Paul Emmel's call on Kenji Johjima in the 9th, that was weird on a lot of levels. For one thing, it was an easy call. For another, it went against the home team in a tight game (as the replays went up on the monitors, Emmel suffered booing for the rest of the inning). For another, it showed a total lack of respect for a team that is leading its division. For another thing, it was the kind of play on which the benefit of the doubt goes to the batter (nice try, SS, but it was just too deep in the hole, and you kinda hesitated too). For another thing, it was an easy call...
The first couple weeks, I just figured the umps hadn't adjusted to the fact that the M's aren't wussies any more. But the umping is getting more and more biased against the M's as we go along.
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Frankly, Emmel's call looked like the kind of call that used to happen a lot in the 1970's: the umpires were biased not so much in favor of the home team or road team, sometimes not even in favor of the pennant contender vs the patsy -- what the umps really were biased towards, were fast games. In the 70's and early 80's it was nothing unusual to see a bad call that actually ended a game. Everybody would walk off, maybe except the hitter who just had strike three called on a ball at chin level, and they would go about their business.
You and I enjoy being at the ballpark, but the umpires don't. Circa 1978, Emmel's call improved the chances of a quick getaway: the Mariners were down 1, with 1 out, and so if there's a close play you make the call that brings you closer to the end of the game.
Since ESPN, the umps are a whale of a lot slower to make the "quick getaway" call. And if I heard it right in the other room, SportsCenter put Emmel front-and-center for his game-changing blunder ...
As Ron Luciano pointed out, NO umpire wants to make a call that changes the outcome of a game. Emmel is definitely having an Alka-Seltzer night. We are not talking about umpires who want to look like idiots on SportsCenter. We're talking about "when in doubt, don't blow the call the wrong way."
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But the umpires DO, consciously and unconsciously, tend make the calls that favor the better team.
After all, if you make a call that hoses a 100-loss team, what difference does it really make? But if you hose the Yankees, that could turn out to be the call that changes not only a game, but a pennant race... so, the umps are careful not to cheat the team that's fighting for a pennant.
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In the first 26 games, the umps have been giving the Seattle Mariners even LESS respect than they did during last year's 100 losses. It's maddening.
It's an easy explanation that the umps don't owe rookie Don Wakamatsu anything. But 15 blown calls against Felix "the King" Hernandez as against ZERO for James Shields? That's a 1978 Yankee-Mariner ump'ing shaft-o-rama.
If every other player and coach in Seattle deserved to be taken lightly, Felix wouldn't. When HE is being treated like a AAA pitcher, something is going on.
It's happening game in and game out. Chris Jakubauskas is simply not going to be successful if the Darryl Cousinses of the league make him throw the ball down the middle of the plate. Felix and Bedard can COPE. Chris Jakubauskas, however, MUST have the same strike zone that the other pitcher gets.
I've been an M's fan as long as Dave Neihaus has, and have therefore seen a whale of a lot of rookie Mariner managers. I never remember anything like this happening to Maury Wills or Deron Johnson.
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The solution? Earl Weaver's first year or two in the league, the umps didn't take those kind of liberties. He was getting the heave-ho to the tune of 12 games a year. The umps knew that if they missed one against the Orioles, they were in for serious unpleasantness. During the game, after the game, in the hotel bar, passing each other in the hallways... the squeaky wheel gets the grease. In baseball, it is 100% true that it is easier to shaft the nicer guy.
If you just joined us, you probably think that Lou Piniella yells at managers because he gets mad. Not really. Managers go out and yell because they want to keep their fair share of the calls, and they accomplish that by making sure the umpires know it's not more pleasant to cheat one dugout than it is to cheat the other.
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Don Wakamatsu is evidently a very pleasant man. Probably he is banking on the idea of earning himself a Walter Alston-, Joe Torre-, Bobby Cox-type dignified respect from the umpires. That would reap benefits what, the third or fourth year in? Right now it is costing the Mariners ball games.
That's not a criticism. It is an observation.
It's my considered opinion that if the M's had had all the same strike zones their opponents had had, both when pitching and when batting ... and if they hadn't suffered any Joh-magnitude ripoffs on the bases ... they might be 18-7 instead of 14-11.
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Probably Wok and Capt Jack are thinking, well, just keep winning, and the umps will come around. Let's hope.
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I'm not saying Wakamatsu should be something he's not. I'm just pointing out that it's a lot easier to hose the Mariners' manager, than it is to hose any other manager in the league.
And the umps are taking advantage. Huge.
BABVA,
Dr D
Lest lurkers misunderstand me...
I started out cautiously-optimistic on Capt Jak and Wok, and have become more of a fan with each passing week.
I couldn't be more impressed with them. If they powerflush their rich #5SP, like they're threatening, they'll get SSI on a 3-year deal for the minimum advertising wage... :- )