Did You Hear the One About...

... the six FULL-TIME umps who blew the big call in a "one and done" play-off game and may very well have cost Atlanta the ONLY game they got to play in this ridiculous new play-off system?

I didn't find it very funny EITHER.

If I were an Atlanta fan, I'd have stormed the field last night instead of just throwing garbage.

An "infield fly rule" call when the player with the best chance of catching it was an outfielder? An "infield fly rule" where BOTH runners EASILY moved up when the ball dropped because they were in NO danger of being doubled up if the ball dropped?

This call was so much worse than the ref call in the Packer game two weeks ago.

But even worse?

With the fans pelting the field with garbage, they had over 15 minutes to change their minds about the call, which was also made LATE! They didn't change the call. I'd fire every ump in that game and never let them ump another game in their lives. Major League Baseball should be ashamed.

I've said that officials determine outcomes more often than players in close games. They also determine championships more than the teams.

In a regular 5 game series, (which is what ALL early round series games should be) these types of horrible ump calls are tempered over time because the better team could very well win the series and overcome one really bad ump call. In a one and done series this type of call is magnified to the point where THEY determined the winner of the series.

Atlanta had the better record this season. They had defeated the Cardinals 5 out of 6 times in the regular season. If we were playing under last year's playoff system they'd be playing in a 5 game series in the first round right now.

I'd feel so ripped off if I were an Atlanta Braves fan right now. I hope sports media jumps on this mistake like they did the TD call in the Packer/Seahawks game.

REAL officials blow big calls, too. And since this was the playoffs, there is NO TOMORROW. The Packers have a whole season to make up for a call that may have been wrong. Atlanta is simply done. There is no making up for that.

Baseball now has a big black eye. And no one but me is going to really complain.

On a brighter note? The Orioles beat the Rangers last night in the OTHER one game series. It's still stupid that these teams play all year for a ONE GAME SUDDEN DEATH SERIES, but at least the team with the lowest payroll won...

BUT I'd still feel ripped off if I were a Rangers fan...