Umpiring Protest

by utlonghorn24 on Aug 4, 2008 7:27 PM CDT

Okay,

I just sat here and watched Padilla strike out A-Rod and Giambi, only to have both pitches called a ball and him give up a tough jam shot to left center that drove in a run that should have never even been a possibility. Between tonight and Saturday night's game, I'm absolutely livid with the umpires in the MLB.

I'm so frustrated with the umpiring right now I can't even express it. But I want to. So here's what I'm thinking. Maybe this is stupid or impossible, but whatever. Is there any way we can contact MLB and send in a protest or something so that they'll re-evaluate their umpiring crews and get this crap fixed? Re-define the strike zone, SOMETHING? I don't care anymore what is done, but something HAS to be done. It's so frustrating and stupid to see our guys (and I'm sure many guys on other teams) watch so many calls get blown that are blatantly obviously wrong.

Maybe I'm off my rocker here, but I want to do something if there's anything that can be done. Any ideas?

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All evens out!!

Get over it. Let’s give the fans something else to complain about. Calls even out over the year. That is baseball!! It is more of an issue because Josh and Tom are homers. Yes, Padilla should have struck out Jason, but that is the game. You deal with it and move on. We should get more calls at home and that will come when Mr. Washington starts getting on some umpires backside.
By the way I love Josh and Tom and I am a homer for the Rangers as well.

by peachygbc_1 on Aug 4, 2008 7:36 PM CDT 0 recs

It definitely does NOT even out for the Rangers.

If you can prove to me that it actually does, I’d be very impressed.

Ian Kinsler has finally earned the right to be the third of my co-favorite players.

by utlonghorn24 on Aug 4, 2008 7:41 PM CDT up 0 recs

Bigger than us!!

I cannot prove it. Heck, I be impressed if I could prove it. I would like to see Mr. Washington argue more at home. Even get run 5 or six times a year, but get run at home and protecting your players. Do you think that Padilla would respond to Mr. Washington getting booted in the first innings fighting for his strike zone. Yes, Padilla (as crazy as he is) would have left it on the line for the skipper. Mr. Washington needs to show his players a little more in that respect, just not go through the motions.

Baseball is bigger than any of us and the calls will even out. Maybe, not the this, but they will!!

by peachygbc_1 on Aug 4, 2008 7:56 PM CDT up 0 recs

Fair enough.

And I agree totally that Wash needs to argue more. He needs to show his players that he’s not putting up with anymore crap from these umpires. Maybe that would be a start.

Ian Kinsler has finally earned the right to be the third of my co-favorite players.

by utlonghorn24 on Aug 4, 2008 8:01 PM CDT up 0 recs

Kinsler called foul ball

just a few innings later the foul ball to Kinsler that was originally ruled a double play got overturned. That turned into 3 runs because it never would have gotten to Michael Young to hit the 3 run homer. Replay on Kinsler ball didn’t seem to hit him, so I am not sure how it was foul, but the Rangers got the call. I was upset about those early calls and the balks that got them another run, but it seemed to work itself out and the Rangers won, so I am happy.

by brentash on Aug 5, 2008 2:00 AM CDT up 0 recs

Well that was the one thing they did right tonight.

And you see the result. It’s not like that’s going to happen every time they get a call right, obviously, but I am just an advocate of them paying attention to the fact that they are not doing a great job for the most part it seems. There are umpires who do a fantastic job, and it shows when they do because you don’t have the managers out there arguing every other inning at their stupid error.

My gripe is with their inconsistency and the fact that it always comes against us. I’m sure this happens to a couple other clubs too, but it just seems like every time I turn on a game, I find that the umpire screws us over (and I wait to make a judgment call on theirs until I see a replay 99% of the time) and in turn does make fair calls to the other team. I’m just sick of it costing us runs for or against us in ballgames.

But yes, the one that did go right for us tonight played a significant role in the fact that we were able to score enough runs to win the game. And I’m sure it’s probably not the only time that would have been the case. Regardless of whether or not it is, I’d like to see fewer blown calls and the Rangers given the chance, as a result of less blows calls, the fair chance to win or lose the game based on the way the two teams play that game, not because of a crap call.

Ian Kinsler has finally earned the right to be the third of my co-favorite players.

by utlonghorn24 on Aug 5, 2008 3:12 AM CDT up 0 recs

The ball hit him in the knee/thigh

it definitely should’ve been a foul ball.

I'm undefeated in fights. Have I been in any? No. Thats because people know my f'ing status. Don't mess with the elite. - Miles

by Dirk Diggler on Aug 5, 2008 8:33 AM CDT up 0 recs

If it did hit him...

didn’t it hit him in fair territory? So he should have been out, right?

I think that call went our way either way you look it.

by Chris Hanes on Aug 5, 2008 9:18 AM CDT up 0 recs

No

If you are still in the batters box when it hits you its a foul ball. Part of the batters box is in fair territory so it could hit you in fair territory and be a foul ball.

I’m not saying Kinsler was necissarily still in the box, but that was the call made.

by save the empire on Aug 5, 2008 10:54 AM CDT up 0 recs

except against the yankees

they always get the calls, and they cry when they don’t.

by jcAustin on Aug 4, 2008 10:59 PM CDT up 0 recs

+1

they cry over every close pitch

Feliz and Hurley. The 1-2 punch of the future

by Steal Home on Aug 5, 2008 12:25 AM CDT up 0 recs

Been saying that for years

those calls happen too often and are not even close most of the time, i have no idea if they are told by MLB, or if they are paid off by the Yanks or Gamblers but who is to say it does not happen, (Basketball) And enough money can make even the most honest man do things they would not normally do., does it happen, did it happen, who knows, but it very easily could happen

by TRFAN on Aug 5, 2008 10:35 AM CDT up 0 recs

josh is not a homer

he grew up in atlanta

and NO the calls do not even out over the year. have you seen a ball hit the chalk in 9th to win the game go in the rangers favor? 2 would be 3rd strike pitches right down the middle be called balls in the rangers favor?

dont even out and even if they do there should not be this many horrible calls. if you watch the highlights you will notice it is always the same umps who suck

Feliz and Hurley. The 1-2 punch of the future

by Steal Home on Aug 5, 2008 12:25 AM CDT up 0 recs

+1

That’s EXACTLY what I’m talking about. I wish there was something that we as fans could collectively to open the umpires’ eyes and make them see how awful they are as a whole. It’s stupid, pathetic, and no team, ESPECIALLY ours, should have to deal with this crap as much as they already have. If anyone can come up with any ideas, please feel free to post them.

Ian Kinsler has finally earned the right to be the third of my co-favorite players.

by utlonghorn24 on Aug 5, 2008 1:55 AM CDT up 0 recs

collectively do***

Ian Kinsler has finally earned the right to be the third of my co-favorite players.

by utlonghorn24 on Aug 5, 2008 1:56 AM CDT up 0 recs

oh please

if its the same umps who suck, then in the long run their suckiness will affect all teams equally. but more accurately, if they suck then they will be fired or demoted. MLB umpires are the best in the world at what they do, and the job pays well so its not as if they have difficulty attracting talent. bad calls stink. nobody likes to see them, but they are just a reality when such a precise game is being judged by human faculties.

maybe its especially frustrating when your team gets a few bad calls against the big bad yankees, which further handicap david against that goliath. but it’s not as if the umps are conspiring to let new york win. its just a random deal and guess what, we wont the game anyway. if you honestly cant accept that error-prone nature of human umpires then you should just go ahead and advocate for completely automated adjudication of all rules.

by Smoakin in the Boys Room on Aug 5, 2008 2:52 AM CDT up 0 recs

Were you talking about my post in general or the comment made by Steal Home?

Ian Kinsler has finally earned the right to be the third of my co-favorite players.

by utlonghorn24 on Aug 5, 2008 3:07 AM CDT up 0 recs

his specifically

but it was aimed at the general idea that somehow the rangers are the arbitrary and singular victims of bad umpiring. yes mistakes are made. it sucks, but you accept it instead of whining about it. there is no conspiracy to hold down one team or prop up another, and over the long haul these things pretty much even out. on a rangers’ home broadcast, much more attention is drawn to bad calls that go against us than to those that go against our opponents so maybe that’s why it seems skewed. if someone actually wasted the time to go back and analyze every call thats been made against us this entire year, i can pretty much assure you that the percentage difference in incorrect calls that go against us versus incorrect calls going against the other teams would be statistically insignificant.

by Smoakin in the Boys Room on Aug 5, 2008 4:15 AM CDT up 0 recs

no one ever said they were out to get the Rangers

but you know and everyone else knows that the yankees get every call their way. a ball right down the middle without a doubt, ok maybe he just missed it but no the other ump calls a balk on padilla. the rule is you have to come to a complete stop to be set, there is no rule on how long you have to be set. if you watched the replay then you see that he came set for a second and then delivered the ball. THOSE UMPIRES SUCK, I’VE SEEN THEM EJECT MULTIPLE COACHES BECAUSE THEY MAD A HORRIBLE CALL MULTIPLE TIMES AND THE REAL REASON PADILLA HAD 3 CALLS GO AGAINST HIM BECAUSE HE TAKES LONG IN BETWEEN PITCHES. IT IS HIS WAY OF HOLDING ON RUNNERS AND IT IS THE ONLY WAY HE COULD KEEP THEM FROM STEALING WITH SALTY BEHIND THE PLATE.

Feliz and Hurley. The 1-2 punch of the future

by Steal Home on Aug 5, 2008 3:32 PM CDT up 0 recs

He is a Homer

It doesn’t matter where they grew up. Part of the reason I like them so much is because they are not afraid to be impartial. Tom has been a Ranger long enough that he is definitely a homer. Josh Lewin is a professional homer, a “homer for hire” if you will. I think is a homer because he sees it as his job. There is nothing wrong with being a homer if you are willing to admit it.

Ephesians 1:3-10

by kwellborn on Aug 5, 2008 11:14 AM CDT up 0 recs

sucks

but you cant really do anything. baseball hasnt even had instant replay yet. you think they are going to hear complains about balls and strikes?

i watch idiots like andy van slyke talk about how they are against instant replay because human error is part of the game, even if its game 7 of the world series.

by kumizi on Aug 4, 2008 7:39 PM CDT 0 recs

Well, like I said...

It was just a thought. I’d be all for instant replay of some form or fashion, but regarding balls and strikes, it’ll never happen. Maybe calls like MY’s HR/2B that Wilk trapped on Saturday night would be able to be reversed with IR, but it’ll never happen for balls and strikes. That’s where the major problem is though, and MLB needs to do something to combat the shitty calls that everyone keeps making against the Rangers. Like I said, I’m sure it happens to other teams, but not when they play us. We seem to constantly get the bad end of the umpiring, no matter where we play.

Ian Kinsler has finally earned the right to be the third of my co-favorite players.

by utlonghorn24 on Aug 4, 2008 7:44 PM CDT up 0 recs

Umpires

The pitch to I believe A-Rod was a very difficult pitch to call a strike on. Yes, you had the advantage of seeing it as a strike on the replay and seeing the little ball in the strike zone box (whatever they call that thing – pitchtrax?) but that ball had a lot of movement on it and just barely caught the bottom of the knees as it crossed home plate thus having the catcher actually catch the ball in the dirt almost. That is a very, very hard pitch to call a strike and sell it to the team batting.

The pitch to Giambi was more of a strike and a lot easier to call, but that pitch was moving from inside to outside and it looked like the ump just kind of gave up on it before it tailed back in over the plate. That stuff happens.

What you have to do is start paying direct attention (but you HAVE to look at it objectively) to all the calls that the Rangers DO get and you will realize that we get just as many calls go our way as we do have calls go against us.

I have not watched a basketball game since the Heat beat the Mavs in the NBA Finals (and I was a huge basketball fan as my name on the ESPN boards was Mavs1Stunna) because I seriously think the NBA refs have a different agenda but I just don’t think the MLB umpires are out to get anybody.

by Chris Hanes on Aug 5, 2008 7:12 AM CDT 0 recs

You've got to be kidding!

Get a life!

by bhudson on Aug 5, 2008 9:43 AM CDT 0 recs

Instant Replay in this Game

If the umpires had instant replay available to them in this game for all of the questionable calls, you would easily have added an extra hour to this game. There would not have been anyone there to see the walk off home run.

By the way, there have been studies done of the umpires and the percentage of calls they miss or make. The numbers are well in their favor. I don’t know if there is a breakdown per team, but I have a hard time (I HATE the Yankees, by the way) believing that they consciously favor one team over another.

However, I do believe the umpires are influenced by the amount of whining, protesting, arguing and bending over (Jeter) the Yankees do in regards to balls and strikes. I also think umpires are not big fans of guys like V. Padilla. He gets mad and he sulks and stomps around the mound. Compare that to Millwood. Millwood get mad, but then goes and very calmly talks to the home plate umpire as he leaves the field.

Like someone else said, this is baseball. Things like instant replay take away from the game not add to it. Every fan can point to some awful call that ruined their season.

Ephesians 1:3-10

by kwellborn on Aug 5, 2008 11:22 AM CDT 0 recs

Hmm...

Well let me just clarify a few things:

I do not believe that any umpire in MLB is out to get the Rangers. Maybe I didn’t state that clearly, but I do not believe that at all. I simply meant that it appears to me, a big Rangers fan, that the umpires seem to miss more calls in crucial moments toward the Rangers as opposed to our opponent that particular night. This does not mean that the umpires are purposely doing that (nor do I think that they are), it simply means that I feel like they are not doing as good a job as they can, for whatever reason.

Like I said, it’s probably a stretch to want to do anything about it, and I understand that I’m probably overlooking some things about it (umpiring statistics, etc.) that make me feel like I do towards them right now. But it seems like after every couple of games you get half the Rangers fans, players and writers calling the umpiring that night “atrocious” or something along those lines. Those days need to be fewer; it’s that simple.

As for instant replay, I am in the camp that there’s no way you could add them to balls and strikes. It’s just never going to happen. However, I am an advocate for it regarding calls like the MY/Wilkerson debacle over the trap on Saturday night, or even with whether the ball bounced off of Kinsler’s knee last night. Those kinds of things need to be reviewed because they directly affect the outcome of the game a large percentage of the time.

At any rate, that’s my two cents. I appreciate everyone’s comments though – keep ‘em coming.

Ian Kinsler has finally earned the right to be the third of my co-favorite players.

by utlonghorn24 on Aug 5, 2008 1:42 PM CDT 0 recs