CuseCubFan69

Who's sick of his antics? The team or the people covering the Cubs? And they didn't say what these "antics" are?

Why has Eckstein's arm strength got better while in St. Louis? Is this what people think when players go there....no wonder why they win all those gold gloves.

I've always liked Oswalt and I enjoy watching him pitch.

I remember when the playoff blackout was imposed as if it were yesterday. I always thought the turning point of game 5 was when ARam turned just a hair too early on a Beckett fastball with the score still 0-0. I thought if we could get a lead in that game before the blackout we'd have won. A gust of the Gods turned it away. Beckett....he was that guy on Quantum Leap, I always thought that series was suspicious.

You're fired! No way do I make that trade. I think Prior or Ramirez and the others would be enough.

When the infielder is on the ouside of the bag you should always slide on the inside to avoid the tag....why did he slide on the outer half at third? Poor attempt at a tag...quicker Mr. Card.

I love watching this guy hit. He hits to all fields and has such a nice swing fro a righty. What I am curious about is how far apart his feet are. They look to be far outside of his shoulders and he just lifts his stride foot on each pitch. I wish kids would watch this guy because I'm constantly teaching kids not to over stride and Pujols is a great example of this.

I remember when the playoff blackout was imposed as if it were yesterday.

They already know this stuff! :wink: I told DJAXX the same thing. I think this might even be a topic at the HS umpires meeting. Bowa brought up a point about linedrives that are close to the dirt. You never assume and check the ump quick because if he doesn't say anything you had better throw the ball. I like it when things like this happen as it gets people talking about rules and baseball and people end up learning things they didn't know or think about....like the right hand gestures.

I don't think there was any doubt in the minds of the Angels players. I agree but there was a longer delay after this strike 3 call. I do believe the umps blew this one but you have to be aware of the possibility. So you think that every catcher should tag every batter, after every strike 3? That's a little unreasonable. I'm extremely late on responding to this, but I was talking to my brother about it earlier today. He was a catcher in high school and he said that one of the main things that you're taught is that when you rotate your glove when it's near the dirt, you should always tag the batter. "When the play is in doubt...you go and get the out."

Calls being the key word. Again....the ball was rolled BEFORE the ump put his hand up. But Escobar (and the rest of the infield) stayed in position until the phantom out call was made. If he hadn't made that call, Escobar could've just picked up the ball and thrown him out. I'll repost this--an anaheim blogger has a pretty interesting breakdown of the play. http://anaheimangelsblog.blogspot.com/2005/10/breaking-it-down-i-posted-this-in.html I don't deny that the ump made a mistake putting his hand up like that but....Paul should not have taken that chance, that is my point.

What does he have to do? Signal an out? Oh wait, he did that. Then tell me how a catcher knows he made a signal? He has to yell he's out too. Again, if Eddings didn't make that sign, then Escobar would've gone to the ball and thrown AJP out easily. He said it was his third strike call and Escobar assumed wrong. You say "assumed", I say "following his motions from the entire game". No. Escobar followed Pauls example and should have payed closer attention.

What does he have to do? Signal an out? Oh wait, he did that. Then tell me how a catcher knows he made a signal? He has to yell he's out too. Again, if Eddings didn't make that sign, then Escobar would've gone to the ball and thrown AJP out easily. He said it was his third strike call and Escobar assumed wrong.

Calls being the key word. Again....the ball was rolled BEFORE the ump put his hand up. And again, if he hadn't put his hand up there would have been plenty of time for Escobar to throw the runner out. And as Tim pointed out, in a raucous playoff atmosphere stadium, the signal trumps the verbal call, and the signal was clearly out. If it was so loud why did the pitcher and manager of the Angels say they heard the ump say the batter was out? It's not just the umps that are contradicting themselves.

Calls being the key word. Again....the ball was rolled BEFORE the ump put his hand up. I don't think I agree with that last part, Cuse. I haven't seen the play today, but I didn't get that impression watching it over and over again last night. And earlier in this discussion, I recall someone saying that they had tivo'd it and watched frame by frame and it was not rolled before the call (I believe it was a same time kind of thing according to that poster). Look at it Tim. Paul takes off as soon as he catches the ball. DJaxx has a freeze fram of the ump with his hand out straight and Paul is already heading to the bench. The hand came out a little after the ball being rolled.

Calls being the key word. Again....the ball was rolled BEFORE the ump put his hand up.

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. An umpire does not have to yell "Live Ball". He has to yell you're out. Yelling it's a live ball is considered coaching. What does he have to do? Signal an out? Oh wait, he did that. Then tell me how a catcher knows he made a signal? He has to yell he's out too.

If a batter hits a foul ball an umpire must yell foul ball. But, when it's fair he says nothing. This is along the same lines of what happened and agin it's considered coaching for an ump to yell fair ball. It's up to the player to make the right decision and not assume anything.

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. An umpire does not have to yell "Live Ball". He has to yell you're out. Yelling it's a live ball is considered coaching.

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.

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. My point is that the Angels are not blameless. Harvey, yeah an old ump, just said that it is considered coaching for the ump to tell the catcher the ball was not caught. It is Pauls job to secure the out and he did not do so. He also said that until you yell your out it isn;'t an out which is a point I made a long time ago. A catcher does not know a batter is out until he is told by the ump.

:lol: Can I change the title to "I'm alone in my convictions"?

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.

Then wouldn't the ump have given Paul the benefit of doubt then?

AJP has always been "offbalance". :D