Tuesday, November 01, 2016
World Series 2016
The World Series may
have concluded last night. That is, if the Cleveland Indians were to
defeat the Chicago Cubs in the sixth game of their best of seven
series. However, if the Cubs won last night, the final game will be
played this evening in Cleveland. In either case, the game will
likely be close. Most of the other games in the Series have been
close, determined at the end of the ninth inning.
There is one thing I
would like to see at the end of the Series, after the final out is
made. I would like to see the teams line up, on the infield, and
graciously shake hands, as is done after every major hockey
championship. Well, maybe not graciously. Many of these players are
friends off the field; many have played for both teams; many come
from the same cities in Latin America. It would give a brief moment
for the losers to say, “Great job,” and the winners to
acknowledge that.
The one thing I do not
want to see is little minions scampering around the victors trying to
place goofy hats on their heads, and ridiculous shirts on their
backs. “Hey!” they shout to the players, “I know you have the
name of your team on your shirt, and your team logo on your hat, but
Major League Baseball wants to sell tons of these goofy hats and
shirts, and we want you to promote this”. Most of them will be
soaked in champagne after the game, and will end up in the laundry
bins. The players are obligated to do this, and they look
uncomfortable doing so. But I imagine there is money involved.
Therein lies the motivation.
One of the ingredients
in this Series, perhaps moreso than any previous Series, is that
managers are constantly replacing players with other players,
especially pitchers. The Indians like to get five innings out of
starting pitchers, then revert to their strong bullpen to seal the
deal. Andrew Miler is almost unhitable when he takes over in the
middle innings. Allen mops up at the end of the game. The Cubs use
the same approach, and rely on Aroldis Chapman and his
hundred-mile-an-hour fastball to finish games.
Both managers move
around other players as well, especially in the late innings, for
defensive purposes. In a recent game, the Indians brought in Yan
Gomes to catch. Blue Jay fans may remember Gomes, as he broke into
the major leagues with the Jays in 2012. He was the first Brazilian
to play major league baseball. He was traded to the Indians after
that season. Gomes did not play baseball until he was 12 years old,
having refined his athletic skills on the soccer pitch. In 2014, he
won the Silver Slugger Award for catchers in the American League.
As is always the case,
there has been a fair amount of controversy about the “Strike
Zone”, and the calls made by the home plate umpire. It has been a
bone of contention since the game began. If a batter has three balls
and no strikes, how good does a pitch really
have to be in order to be rung up as a strike? An inch or two off the
plate? Steeeerike! Six inches too low? Steeerike! It got so bad in
the late 1960s that Carl Yastrzemski of the Red Sox led the American
League in hitting with a .301 batting average. Bob Gibson of the St.
Louis Cardinals won the ERA title with a 1.12 ERA, unheard of in
today's game.
No
one likes to strike out, especially looking at a third strike that
may be out of the strike zone. Many catchers are adept at “framing
pitches”. After they catch the ball, the move their glove slightly
into the strike zone to help the umpire make the call. If I were
behind the plate, I might gently put my size ten into the catcher's
rump and remind him not to attempt to affect my opinion.
I
believe baseball did the right thing by involving replays and
challenges for many of the calls made by umpires. Even the foul poles
have been enlarged to get rid of the guess work. But when it comes to
balls and strikes, those decisions should be left to the umpires.
With the game on the line, in the ninth inning, with tying and
winning runs on base, an umpire must have the wherewithall to make
the call. That should never be left to a machine.
May
the best team win!!
James
Hurst
November
1, 2016
# posted by James Hurst @ 8:39 AM 
