For the love of God, freeze on a line drive!!!!!
October 13, 2009First off, I want to say what a treat it has been to watch these post season games. Honestly, we’ve been able to witness 3 or 4 of the funnest games ever, right?
That being said, baseball has a got a really bad baserunning and umpiring rash going on right now. Kind of like a stubborn case of jock itch or athletes foot.
Granted, these guys are the best in the world at what they do. And to be perfectly honest, I love seeing the best in the world make mistakes. It is so imperfect, so baseball, so human, so much like life.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I dislike the idea of replay in baseball for a number of different reasons, but mostly because I love the imperfection of the human element. Replay for me brings with it a degree of sterility. Not to mention the fact my wife will KILL me if I have to sit on the couch for five hours to finish a game.
Look, the simple fact is, we’re sitting at the end of the season with the four best teams of 2009 (the Angels ARE better than the Sox, Philly IS better than the Rocks, etc). Despite the baserunning and umpiring mistakes, the right teams have finished where they should have. The cream has risen to the top without the use of replay. That’s my point, it may be ugly and mistake filled, but baseball, just like life, generally works out in the end.
Can I make a suggestion? Skip the replay idea and opt for a grading system similar to the one used by the NFL where the bottom 5% go back to the minor leagues every year. As it is, there’s no consequences for being bad if you’re an umpire. Basically you have a job till you die. Having a better grading system that would eliminate the fat every year would give opportunity to those coming up and (I think) increase umpiring efficiency.
OK, so back to the subject. A word of advice for both the umpires and the baserunners. First to the umpires. Relax, breathe, TAKE YOUR HANDS OFF YOUR THROATS, AND CONCENTRATE! You are making your job a lot harder than has to be. Geez, you’ve got like 19 umps on the field for these post season games. Clean it up.
To the baserunners….WHAT PART OF FREEZE ON A LINE DRIVE DON’T YOU UNDERSTAND? Breathe, relax, and freeze on a frickin line drive OK? It’s not that hard.
Which brings up another point. Baserunning really is a neglected aspect of the game. Unless you’ve got a great baserunning coach on your team (of which there is about 3 in the world) you’re screwed. Unless you’ve got the benefit of a guy like Davey Lopes or Jeff Cox to chirp in your ear in between innings or during play to be heads up to certain situations, you’ve got to take it upon yourself to self coach.
It’s kind of like catching, in that neither aspect of the game is taught well…even at the highest levels. So the moral of the story is (as it always is) BUY MY BOOK “The Art of Catching”. It is the solution for all baseball troubles. Also, if you are interested in listening and learning from one of the 3 experts on baserunning in the entire world, check out my podcast interview with ex-grande leaguer Rich Amaral.
Till next time, keep your eye on the ball…and do me a favor, freeze on a line drive.
OMG, can the umps miss another big call?
Hey Brent,
Right on!! I can’t stand going to live football games because of all the replay and commercial breaks. They destroy momentum and excitment, which is a huge part of the game, as is controversy. We end up sitting there watching the teams do nothing for 2-3 minutes–if not more–and it’s not worth the damage that it does to the flow of the game. It’s all human, and we should leave it that way. Let’s leave replays and recounts to the politicians where the question is fraud. Keep it out of sports, and especially baseball.
Steve