s you know by now, the fuse ran out, and KaBOOM, the bomb went off. Why? Well, until now, nobody has told Bill about the ball. You know, that thing that is needed to tag the player. By now, I hope most of you have figured out what the biggest issue is. If you haven't, here it is. Somebody has to help Bill!
Recently I blasted Roland for his exuberance in helping Mikey. Well, on a play like this, helping your partner is vital. In fact, many umpires at every level will say you shouldn't even wait.
Kaiser says....
In his book, Planet of the Umps, former MLB umpire Ken Kaiser recalls this tale:
I definitely had one of my toughest calls of my career at second base. We were in Anaheim late in 1997 with Larry Barnett behind the plate. With the Angels trailing Seattle by a run in the bottom of the ninth and a runner at second, Jim Edmonds lined a single to right field. Jay Buhner's throw to the plate was a little up the third base line. The catcher had to move a few feet to get the throw, partially blocking Barnett's view of the play. He just didn't get a good look at it. But the throw beat the runner, the catcher tagged him as he slid by, and Barnett called him out. The Mariners were running off the field.
Continued...
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