So home plate ump Jerry Meals badly blows a call — night blindness? — to end Tuesday’s Pirates-Braves 19-inning game. And the knee-jerk response is to scream for more video replay.
Understood.
But look at the situation, the rest of the story.
There were men on second and third, one out. The batter, pitcher Scott Proctor, after grounding to third, fell on his face a few feet out of the box. Had Meals made the right call, the likelihood of a home-to-first double play was strong.
Ah, but the game stopped — ended — thus the catcher stopped playing to argue the call.
So what do you do with the runner — what do you do with the game — if a replay is used and the runner from third is ruled out? Do you guess — estimate — what would have happened next? Do you place Proctor on first when he never got close before the play at the plate? Or do you rule him out although he was never put out?
What do you do with the runner who went from second to third? How do we know that he wouldn’t have tried to score if Meals made the right call and the catcher then threw to first? How do we know that the throw to first wouldn’t be a good one? Or would be caught? Or hit Proctor in the back?
How do we know that anything that could have happened is what would have happened? How do you “get it right” when it’s too late?
Before you start hollering for more replay, think these things through. Think with your head instead of your gut. Yes, terrible call at home, a game-ender and pennant-race-changer. Very unfair.
But that’s life in the DMV line, that’s your geometry final, that’s the small claims judge, that’s dice, that’s life and that’s baseball. And that’s that.
Small-minded Wetzel part of bigger issue
Because no bad idea is unworthy of duplication, almost everyone’s working off a copy of the plan. Sports-talk radio has become “guy-talk” radio, which has become a polite title for shows mostly with bottom-feeding creeps as hosts, or those willing to play the part.
“Crossing the line” is no longer an issue because if such a line exists, hosts are hired to cross it — or come close.
Perhaps because Sirius XM has proudly pitched its “totally uncensored” status, weekend host Scott Wetzel may have felt he was just doing his job two Sundays ago. While watching the USA-Japan Women’s World Cup final on ESPN, Wetzel, on the air, provided his commentary, mocking and defaming the U.S. team.
On The Mad Dog Radio channel, Wetzel spoke an endlessly childish, baseless and bigoted degradation of the U.S. team, calling it “the Lady Lesbians,” and hollering, “Look at those Lady Lezzies!”
After Alex Morgan scored for the United States, Wetzel ridiculed her with unfunny, antiquated, sexist and homophobic cracks, including, “I hope you can cook, Alex,” and, “She even has a man’s name.” As a lone moron in the studio could be heard cackling, Wetzel directed the U.S. side “back to the kitchen.”
Wetzel, a former WFANer, came to Sirius XM after serving as host of a sports radio show in Chicago, then for Sporting News Radio, which described him as “edgy” — edgy having become a synonym for more vulgar than clever.
Meanwhile, we’re told that even Sirius XM folks were upset with Wetzel’s performance. Yeah, he crossed that line that Sirius XM had previously erased.
* Ya think it’s just a coincidence that the NFL and NFL Players Association settled in time to ensure that there’d be a full preseason game schedule, just in time to again force ticket holders to buy preseason games at regular-season prices?
And we’re still waiting for DeMaurice Smith’s answer: What is the NFLPA’s position on PSLs and must-buy tickets to preseason games?
We already know that commissioner Roger Goodell regards PSLs as “good investments” and that everything the NFL does is “all about our fans.”
Interesting, too, that Mike Francesa on Tuesday declared PSLs “a blight on sports.” Funny, when he had Giants’ co-owner John Mara on for a lengthy chat about the new stadium, he must’ve forgotten to mention that.
* Paul O’Neill on YES’ Mariners-Yankees on Monday, recalled the long-gone “old days,” when he played. O’Neill’s first full year in the majors was 1986.
Yankees radio up for grabs
Drivers start your bidding! The race for Yankees radio rights, starting next season, has begun. And the possibility that the Yankees’ flagship will, after nine years, bolt WCBS next season for an FM station — specifically 101.9 WEMP — is good.
WEMP this month was purchased by Merlin Media, which this fall will turn the station from classic rock to all-news. And Merlin would love to make an extra-big splash by adding the Yankees.
Merlin is headed by flamboyant party boy Randy Michaels, known to Chicagoans as the Tribune Co. CEO who resigned after revelations of on- and off-the-job misbehavior.
WCBS’ expiring Yankees rights went for about $14 million per season, a money-losing deal. A prominent industry source told us this week he would be stunned if the Yankees could renew at an increase, and, with AM/FM hurting, he anticipates the Yankees will be forced to accept less, no matter from whom.
WFAN’s Mets deal, roughly $7 million per, expires after next season. So with WFAN and WCBS both owned by CBS Radio, it’s possible that WCBS will renew the Yankees for next year, then, in 2013, WFAN dumps the Mets and replaces them with the Yankees.
As for the continued employment of announcers John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman, that’s strictly to-be-determined by the team and the winning bidder.
Though the favorites are WCBS and WEMP, ESPN radio, with Merlin’s purchase of 101.9, has been reduced to long shot, perhaps as the party the Yankees will use to juice the bidding. ESPN 1050’s signal, badly diminished from sundown to sunup, remains the problem.
Had ESPN/Disney bought 101.9, it would be favored to buy Yankees radio rights. But ESPN remains very interested in purchasing a local FM station. And if that happens soon …
ESPN fits the Yankees’ eye in terms of maximized, global marketing. So ESPN’s a live underdog.
Three cars in the race. See ya at the finish line. Look for a guy in a suit waving a black and white-checkered checkbook.