I just want to say right now, these guys were so excited about being chosen for the World Series, and it’s all about showing how good they are. To have that question be asked, I thought was over the line.

So umpires are above reproach? The mere act of asking a question is problematic?

To quote Continental Congressman Stephen Hopkins from the movie 1776,

Well, in all my years I ain't never heard, seen nor smelled an issue that was so dangerous it couldn't be talked about. Hell yeah! I'm for debating anything.

It can be, depending on the question. What if someone asked, "Ron Kulpa, did you intentionally blow that call because you had $20k riding on the outcome of the game?" That would clearly be irresponsible and over the line, no? (Unless the reporter actually had evidence that Kulpa had money on the game.) The very asking of the question is provocative, and the reporter shouldn't be able to hide behind the screen of, "I'm just asking questions."

The mere act of asking a question is problematic?

Straw man. He is speaking of that question in particular. I'd say calling an ump a homer is over the line.

The mere act of asking a question is problematic?

Have you stopped beating your wife?

DB

"So you're not corrupt, just incompetent?"

The mere act of asking a question is problematic?

Yes. The mere act of asking THIS question is highly problematic. And you know that, you're just playing dumb on purpose. It's way, way over the line to ask the umpire, in essence, "did you intentionally blow the call because you have a rooting interest in the Cardinals?" You're accusing him, absent even the slightest iota of evidence, of being corrupt. The guy who asked the question ought to get a serious f**king chewing out from his editor for that.

It was a stupid question and it was over the line. This is not difficult.

Agree with Esoteric, and everyone else who said this was over the line.

To paraphrase 1776

Sit down boteman, sit down boteman, for god's sake boteman, sit down!

Denkiger to Joyce to Kulpaaaaaa

This kind of reminds me of the time at the 1972 Olympics, when there was a scheduling misunderstanding, and Eddie Hart and Reynaud Robinson missed the qualifying heat in the 100 meters and were disqualified. In an interview, Howard Cosell asked the track coach if any of his athletes could ever place their trust in him again.

Yeah, implying he's a homer is over the line. And stupid anyway - what's the guy going to say, yes?

I think the better question is whether they need to think about changing the long standing tradition of never reversing their own calls. A little bit of thought and reflection on what he actually saw would have told him that Holliday was out (Holliday was tagged and then tripped over first base and Kulpa saw both happen), but he's tasked with making an immediate call before he could actually fully process something like that. I think Kulpa knew (deep down anyway) Holliday was out ten seconds after he called him safe. But he had nowhere to go from there. Maybe he could have asked one of the other umpire's to reverse the call for him, but that's really the only option to an ump once he blows a call and realizes it soon after.

Maybe he could have asked one of the other umpire's to reverse the call for him, but that's really the only option to an ump once he blows a call and realizes it soon after.

At the time my assumption was that the umpires would confer and the home plate ump (or someone else) would help to overturn the call.

#13. I don't think it's really about time or lack of time to process a call. Umpires currently make all their calls in or around 1 second and get 99% of them correct. But your larger point of umps never being allowed to reverse their calls? MLB umps already have done this from time to time. Probably not ever on a first base call, granted, but it's already been part of the game.

I think you are speculating what Kulpa thinks or thought, obviously. It's possible he thought this, but let's play your scenario out.....how does Kulpa "process" the information longer? Does he go for a walk? You said 10 seconds....does he call time and then ponder the play? Baseball doesn't have a whistle. These plays need to be ruled on immediately since there is often other action to play out. While Kulpa ponders the play for 10 seconds, does he entertain Tony LaRussa's arguments on the matter?

I'm not saying your suggestion isn't a good one, it probably is, but let's play out the scenario a little. I think a huddle with home plate ump or crew chief is probably only way you can change a call without eroding umpire's trust, this reversed call needs some kind of charade or photo opt to give the changed call authenticity, where fans and media can rest easy at night knowing the upms huddled up in a professional manner. By the way, the NFL calls this "replay", w/the ref using a "hood". Even though replay gets the call wrong at least half the time.

I'd like to see the NFL allow penalties, or non calls for that matter, to be reviewed. Makes zero sense penalties are considered "un-reviewable" in the NFL. Dumb really.

And you know that, you're just playing dumb on purpose.

Have you seen his other posts? What makes you think he's playing?

I think you are speculating what Kulpa thinks or thought, obviously. It's possible he thought this, but let's play your scenario out.....how does Kulpa "process" the information longer?

I think the process in this case involved understanding the order in which he saw the things he saw. He saw Napoli tag Holliday and he saw Holliday trip over the bag. In an instant flash, he might not be able to logically connect that therefore Holliday is out, but after a bit more time to put the rudimentary logic together, it's obvious that he was.

And I've never seen an ump reverse his own call without help. I've seen them allow their call to be overruled by someone else, but not someone suddenly decide on their own that they were wrong and they just needed a few extra seconds to logically order what it was that they saw. Maybe you're exactly right that he should have invented a pretense for an umpire meeting after calling time, and then just reversed himself and asked his crew mates to play along. But that's also a hard thing to do.

No one is going to get a mea kulpa out of this guy.

Best regards,

robinred