Umpires and Announcers (yep, again)

Up later than I should be, I realized I haven't blogged yet in October. I've got little to say, other than watching sports lately has again got my blood pressure up, thanks to announcers and officials.

Umpire Joe West just took off his mask staring down the Arizona Diamondbacks' batter who obviously didn't like the strike three call against him. The graphics on the TV clearly showed West blew it. I don't mind umps being wrong occasionally, but spare me the stare-down. You're not the show, and if you're trying to be, at least make sure you got the call right.

"Umpires get 98% of the calls right," we often hear them say, "them" usually being an umpire.

No they don't, not even when you give them the easy ones. Unless you include them correctly calling everything down to a foul ball back into the screen a "FOUL BALL!"...then maybe. But still, probably not. I should do a study some night.

That said, it was a different game in this postseason, and I wish I remembered the umpire, so I can prove I'm fair-minded, when one of the announcers made an a$$ of himself. The ump got strike one correct, and then ball two correct, and even as the graphics still showed the locations of those two pitches, one of the announcers inexplicably said words to the effect of, "I think (Umpire) knows that first one was a ball, so he gave (Batter) a make up call on the second pitch."
I wish I could remember who the announcer was, just 'cause I like to call them out.

Yeah, I'm bitter. Oh well.