Andy

On borderline plays like that you are absolutely wrong, the defensive players can never assume an offensive player is out. Until the ump says they are....says and shows the signal they are safe. You ask any coach....any coach and he'll tell you to take the decision out of the umps hands and make the easy tag. Assuming anything gets you can get you exactly what happened to the Angels. I don't think the extra effort is unreasonable in any way. From what I have been hearing, the ump has to yell "live ball" if he doesn't think a strike is caught. Paul says he heard nothing, and that is why he did nothing. This is the ump's fault and not Paul's in any way. Paul was not leaving the decision in the ump's hands because the ump had not said "live ball", so Paul rightly thought the decision had already been made. Saying Paul should have tagged him is akin to saying that on a double play grounder, the guy at second should stand on the bag until he heard the umpire call "out" before throwing it over to first.

I've seen it, and that is definitely not the case. The ump called him out, paul rolled (and didn't sprint anywhere), then AJ ran, the ump froze, looked confused as hell, then panicked and didn't know what to do, then just stood around like an indignant idiot defending his ineptitude. You're right. I saw the fist pump while Paul was still in his crouch. If the Angels are at fault there, then everyone better tag every batter after every strike 3 call, everytime. The Angels definitely will. I wouldn't just tag them. If it's AJP, I slap him as hard as I can with the ball. It was a chance to do just that. But why would he have? The ump didn't call no catch, the rest of the infielders saw the ump call him out, and were running off the field. It was the same as any other inning ending strikeout, except that Eddings changed his mind after all the fielders were out of position, and AJP was at first. You just can't blame the Angels for this. The only thing the Angels did wrong was fail to realize how galactically stupid the home plate umpire was. And if we're supposed to assume the umpires are stupid, then why are they hired?

He's been lying about everything. How about someone asks him, flat out, why he manipulated the umpire. While we're at it, ask him why he kicked a SF trainer in the balls last spring.

Watching JRIB and it is clear that Classless One saw the fist before he took off. He was starting to run but he could have seen the fist. Kept running. He's a cheater. End of story.

I've seen it, and that is definitely not the case. The ump called him out, paul rolled (and didn't sprint anywhere), then AJ ran, the ump froze, looked confused as hell, then panicked and didn't know what to do, then just stood around like an indignant idiot defending his ineptitude. You're right. I saw the fist pump while Paul was still in his crouch. If the Angels are at fault there, then everyone better tag every batter after every strike 3 call, everytime. The Angels definitely will. And I hope they stand up, glare at the ump to make sure he is watching, then exaggeratedly tag him and leave the glove applied for a good 3 seconds. It would be humorous and it would get their point across better than anything verbal would.

That's not the only instance either. Same thing with Jose Molina's K back in the 6th, or around that time. Pumps the first once the tag is applied. Eddings is a liar and so is the rest of that umpiring crew.

Brilliant post, Daymen. I agree completely.

4 is more than 2. brilliant....still had the lead after the grand slam though. I love measuring the true nature of someones crappines. Lets bring Farnsworth, Alfonseca, and Fassero back. Then all will be well. I'd rather have Farnsworth than Novoa in the pen next season. I'd rather see Farnsworth out there than Wuertz, or JVB, or Leicester, or Wellemeyer. I'm not sure all would be well, but Farnsworth would've been the best righty in our pen last season, and barring a major FA acquisition, likely will be better than any righty in our pen next season. Oh, I agree. The Cubs never should have traded Farnsworth. They should have never overworked him, which led to his trade. He's no star, but he's a very good reliever. Wish the Cubs still had him. However, I would like to add that some do seem to be ignoring some of his downfalls. Players aren't robots, and I don't think Farnsworth always reacts well in a given situation. I'm not sure if clutch exists in baseball, but I do know it's human nature to react differently in different situations. There had to be some reason that Hawkins was an excellent set-up man but a terrible closer. I don't believe he just started to physically stink. I just wish the Cubs hadn't traded him to keep the Paul Wilson Possibilities in play. Nothing like a nice fight to shake things up once in a while.

I'd like to throw in that I agree with Raisin's point from six or seven pages ago that Classless One just ran to see if he could get away with it. I was beginning to wonder if I was the only one who noticed that he had given up on the play, then decided to see if he could get away with running to first to take advantage of Eddings's indecision. The man could have been a professional criminal if he had not made it in baseball with that attitude,

How did they cheat? They got the benefit of a bad call. Last time I checked that's hardly cheating. I'm of the opinion that Classless One knew he was out but decided to throw caution to the wind and take off for first base anyway hoping that confusion would ensue and he would be awarded the base --which, of course, happened. His postgame smart aleck comments about luck pushed me further to that opinion.

The right hand going up indicates there was no contact between the bat and the ball. In other words, it's not a foul. A foul ball had nothing to do with it though and since you can run on a ball in the dirt after a 3rd strike that to me is where the probelm is. Again, why did Paul roll the ball before AJ was called out? Because he knew it was an out. He assumed wrong then didn't he? No, he didn't assume wrong. It was an out. The umpire called the out. What more do you want? If he called him out why was AJ safe at first? Simple. Eddings reversed his own "out" call. Does it sound absolutely ludicrous that an umpire would reverse his own call without consulting any of the other umps? Good. Because that is why this is causing such an uproar.

He pumped his fist after Classless One swung and missed! He's OUT! Play over! This is absurd! Why can't Harold get this? All this BSing by the umps to rationalize this is little more than blind lies to save their own rears. It's not going to work. Lots of boos for the umps and the White Sox catcher, whose name I'm not typing anymore.

Just had a chance to watch the BBTN take. Harold Reynolds is a moron. Raising the right arm is strike, pumping the fist is out. Come on, Harold. Don't be an idiot. Admit the Angels got jobbed.

I won't blame the call unless the Angels lose in seven...therefore making it so they would have won the series. But I think the Halos are going to win it anyway. Scioscia is going to have his team pumped for the Anaheim games and the fans will be pumped too. You reckon they're gonna be pumped? Phew, if that was me it'd be Incredible Hulk time. Normally I hate Joe Buck, but I was pleased to see him back up the Angels on that travesty of a call.

I won't blame the call unless the Angels lose in seven...therefore making it so they would have won the series. But I think the Halos are going to win it anyway. Scioscia is going to have his team pumped for the Anaheim games and the fans will be pumped too.

In my opinion, this goes right up with, and maybe even surpasses, the Denkinger Game of 1985. This one extended the inning instead of extras which should have happened. After that crap with Pierzynski, I knew the Sox would win. Teams can recover from a lot of crap: errors, bloop hits, etc. but when an ump blows a call like that, it's murder for any team's psyche. Pierzynski is previously known for kicking a Giants trainer in the groin. Now this. I have no respect for the man. He is a classless loser and deserves to be treated like one. I cannot wait for Friday night's Game 3 to see what the Angel fans' reaction to him will be. This game was stolen from the Angels. Heinously. And although MLB doesn't have the guts to do so, they should reverse the call and play extra innings on Friday afternoon, then fly to Anaheim and play Game 3 Saturday night. That's a simple, correct solution. But Selig won't do it. I don't know if I have ever been this angry with an ending to a non-Cubs baseball game. EVER.

Should LA lose this series, they now have their Bartman/Boone/Shoeless Joe story.

Because God hates the Cubs. Eveyone knows that... ;) Crazy call. Denkinger has company now. Denkinger won't have company if the Halos win this series anyway. Scioscia won't let his team dwell on the call. The Angels will still win the series in seven just like I said before the series began.

This is ridiculous. Cheer on your cheaters, Sox fans. Why don't they just go the whole hog and cork their bats and inject steroids before Game 3

Why is it that the Cubs never get this crap? Why do the Sox catch all the BS breaks? Why do they always always get lucky like this? It's what got them in, and now it's getting them further into the playoffs.

And the Sox win on an absolute bull*** call. Go figure.

Cards win 5-3. Carpenter looked real solid tonight.

For once, McCarver actually helps me. He CANNOT run to first. He is OUT. That is a bad call. And just earlier I talked about how great they've been...unfortunately, they make a bad call here. If the Sox win on this one, I'll be pissed.

Can Pierzynski legally run to first base even though the catcher caught the ball cleanly? I don't think he can right?

marcus giles