MASN: Wood: Historic moment, insert your name here

Seems Phil Wood has a problem with Randy’s 300th win…

I bring up the Pinelli story inasmuch as I tend to think that home plate umpire Tim Timmons had much the same mindset in yesterday’s first game. When he called Adam Dunn out on strikes on a 3-2 count with the bases loaded and 2 out in the bottom of the eighth inning, the strike 3 call was made with just a slight hesitation. A walk ties the game at 2 and gives Randy Johnson a no-decision.

I believe in that split-second he decided he’d rather see his name attached to Johnson’s 300th win than one of his colleagues.

Hey, I don’t begrudge Johnson his milestone. But, much like in a game where a pitcher has a no-hitter going, you want that first hit to be a clean shot, a hard hit ball, not some squibber that creates a bang-bang play at first. It’s not hard to imagine that in Timmons’ mind he thought “Here’s a guy who strikes out a lot anyway, his team stinks, what’s the real harm?”

For years I defended umpires on the radio, but less so in the recent past. The continually shrinking strike zone, the arbiters who at times seem to be looking for a confrontation, the ones who seem to crave the spotlight; I’m more aligned now with my Saturday radio colleague Dave Johnson, who really feels the art of umpiring has taken a serious turn south.