Ranting About the Game

Now that the niceties are over its time to unleash my fury on major league umpires.

When Justin Morneau popped the ball up in the infield in the ninth inning, the pop fly rule should have been called because it was a ball that could have been caught with "ordinary effort."

The full rule? “An infield fly is a fair fly ball (not including a line drive nor an attempted bunt) which can be caught by an infielder with ordinary effort, when first and second, or first, second and third bases are occupied, before two are out. The pitcher, catcher and any outfielder who stations himself in the infield on the play shall be considered infielders for the purpose of this rule.”

I don't know how an experienced MLB umping crew could blow that call. It wasn't a line drive. It wasn't a bunt, it was popped in the air, and the pitcher could have easily caught the ball.

The Twins might not have done anything else to score that inning, but the umpires robbed the Twins of an opportunity to score a run or two there.

I've said it before and I'll keep saying it. Officials determine the outcome of games more than good plays or great players.

And at the major league level, it does not have to be that way.

At that level getting the call RIGHT should be more important than getting the call quickly.

To put it in the more common vernacular: "We was robbed."