Watching Baseball on Vacation

Here I am at White Birch timeshares in Breezy Point, MN, after playing five rounds of golf so far, the weather has been super, fishing was great, and I still have six days before I have to go back to work, and all I am inspired to do is blog about yet another laughable display of ineptitude by a Major League Baseball umpire crew.

First: In the top of the sixth inning, with one out, they correctly call an out on a catch by Michael Cuddyer off the bat of Ramon Castro. But the ball moved a little in Cuddyer's glove, Ozzie Guillen appealed to the umps, and Castro was awarded a double.

Second: In the bottom of the sixth, Jason Kubel was up with the bases loaded and two outs, and had a 3-1 count. He took ball four, even by old school National League standards, yet the ump called strike two. (A little like the one that, admittedly, ended the game in the Twins' favor the other night against Texas, only Kubel's take wasn't as close.)

Fortunately for the Twins (and the umpire crew, if they have any pride, which is questionable the way things have gone this year), Brian Duensing pitched out of the sixth and Kubel singled in two runs, foiling Guillen's strategy of intentionally walking Justin Mourneau just before. Mourneau, IMHO, would have been the easier out, but that's kind of the way it's gone over the years for Guillen in the Metrodome.

I've noted it before - Major League umpires have it too easy, while seeming to have such a hard time of it. Balls and strikes should never go this route, but for plays like the Cuddyer catch, it is high time for instant replay in baseball.