(Get) A Sporting Life

Turns out the piece of shit umpire from last night was Rob Drake. Evidently he wasn't satisfied interfering with the game last night and attempted to do so again tonight. First, he called Freese out on a pitch 6 inches inside (which he hadn't called a strike ALL NIGHT LONG) when the Cards were in a critical situation. Then in a similar situation in extra innings he called Yadier Molina out on a pitch just as far inside. Yadi, who had been catching for 9 innings already knew that hadn't been a strike, and Yadi went ballistic. As well he should have. Drake put the Cards in a materially disadvantageous position, and seemingly did so on purpose. (Just as his blown call at first base last night didn't seem accidental. The play at first wasn't close. Neither were the pitches to Freese or Molina.) Yadi did bump Drake during the argument, a no-no which will cost him, but it was pathetic the way Drake pretended that Molina spit on him. Close ups on high definition televisio...

Watching the Cards vs. Brewers game.... or should I say the Cards vs. the first base umpire & the Brewers game. Cards just got screwed.... even the Brewers announcers stated "Not even close." This shitty call has materially affected the game as the Cards would have cut the score to 5-3 in the 6th innings AND still had Yadier Molina up with 2 on. That ump should be tied to a mound and devoured by ants. (And his bank accounts should be inspected to see if he is on the take. Yes, the call was that bad. It was not a bang-bang play.... Schumaker was nearly PAST THE BAG.) La Russa made the situation worse by not backing up his players. Really, there is no excuse for an umpire missing this call. None. I don't know who the fuck it is, and I don't care, all I know is he ought to not be an umpire... the thieving sack of shit.

...that turns MLB umpires into complete morons? I don't get it. During the regular season MLB umpires are, by far, the best officials in American professional sports. Sure, you can complain about wandering strike zones, and howlers like the excrementally bad call which cost Armando Galarraga a perfect game, but, in general, you don't see officials changing the entire complexion of a game like they routinely do in the NBA, MLS, NHL and NFL. Until they get into the post-season that is. Umpires the last few years have turned into complete choke artists. Last night's debacle in Minnesota is merely the latest example. (Plus the Rays were screwed out of a run as well by a phantom foul ball call.) It used to be bad calls in the post-season was defined by one play only, Denkinger in 1985. Today its take your pick. I really think MLB is gonna have to increase instant replay if only to save the asses of umpires. Its quickly becoming obvious that they cannot save themselves by doing a...

Jim Joyce ought to just fucking "retire" right now. His call taking away a deserved perfect game from Armando Galarraga simply beggars description. And let's get this clear up front: This was not a "controversial" call. This was to a normal baseball call what Charles Manson is to proper etiquette. This was an abortion of a call; an "I wonder was arsenic tastes like" call; a "kerosene works, why not gasoline?" call. To name this as "controversial" is to give way too much credit to the umpire. This wasn't close. This wasn't a "bang-bang" play or a 50/50 situation. So when Paul White in USA Today writes: Armando Galarraga of the Detroit Tigers came within one out -- and maybe one inch -or less -- of the third perfect game in the major leagues this season. ...this is pretty much the definition of journalistic fraud. This gives the false impression the play was close. It wasn't. Jason Donald was out by a good step ...

All I can say is the ALCS is unwatchable, if you like baseball. If you like watching the umpires (continuing) to give games to the Yankees, well enjoy.... but don't kid yourself that you are watching baseball. You are watching a corporate payday.

Everywhere I looked tonight I saw nothing but umpires convinced they are the reason people bought tickets. The Cards/Dodger game featured two primadonna. Home Plate umpire Jeff Kellogg is the worst kind of "Hey everybody!! Look at me!!!!!" umpire. You know the type. The kind of umpire that wants to make call, nay MUST make calls, even if the play didn't actually, you know, happen. Thus he says a player is hit by a pitch when they weren't, and he love to have his flamboyant strike out calls more then he likes to call strikes strikes and balls balls. But Kellogg was excellent compared to First Base umpire Rob Drake, who not only misses a tag that any non-blind first grader could call correctly 100% of the time as it wasn't even close, but who takes it upon himself to attempt to bait Cardinals pitcher Chris Carpenter. All Drake proved was he is a wuss of the highest order. Carpenter basically just told him to shut the hell up, and good for Chris. But, even Drake was ...

...but after watching Pujols get called out on a pitch a foot inside (and I'm being charitable) I decided my blood pressure could be lowered by doing something else, like jumping out of an airplane without a parachute or doing meth. My God, like Zambrano needs the help.