I don't see what harm is done to the umpires if they look at the ball and see it is clean, so obviously did not hit the ground. What face do they lose by doing that? If tennis officials can overrule their own calls based on looking at a spot on the clay, these ######## can use logic to make their rulings too.

Instead, home plate umpire Jeff Nelson ruled that the ball had struck the ground first, making it a foul ball. On appeal, first base umpire Bill Welke agreed.

"But you're 120 feet away? I mean, you gotta be 110 percent sure. You can't be guessing at that call. That's that simple. I mean, come on."

That quote doesn't really follow the play's description. You wouldn't want one ump overruling the other umpire on a guess, right?

I was at the game, and from where I was sitting, I couldn't tell if the ball hit the ground or not. But I watched Laird try to show the ball to the umps, and he didn't show them the whole ball. He didn't rotate the ball 360 degrees, he just held it in his hand.

Also, when Leyland attacks Welke for missing the call, he's ignoring that the HP ump made the same call, so if Welke wasn't "110% sure" of what happened, he wasn't going to overrule the HP ump's call. Leyland's beef is with the HP ump.

Funny, I read SoSH's post, and still posted 3. Yeah. I was giggling, while telling my wife that Leyland was gonna get ejected a few minutes before it happened. I was behind the dugout, up high in the roof box seats, and I could tell the way Welke was looking in the dugout that there was a ruckus being raised in there. Then Leyland took forever to leave. It seemed like he was trying to rattle Doubront, by making him wait. It didn't work, the kid pitched another good game (although Detroit isn't hitting right now...when Laird, Perralta and Young are your hitting stars of the day, it's another bad day.

Did he really say:

"Write that it was a bracket ridiculous, end bracket, call? "

Joe, all that is true and everything - but the umps still completely blew the call, and it was a major turning point in the game. Leyland has every right to be hot about it.

The Tigers have been on the receiving end of some atrocious calls this season. And I say that as someone who finds a morbid pleasure in watching them lose.

I thought the second base ump also botched the call where the one Tiger (Dirks?) overslid the bag and was called out even though it was pretty clear on replay that he was never tagged.

It's been a tough season for the Tigers so far, as evident by the excerpt above that reads like a game of Mad Libs.

But what was Leyland's opinion of the umpires' performance?

I'm not entirely sure that Welke was really appealed to on the question of whether the ball hit the ground. Seemed more like he was deferred to. The home ump made the foul call but no real decision on the other part. Nearly 100% of Leyland's ire is directed at Welke. If the call was made that the ball hit the ground and Welke just didn't overturn it, that would be one thing and he'd be hard to blame.

But the Tigers are mad because he was that far away and made the call, not that he didn't just go along with what the home plate ump said for lack of a reason to overturn it.

Now, if the home ump deferred (which maybe he technically cannot but it sure as hell looked like it), then Welke has to make some call. But LOOK AT THE BALL. If Laird's only showing you half, then get him to show you the rest.

justin

laird is milton berle?

I was there too, and the more bizarre part of the scene was when Gene Lamont started arguing between innings with the crew chief Tim Tschida, who was working 3B. Leyland came out to join that, and it was Tschida who threw out Lamont. Leyland stayed out there a good long time after Lamont departed, gesturing across the diamond about Welke, and staring daggers at Welke when he finally went to the dugout. By the time he reached it, the whole dugout seemed to be screaming and gesturing at Welke. It was only after that went on for another 30 seconds that Welke gave Leyland the thumb.

The weird thing is that they had to mess up that call in two different ways. First they had to decide Aviles made contact (he didn't) and then they had to decide the ball hit the ground (it didn't).

I get the joke, Harvey.

After a good night's sleep...it was Welke's call, and here's why: Aviles reacted immediately after the HP ump made his call, first gesturing that the ball hit the ground, and then asking for an appeal to the 1B ump. If the HP ump had ruled the ball hit the ground, Laird would have argued first. But Aviles argued first.

And Aviles was arguing a point that he couldn't possibly have seen. Honestly, if he was looking to see where his foul tip went went, no wonder he wasn't able to foul tip it.

the "Laird only showed half" argument is bizarre. you want a PowerPoint lecture? Dude's holding the ball at you, you take it. I see that exchange happen all the time.

Nelson should have heard at least one, maybe two extra forms of contact: the foul-tip and the ball striking the ground, aside from what he "saw." If there's no contact, what difference does the phantom bounce make anyway?

I think there was contact just based on the sound. The ball didn't bounce of course but I think it was pretty clear that Aviles made contact.

First they had to decide Aviles made contact (he didn't)

but I think it was pretty clear that Aviles made contact.

Thank god we have replay to clarify what happened on these plays.

Thank god we have replay to clarify what happened on these plays.

Mmm-hmm, because replay would have clearly shown the ball did not hit the ground so it doesn't matter if Aviles made contact with the ball. He foul tips it and Laird catches it (which he did), he's out. He misses it and Laird catches it (which he did), he's out.

Watch for yourself. It does sound sort of like a tip, but it doesn't look like it.

I agree with #20. I'm a bit more confident in the "sound of a tip" than rlc.

16...but the ump didn't take the ball. Why he didn't, I don't know.

Aviles was interviewed and he had a ####-eating grin on his face. He knows he got away with something, and it won the game for the Red Sox, or at least, made it a lot easier for them to win the game.

Other things: Doug Fister works fast. He came out for the 3rd inning looking a little pissed off, and he threw a bunch of fastballs in very quick succession to Saltalamacchia before one went over the LF wall.

There was an interesting exchange between Aviles and Middlebrooks. A fairly slow roller was hit towards SS, and Middlebrooks got to it but was called off by Aviles. Middlebrooks let Aviles have it, and the play was made, but it was definitely Middlebrooks' ball, because that's the way IF's are taught: any ground ball the 3B can get to in front of the SS is the 3B's.

After the play, Aviles seemed to be harping on Middlebrooks to stay out of his way, Middlebrooks shrugged it off and went back to third.

In a few years, Aviles will be lucky if Middlebrooks lets him caddy for him. Middlebrooks is a future star. He hits the ball hard. When (if) he figures out when he's likely to get an off-speed pitch, he's going to be tough to stop.