Someone please wake up Bud Selig or pull him away from his early bird special.
I am sitting with my Grandpa in Mantua, Ohio, watching the Yankees beat up the Indians, and I just saw one of the worst calls I have seen in a long time.
Tonight was yet another example of why Bud Selig and MLB need to stop crossing their arms and actually do something about instant replay.
Cleveland third baseman Jack Hannahan popped a ball into foul territory along the third base side and Yankee left fielder Dewayne Wise went into the stands to catch the ball … except he didn’t.
A fan ended up with the ball and put it in Wise’s possession. Wise came up like he had the ball all along, and the umpire called Hannahan out.
It was an awful call, and even a simple replay on the stadium video screen showed conclusively that Wise didn’t even have the ball as he fell into the stands. Hannahan was irate the next inning when the Indians were in the field and argued with the third base umpire Mike Dimuro.
Dimuro could see plain as day he made the wrong call. But since he is an MLB umpire with an enormous ego, instead of actually admitting he may have made a mistake, he just tossed Hannahan.
Nice job, Dimuro.
What a great way to handle it and cause drama. Because you know people pay hard earned money to attend the game, or watch it on television, to see you.
Dear MLB umpires: I DO NOT CARE WHO YOU ARE.
I don’t even need to know your name, because you do not matter one iota to the game of baseball except for making the right calls.
If you need replay to help you do that, it’s fine. It doesn’t mean you are any less of an umpire.
Plays happen in real time, I understand. Here’s what I don’t understand: you making a bad call, then ejecting someone for pointing out you made a bad call, and refusing to admit you need any help on the play from any other umpire or form of replay.
Hey Bud, you listening?
Or have you not figured out how to navigate the World Wide Web yet?
Put down the AARP monthly magazine and do your job. Put in more replay or for the love of baseball. Or step down and find someone who is not a technophobe to take your place and bring baseball back to prominence.
The new age of technology and social media is upon us, and baseball is lagging behind.
Bud Selig or someone at MLB needs to get with the times and use the technology available to make the game better and get calls right.
About Trevor Stewart
The bad call is a symptom of a much bigger problem. The Commissioner is not in control of baseball but just a figurehead, and a poor one at that. Umpire should be suspended for a month minimum, not because he missed the call but because he did nothing to check if his call was correct. Then in arrogance he threw out the opposing manager.
The Yankees should be fined severely for accepting a call they clearly knew to be wrong (giving the idea that it is O.K. to cheat), suggest $1M fine. In addition, the player should be suspended for a week and fined $50K. Only in this way will baseball declare they have a desire to get it right, and won’t settle for cheaters and mediocrity. The Commissioner himself should be fined for failure to act in the best interest in baseball. Personally, i believe he should be replaced. Until baseball gets a Real Commissioner who will ensure fairness/accuracy (reply will go a long way in helping), the sport will continue to depreciate.
Dewayne Wise is a cheater, a fraud. He knew he missed the catch.