More But for This...

First, just wanted to say thanks for all the feedback on my article on umpiring in the post season over at THT.

One reader noted that:

"...your listing of blown calls this post-season omitted a crucial call from this year's World Series: Jermaine Dye's walk in Game 2, which turned out to be a foul ball (which even Dye, to his credit, admitted after the game). Can't say what would have happened if Dye's swing had been correctly called foul. But we do know that the ball 4 led to reliever Dan Wheeler being taken out of the game, and the new reliever, Chad Qualls, gave up a grand slam HR on the next pitch (to Konerko)."

And of course the reader is absolutely correct, however, I have a small excuse. The article was written prior to game 2 but wasn't run until today due to scheduling. I should have updated it to reflect this play since it was clearly another blown call and one that had a potentially huge impact on the game and the series.

Another reader makes a case that the 1969 series had an even more egrarious call than the one I mentioned - the game 5 reversal of the ball call on Cleon Jones to a hit by pitch after the Mets disputed it. Jones went on to score on a Don Clendenon home run and the Mets won the game 5-3 and the series. The difference on this call is that to me it wasn't clearly blown since the Mets had some evidence (the shoe polish) to back up their claim. The reader would argue, however, that the practice of huddling and reversing a call was not standard for the time and so the call should not have been reversed.

This is also an example of the main point of the article since two Baltimore errors in the 8th along with a Ron Swoboda double are what plated the final two runs for the Mets. Everybody remembers the hit by pitch but not the errors.