dicekspitchcount

Yesterday, on ESPN’s Sports Center, I watched John Kruk whistle something through his third chin that didn’t sit right with me. I have always liked Kruk on baseball tonight, but sometimes he’s way off. In Kruk’s opinion the call should have been safe when Jason Varitek tagged out Reggie Willits after a botched suicide squeeze, but dropped the ball after making contact with the ground. There has been plenty of coverage on the play and many differing opinions, but I expected more out of Kruky.

He cited plays at the plate involving collisions where if the catcher drops the ball, the runner is obviously called safe. He seemed to feel that the rules are the same at all bases. This man played baseball professionally and thinks that the rules are uniform. Okay John. When was the last time you saw a first baseman get plowed over on a close play, or an area call at third base? The bases aren’t the same, and the tag was made appropriately. Unless the ball comes out while tagging the player, this is a non-issue.

I understand Angel fans having an issue with the play because fans are by definition irrational and passionate, but any self respecting journalist who thinks the call should have been safe, is either awful at their job, or as agenda ridden as Ron Borges covering a Bill Belichik led team.  The official MLB rule regarding tag-outs doesn’t show any particular light on a play like this, but historically this play has always been called the same way.  If this weren’t a playoff game, and thus scrutinized so fully, this play would never have been brought up in the media, let alone perceived to be a travesty of officiating on the same scale as Ed Hochuli’s infamous fumble call.  Kruk needs to calm down and put this in perspective while trying harder to concentrate more on his Kerby Puckett-like weight growth.