photo illustration by Samara Pearlstein
What the bloody heck was that game?
Pudge and catcher’s interference calls are NOT best friends this season. And I know he’s always been a bit… well, a bit quick off the handle, but does it seem to anyone else like he’s been particularly short of temper lately? It just seems like it’s been happening an awful lot in recent games. I suppose some of that could be the fact that umpires appear to be gunning for the Tigers this season.
Really, do the Tigers have the backs of their uniforms printed in umpire-visible-only ink with a message saying “YOUR MANHOOD IS VERY SMALL AND I LAUGH”? I begin to wonder. Possibly Pudge wonders as well, and all the speculating and thinking is making him irritable (as it would most ballplayers, of course), and that would cause the rageful outbursts.
In a way we can’t really afford the suspension that is no doubt going to be handed down as a result of his little fit today, but on the other hand it’ll be a short enforced period of rest, and we ALL know how hard it is to get Pudge out of the lineup normally, as he labors under the belief that baseball will stop existing if he touches one sacred catching butt-cheek to the bench or something.
Since he IS in fact an aging catcher, the rest will do him good. Probably. Or let him stew and make him more irate in the end. Either way, interesting things should come of it.
As for the Mariners’ scoring play, I don’t even know what to say. Beltre’s two-run single was without doubt. That would have tied the game, and the Tigers could have very well gone on to lose, so you can’t say that the Mariners didn’t REALLY deserve this one… but…
WHAT WAS THAT THIRD RUN? It went, more or less, like this:
Bases loaded, two outs. Beltre hits a two-run single.
Beltre tries to stretch his single into a double.
Rabelo threw to Carlos, who was covering second.
Beltre was safe, then overslid the bag.
Carlos attempted to tag him, apparently missing three (!!) times.
The play… somehow… continued.
Carlos, possibly confused about the continued live nature of the play, dropped the baseball.
Beltre went to third and pushed across that crucial 3rd run.
So that’s a single, two RBI, an advancement to third on an error, and a… I don’t know how they scored his arrival at second base. A steal? A magical stat pony?
Bleargh. Don’t want to think about it. Instead, think about this ad for Mariners baseball that I saw at the tail end of the broadcast today.
It shows JJ Putz and George Sherrill sitting on what is presumably a bullpen bench, looking away from one another and seeming contemplative.
PUTZ: “George, you know how they say baseball is a thinking man’s game?”
*pause*
PUTZ: “You think that’s true?”
*long pause*
SHERRILL: *slow glance over at Putz*
SHERRILL: “Huh?”
When I think about the Mariners, THAT is what I want to think about. A little cute, a little sad, a little bumbling, a little…. oh, who am I kidding. When I think about the Mariners I want to think about Ichiro. Same as you all, if your minds are on properly.
NOTE: Gonna be on the Cape this weekend (Cape League baseball! eee! relaxing on the beach! eee! ….more relaxing on the beach! eee!), so while I think I might have internet, updates may be spotty. I might pop in, but don’t surprised if there’s minimal action here ’til Monday.
Roar of the Tigers 
Beltre definitely touched second, but Guillen also definitely tagged him. Possibly twice. Because Beltre kept going (and Guillen continued to tag him), the umpire assumed Guillen missed. Someday we will switch all the game-calling to computers, and that day will be wonderful.
also, RIP Roman Colon (after all, is a life in the Royals’ system really any life at all? Maybe technically).
That game made me want to kill things. Primarily Mike Winters and Bruce Froemming. Froemming should feel special, he got the call wrong TWICE on the same play! Maybe he was trying to make up for missing it the first time. I can’t believe they lost on THAT play. Ugh.
What do we do by way of backup catcher to our backup catcher if he gets himself suspended for that little tirade? Neifi!!! is of no use to us, since he’s on the . . . whatever, suspended for taking amphetamines list.
It was an, erm, interesting play. On the MLB.com replays, you can’t see whether Guillen made the tag or whether Beltre touched the bag. The only thing that is clear is that it was a hell of a mess…
ivan, I’m not sure. Does it default back to Inge? Where’s Chris Shelton when we need him? I’m guessing it won’t be a long suspension, so hopefully Rabelo can just hold himself together….
Iain, yeah. That’s prob. the only thing that’ll ever be certain about that play, no matter how many camera angles we get on it.
I thought Froemming was retiring immediately after the AllStar game? Gah, I wish he did.
I echo the thoughts – I just can’t believe THAT is the play we lost on.
Have fun in the Cape!
I was almost asleep when I woke to Dan Dickerson’s head asploding all over my new macbook (thanks streaming radio).
I have not seen video footage, I do not want to see.
The tigers must now go out and score 11 runs.
Actually, on the FSN Northwest feed they showed a replay of the play at second base that showed Carlos never did tag him.
They also showed a replay that Beltre definetely touched second base.
So even though it was a mighty retarded way to go about things, the Mariners were the only ones who got screwed on that play.
As for the interference by Betancourt, that was a joke by Winters.
It sucked even worse *being* there. I don’t do well at the Tigers/M’s games (when the Tigers lose) even when there aren’t stupid controversial calls. Still, Grilli threw a ball to my kid after Miller finished warming up in the bullpen (our seats were just above the Tiger pen), which was nice. And speaking of our pen, then got the job done nicely and kept our boys in the game. The 10 or so LOB was more the problem than anything. *sigh*
I’ll be there again tonight and tomorrow. Let’s hope for better… everything.
Oh, and Samara – the M’s commercials are often the high point of the season. My favourite this year is Lopez and Betancourt as the double-play twins. Funny funny stuff and you can see them all here.
This game is yet more proof that Joe West should be cloned enough times that he umpires every single play of every single game. None of this crap would be allowed to happen on Country Joe’s watch.
I’ll guess they’ll give him four games, and Pudge will appeal it down to three. As for backups, Inge isn’t an option; I *think* he has a clause in his new contract that states he doesn’t catch. Shelton coming up would be nice. And with Roman Colon being dumped off on the – I mean, traded to the Royals, they have a forty-man space freed up for a potential move. Hmm.
Unfortunately I was at work while that game was on. The good thing is that many of my patients watch the games, and I happened to be in one of their rooms when this play occurred. A hot mess, it was. I didn’t know that about Pudge though I wondered why he wasn’t catching during the few minutes I saw.
I agree that the umpires seem to be gunning for the Tigers this season. It’s pretty ridiculous. Maybe they instead have the word c***sucker on the back of their uniforms. (Bull Durham reference. Never call an umpire a c***sucker ;o)
The deal on Pudge stinks..that’s why only one game from the league. Umpires have hurt the game..there’s nothing as entertaining as watching some hitter telling an umpire what he thinks about the “called” strike. The hell of it is..things heat up so fast today with players..that it wouldn’t just stop with a verbal assault..some “hall of famer” would “pop” some umpire.. and we’d have another Roman Colon situation on our hands. The way I see it.. umpires are an accessory at the game..and they do make mistake..and should be called on it..but, today, the tension is taken to the bench. There’s no question Pudge did not mean to “bump” that screwball umpire the other night..and, further, there was definitely interference by the batter..and the umpire showed a total lack of class.