Baseball 2018

[Westheim]

How did Angel Hernandez get a postseason assignment at all??

Maths? What is it, 17 crews of 4 during the regular season, makes for 68, and now they got four DS going on, times 6 … nope, does not add up!

Angel Hernandez. (snorts)

Also, why does every headline on MLB.com now include the word "historic"?

Rooting for an Astros-Brewers World Series. Fun fact: those two could have met prior to 1998 as well, but then would have come from opposite leagues!

[Cobra Mgr]

Originally Posted by Whoofe

every time there is a strikeout, angel Hernandez breathes a sigh of relief

he's only blown 4 calls at 1B so far today

is he still suing MLB? lol

Replay of Angel's replays. If I were MLB's lawyer, I would get the jury & judge to look @ this link & then rest my case.


We all get the joy of seeing him behind the plate today.

[Westheim]

They couldn't hide him in the Astros-Indians series that only old men (who are grumpy by default) and Europeans had a chance to catch a glimpse of? Nope - MLB puts its biggest turd right in the middle of the spotlight! Only MLB!

Okay, the Mets also had Eric Campbell bat cleanup not so long ago, but let's stick to the drama immediately on hand right now.

No matter your allegiance, imagine, just for a second, that Angel Hernandez has home plate in any Game 7, your team trails by one in the bottom 9th, the bags are full, two out, and a 3-2 count.

Feel with that batter.

Now shiver.

[Whoofe]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

Replay of Angel's replays. If I were MLB's lawyer, I would get the jury & judge to look @ this link & then rest my case.

We all get the joy of seeing him behind the plate today.

ROFL at some of those tweets


Thankfully Angel Hernandez wasn't in on Brown v. Board of Education. It would have been overturned

A broken clock is right twice a day, Angel Hernandez once.

To be fair, Angel Hernandez is 1-4 tonight, better than most of the Yankees

Angel Hernandez is suing MLB for discrimination. MLB should be countersuing for malpractice.

If any player performed like Angel Hernandez tonight he would be in jeopardy of being benched. Hernandez gets home plate in a playoff game tomorrow.

[Westheim]

Astros
Brewers
Athletics
Indians
Rockies
Red Sox
Braves
Dodgers
Yankees

Could be better, could be worse right now. Still pulling for Astros-Brewers.

[Cobra Mgr]

You know FOX would give their right thumb for LA vs RSox.

[Westheim]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

You know FOX would give their right thumb for LA vs RSox.

Do I have to bid higher for Astros-Brewers now? Left hand and seven toes?

I think the Red Sox have their work cut out for them, but I am not too surely about the Brewers, to be honest.

[Cobra Mgr]

Astros & Sox should be good. Houston is feeling some type of way about all the attention the other series got. Both should be going at it 100%. Brewers may not have as much playoff experience as LA, but Cain & Moose both won the WS w/KC. So they could step up & lead Milw through this next step.

[Cobra Mgr]

CC on his favorite ump.

[Westheim]

Ah I am glad there is someone like Angel Hernandez in the world.

He makes me feel like I am doing a good job.

[Cobra Mgr]

It's 11pm and the 5th inning hasn't finished yet.

Good night.

[Cobra Mgr]

So was it interference or not? Full disclosure, I'm rooting against the Sox & don't like Joe West. I thought Betts reached over the wall. But, I don't blame West for the call. When you can't get a clear indication on video, you can't expect human eyes during a live moment to have a clear perspective either. What leads me to believe it wasn't interference was the fact the fan that Betts glove hit had his elbows tucked in. So it looks like he was conscious of not going over the wall and was not reaching out. But no matter what there would be controversy on this play. I think either team's fans would have a good argument.

[David Watts]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

So was it interference or not? Full disclosure, I'm rooting against the Sox & don't like Joe West. I thought Betts reached over the wall. But, I don't blame West for the call. When you can't get a clear indication on video, you can't expect human eyes during a live moment to have a clear perspective either. What leads me to believe it wasn't interference was the fact the fan that Betts glove hit had his elbows tucked in. So it looks like he was conscious of not going over the wall and was not reaching out. But no matter what there would be controversy on this play. I think either team's fans would have a good argument.

I really can't tell. I think it all came down to West's original call being interference. There just wasn't enough to say he was 100% wrong. Makes me wonder though, should baseball take that type of call out of the field umps hands? His job would be only to say home run or not. The replay officials could then decide using slow motion and different angles whether or not interference took place. Where the umps are positioned is simply too far away from the wall to make that call with full confidence of being right. I know they have to be positioned there for matters of fair and foul.

[Bluenoser]

Here's the ball the split second b4 it hits Betts glove - look close - it's right at the top of the leather. It was the right call imo.

[Westheim]

They should just play these games in empty parks - no interference, problem solved.

Meanwhile as things tumbled into a Red Sox-Dodgers World Series, I consider drinking a nice glass of bleach… I gave it my all, watching as many games as I could (Games 1-3 in the ALCS, Games 3+5 in the NLCS) in my spare hours, yelling en- and discouragement, and once more it was not enough…

Me and baseball, a story of abject failure.

[Cobra Mgr]

Originally Posted by Bluenoser

Here's the ball the split second b4 it hits Betts glove - look close - it's right at the top of the leather. It was the right call imo.

Still doesn't convince me one way or the other. You can't tell which side of the wall it was going to be before it was touched.

One last thing I will say about this. I hate the rule. I don't know how to fix it. But HR or out shouldn't be the only options. There is no doubt the contact prevented Betts from catching the ball. That's indisputable. But the only thing we know is that he was denied the opportunity. Calling it an out suggests Betts would have made the catch. A spectacular, run saving, legendary, just short of miraculous, one for the highlight reel catch. Yes, he's capable. But that is one huge heck of an assumption. No, the Sox shouldn't be robbed of that opportunity. And there needs to be some consequences. But all or nothing I think is overkill. It is like defensive PI in the NFL. I think the penalty is too great for what is essentially a calculated guess as to what would have happened. Not what did.

[Bluenoser]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

Still doesn't convince me one way or the other. You can't tell which side of the wall it was going to be before it was touched.

One last thing I will say about this. I hate the rule. I don't know how to fix it. But HR or out shouldn't be the only options. There is no doubt the contact prevented Betts from catching the ball. That's indisputable. But the only thing we know is that he was denied the opportunity. Calling it an out suggests Betts would have made the catch. A spectacular, run saving, legendary, just short of miraculous, one for the highlight reel catch. Yes, he's capable. But that is one huge heck of an assumption. No, the Sox shouldn't be robbed of that opportunity. And there needs to be some consequences. But all or nothing I think is overkill. It is like defensive PI in the NFL. I think the penalty is too great for what is essentially a calculated guess as to what would have happened. Not what did.

I agree with you on that, and it is impossible from that angle to tell if it cleared the wall or not. There are definitely more than one fans hands involved too.


And for my own sake, this sort of thing is exactly why I can't stand instant replay. I preferred when they made a call and stuck with it. No, they weren't always right, but then neither am I always right; in life and at work. I'm human, I make mistakes. It makes me feel more attached to the game when I see other humans being "human" too and making a mistake every now and then.

Sometimes the call goes the way I'd like it to, sometimes it doesn't. I could always live with that.

Since instant replay has become more and more prevalent, I find myself watching less and less sports.

[Bluenoser]

Half way there - go Dodgers.

[Déjà Bru]

Even a Yankees fan can feel good about David Price. What a monkey off his back.

[Ragnar]

Originally Posted by Westheim

Ah I am glad there is someone like Angel Hernandez in the world.

He makes me feel like I am doing a good job.

Let me say one thing in his defense that may have been a contributing factor. How do you call a close play at first? You watch the players foot and listen for the ball hitting the glove. That's how I was taught. I was told it's the only way. It's almost impossible to mess that up.

However, in a big game with an enormous crowd the noise might drown out the impact of the ball, then you're screwed, or at least I would be. Thankfully I never had that problem.