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.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game Lyrics

At every Major League Baseball game, the fans sing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during the seventh inning stretch. At the Twins games, they post the lyrics on the scoreboard. They also feature some fan(s) on the PA system singing along.

I noticed during tonight's game on TV that the fan sang, "For it's root, root, root for the home team." This is how many sing it, as have I in the past. The Twins scoreboard lyrics, however, read, "Let me root, root, root..."

So I got curious, and the scoreboard is right. I also learned that the song is actually the chorus to a full-length song penned in 1908. It's all here: Take Me Out to the Ball Game.

I also learned that it's "I don't care if I never get back," not "ever get back." That pleased me, although I don't remember if the Twins scoreboard has that one right.

Let's Leave the Sportscasting to Sportscasters

I wasn't at the long-awaited Twins home opener at Target Field today, but I did get goosebumps watching it on TV. I loved the throwback uniforms, too.

You know what I didn't like? The air-headed banter on WCCO news tonight about the game. Like many others I suppose, I hate pretty much all of the news desk chatter cliches:

- The bad segue ("Speaking of baseball, this weather sure hit a home run today!")
- Ending the newscast with stupid remarks and fake laughter
- Non-sports people acting like they're really into it, and hip to sports as well

There's so many more, but let's try a case in point from tonight's broadcast on that third item. Early in the broadcast, Amelia Santaniello remarked, "Professional baseball was played outdoors in Minnesota for the first time since 1982." Or words to that effect. The key words I know I did not get wrong were "Professional baseball," and no, Amelia, this was not the first time since 1982 or in 28 years or however you put it. This was the first time for Major League Baseball outdoors in Minnesota.

OK, fine, that's a minor point. But I can't let this one go: cheaper-than-Paul-Douglas weather guy Chris Shaffer compared this opening day with the last outdoor home opener for the Twins in 1981. The weather was similar, so nothing much to report there (I was waiting for him to say it snowed in 1981). But then Shaffer dropped this beauty (again, I paraphrase): "You might remember a couple guys on the team that opening day: Gary Gaetti and Kent Hrbek."

Wrong again. Gaetti and Hrbek weren't on the 1981 Twins roster until September call-ups. A more interesting tidbit, not to mention accurate, would have been that Sal Butera, father of current Twin Drew Butera, was on the roster that day. Also, Twins bullpen coach Rick Stelmaszek's first year as Twins' coach was...wait for it...1981.

There was also a really bad segue tonight, but I got too worked up to remember it.