MLB NEWS
MLB’s Blind Mice Tarnish World Series
Published by MoonDog on October 28, 2008
Like most viewers watching Game 5 of the Word Series, at the start of the fifth inning I couldn’t help but wonder why the game wasn’t delayed or suspended after rain and high winds hampered play.
MLB Commissioner Bud Selig
According to MLB Commissioner Bud Selig, he was given a pregame weather report that called for no more than one-tenth of an inch of precipitation from the start of the game until midnight.
As it turned out, the forecast was woefully inaccurate and by the fifth inning there was enough standing water on the infield for Olympic star Michael Phelps to practice his back stroke.
During the post game press conference crew chief Tim Welke stated the umpires were focusing on the pitcher’s mound and batter’s box.
He went on to say if the pitchers were slipping off the mound or batters were having trouble with their footing, then play would have been stopped.
Since the groundskeepers were tending to the field during every half-inning, and standing water wasn’t a problem on the mound or around the batter’s box, play was allowed to continue.
What I’m having trouble understanding is why standing water in the infield wasn’t considered a problem.
It’s fine if the pitcher’s mound and batter’s box were in playing condition, but the last time I checked, in order to win the game you eventually have to run the bases to score a run.
When the Rays B.J. Upton stole second in the top of the sixth, replays showed just how muddy and wet the infield was.
Later in the sixth when Upton scored the tying run on a single by Carlos Pena, replays showed the speedy Upton having to measure his steps as he rounded third so not to slip.
Phillies second baseman Chase Utley said after the game, “The infield was tough. The ball would do funny things. It was in bad shape. It was not playable.”
Why did Major League Baseball think it was so important to get this game in? Everyone knew it was going to rain hours before the scheduled start time.
Groundskeeper working on the base paths during Game 5 of the World Series
I can appreciate a delay having an effect on the players and fans attending the game. But what’s wrong with playing a day or two later when the weather conditions are more agreeable?
With the crew chief in contact with the head groundskeeper, who had one eye on the field and the other glued to the Weather Channel, there is no way someone didn’t notice the big blob of green on the radar indicating consistent rain in the area.
This is just another embarrassing moment in a long line of embarrassing moments for MLB.
When the fifth inning started and the rain began to come down in buckets, the game should have been suspended at that point.
This umpiring crew has already blown two calls in consecutive days and now this.
Welke blew a call in Game 4 that allowed the Phillies Jimmy Rollins to get back to third base safely when replays clearly showed the Rays Evan Longoria had tagged him out.
Groundskeepers work around home plate in Game 5 of the World Series
In Game 3, the Rays Carl Crawford was called safe by first base umpire Tom Hallion on a seventh-inning bunt single.
Replays showed the Phillies Jamie Moyer’s flip to first baseman Ryan Howard beat Crawford on a close play.
With so many pointing to the “integrity” of the game, the logical decision the rest of us would have easily arrived at seemed to elude Selig and the umpiring crew.
Considering how this World Series already had a lot going against it, this latest fiasco only adds to the growing list of bad decisions made by Selig.
The Phillies and Rays weren’t an attractive television draw and the ratings have reflected that. The nearly two-hour rain delay prior to the start of Game 3 didn’t help matters either.
Now we have Selig trying to force a game in that shouldn’t have been played or at minimum should have been suspended when the weather conditions deteriorated.
Tim Tschida said after play was suspended the umpiring crew didn’t want the game to become comical.
It’s too late for that.
This World Series has already become a laughing stock because of an umpiring crew that’s blown several calls and Selig’s lack of effective decision-making ability.
If the Rays can win Game 5 when play is resumed, at least the umpires won’t have to worry about the weather at the Thunder Dome.
Of course there’s always the threat of another blown call.
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Paul on Tue, 28th Oct 2008 04:13
Can’t really defend them too much except to say the weather forecast for tonight, was much worse then last night. Not just MLB’s weather people, but every single weather forecaster in Philly got Monday night wrong. And postponing the game more then one day I’m sure wasn’t an option they wanted due to the nightmare that would of caused travel wise, for them, fans, etc etc.
On the game should of been called in the top of the 5th once it started raining. That definitely wasn’t an option due to baseball rules, if it was top 5 the game would of been wiped out completely and started from top of the 1st when it was resumed. Which would of meant both teams lost their aces for the rest of the series, and I’m quite sure they didn’t want to do that either.
Regardless it sucks, but there’s not much that could of been done with the schedule and the weather situation here.
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