reality of the tag.
Meals himself gradually increased his error from “might have missed” to “missed” the call. The change of course came in the wake of MLB Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations Joe Torre’s comments that Meals missed the call. This distinction is important, of course, because if I were Jerry Meals I would much rather avoid admitting my error and wait around for a public semi-reprimand from my employer. Toeing the company line in order to undermine your own authority is sooooooo 21st century.
Umpires generally are under a lot of recent scrutiny. Major League Baseball often operates in a fluid space between ‘traditional’ and ‘antiquated’, and its flaws are often compared to game situations in basketball and football. Nevermind that the latter two are infinitely more TV friendly, the comparison dumbs the message down enough that a larger number of people can receive it. Baseball writers – Buster Olney sadly included – are once again calling for (expanded) replay, failing to understand that the hierarchy of concerns should be TV presentation then replay.[3] Again, ‘traditional’ or ‘antiquated’?
Criticism of officials, in fact, should probably be toned down. Based on the arguments put forth in the phenomenal book Scorecasting, officials are intentionally making calls that, in certain situations, allow the participating athletes to settle the conflict in the field of play. And I say more power to ‘em.
The Braves probably could care less about last night’s win since it cost them their starting catcher for the next three weeks at least. Who knew you could strain an oblique throwing a ball!?[4] While David Ross is a more than suitable replacement for Brian McCann as regards position, McCann seems to be the enjoyable glue that held a rollercoaster offense of lackluster personalities together.
Pirates president Frank Coonelly spewed the appropriate platitudes about how the Pirates “may have lost a game in the standings” but it “made the team stronger.” Or some such bullshit. Look Pirates fans, I hear you. I’m on your side. PNC Park might be the best-kept secret in baseball.[5] You wanted to win that game, dammit, and that’s okay! I know the media dragged on today with an “it could be worse” scenario as consolation. They’re right. It could be Steve Bartman. The Pirates have such a history of futility that if their season collapsed starting today no one would be surprised. Hey they might just be happy to know their team has a pulse again. But look at the big picture, Pirates fans. The NL Central is wide open, not good, and you’re in contention. The loss of Brian McCann could complicate things mightily for the Braves, widening the chase for the Wild Card. It really, literally could be worse. But if Jerry Meals is behind the plate for a Pirates elimination game sometime this season, it might be advisable to plunk the ump. You never know when he’ll get bored and want to go home.
[1] Full disclosure: I’m a Yankee fan. Jeffrey Maier is not a real person, he was simply the spirit of Babe Ruth incarnate, and Tony Tarasco should have tried harder. It was a home run.
[2] No bull. I watched CC almost throw a no hitter, the end of the Red Sox/Royals slugfest, Tampa’s embarrassment in Oakland, and then when I found there was still a game on at one in the morning I had no choice but to continue watching baseball. I am my own MLB Fan Cave.
[3] Then jobs, then khakis, then you get the chicks.
[4] The irony of this is not lost on me. And we thought kicking water coolers was a bad idea.
[5] The double-best-kept secret is that there’s a Quaker Steak and Lube inside the park. If marrying Emma Watson doesn’t pan out soon I’m moving to Pittsburgh.
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