I know this is soccer, but after watching the Yankees and Angels game I just had to comment on the horrible call/no call at 3rd base. Ok, I can understand how the 3rd base umpire could miss the first tag, clearly you can see that he is screened, and he made no attempt to move to a better angle. However, where in the world was the home plate umpire? The play started with the catcher running up the 3rd base line with the ball, CLEARLY the home plate umpire is watching the catcher. I can not understand for the life of me how and or why the home plate umpire didnt call him out, what was he watching? As soccer officials especially as AR's we try to watch the entire field as much as possible, but how does the 3rd base ump, the home plate ump, the left field line ump and I would even argue the 2nd base ump completely miss that? It shows what happens when your not watching the play, or don't have the courage to come forward and correct a wrong.
makes me laugh that I heard guys on Around the Horn talking about how an umpire could possibly see the catch/tag and call it properly. First, the umpire could actually take 3 steps to position himself so the ball and runner are in the same line of view. If every soccer referee can manage to call offside, keeping one eye on the passer and one eye on the 2ld, why cant a baseball ump do the same? They should require fitness tests for baseball umping...not that I watch it anyways. raises an interesting debate about an old crotchety commissioner that doesn't want to embrace technology to make sure calls are correct.
Now why did you get me started on baseball umpiring. I have a difficult time watching baseball umpiring. The proximity play at second base has me fuming all the time. Here's what drives me crazy. 1. Runner tries to steal a base and beats the tag to the bag. He's safe, but not in baseball. Why is this nonsense allowed, because some idiot many years ago said that it was correct for umpires to call the runner out even if the tag was applied after the runner slid into the base because the ball got to the player covering the base first. How is he out? The runner beat the tag. This is false. Instant replay makes a farce of this play. This a a relic of a time when fans were watching the game at the stadium and had no benefit of instant replay and might boo a decision because the ball got to the base well before the runner did. 2. On a double play the runner can be called out at second or third base even if the short stop or second baseman do not step on the base. You can be in the area. If a runner is out on a force out or to start a double play by the defensive player stepping on the bag, then the defensive player needs to step on the bag. You cannot be in proximity or even be real close to stepping on the bag (I have seen shortstops three feet off the bag and get the runner called out at second base on the double play). How can one take a sport seriously when there are such gaffs allowed in the run of play.
Don't forget that baseball has a crew cheif who has the final say on any matter in the game. The crew cheif was the third base umpire. So the home plate umpire may have seen the play but he would then have to subtly let the crew cheif know that he screwed up or could just let the play stand.
Admittedly it was a screw-up. Admittedly the ump blew the call. But you guys are sounding like the know-it-all parents in the stands saying These refs suck. Those men are the best umpires there are. They have systems of positioning and rotation designed to put them in the best place to make the call. Did the systems fail here? Yes. Maybe we can analyze why. Well, actually we can't because we don't know jack about umpiring major league baseball in a 6 man system. Seriously, these guys are not just blithering idiots. No need to join the peanut gallery here.
My brother had a similar situation when he was coaching his daughter's softball team a few years back. Other team's player trying to get to third base ran over his third baseman (who held on to the ball - no way the player could have got to the base without being tagged). Jr ump went to call out when Sr ump called safe. Jr ump just stood there. My brother came out (not crossing baseline - I guess that's immediate ejection), saying how could the runner get to 3rd without getting tagged. Sr ump held firm, so my brother asked the Jr ump(who had been ready to call out) for some help, the Jr ump kinda looked at the Sr. ump and motioned safe. My brother flabbergasted, trying to not get ejected said "that's that's, that's immoral", ......"you need Jesus". And then he was ejected.
One of the things about umpiring in baseball is a certain lack of consensus. If you in our sport make contact with your AR you will get a response about in/out and direction. In baseball, you are basically responsible for your portion of the field, and help be damned. The home plate umpire the other night HAD to have the proper view of that play at third. But, by tradition, he is NOT allowed to intervene, and there will a conference about a play like that the next time Haley's Comet comes around. Pointy ball (at least in the NFL) will conference until the cows come home to get a particular call right (or at least until overturned on replay), but they talk to each other all the time. Baseball has rare opportunities for teamwork.