Texsox

QUOTE(The Critic @ Oct 13, 2005 -> 10:31 AM) Here's a molehill..... ....Tex sees a mountain..... I hope to someday live in a country where a slap at a Johnny(Cusack)-Come-Lately will not be extrapolated into a debate about buying a Sox hat. Shall we discuss "the call" some more? It's a off day. I didn't see a mountain, I saw a thread. And as the reigning "Thread Starter of the Year" Soxtalk Award Winner, it is my sworn duty to start it.

Making it soooo Chicago . . .

To add a thought to the "Josh Paul Couldn't See the Call" theory. In defense to an Illinois guy, he could see his teammate's reactions. If there had not been the fist pump call, he may have tossed to first, etc. He saw his first baseman heading to the dugout and reacted along the same lines.

This has happened once in over 100 years, I don't think we need to eliminate the tradition of umpires having different mechanics over one problem. I think the differences are a part of baseball I wouldn't want to lose. It's part of the charm, the character of the game.

We should take a moment and thank the guys responsible for tallying the results all season long.

I thought AJ's comments about is happening last season in SF also added to his awareness and experience. But of course we are seeing this in black and white, while Angel fans are seeing red. too subtle?

I was flipping through them. I wore 5 different caps (hats have brims all the way around) during the 8th and 9th innings. Desperate to find the "right one". Surprisingly it was the 1919 road gray. I almost rejected that one. Imagine the horror, if I did.

I guess we're seeing his True Colors?

I reject the argument that a true long term Sox fan would only be wearing a ragged, sweated out, cap from 1980. I have half a dozen caps from pristine to the EPA better not find out about it. I am the same fan while wearing my current rally cap, the 1919 road grey, to my five year old, smell it before you see it, official game cap. Let's not judge Sox fans by how s***ty the cap is. You see I have a dream . . . I have a dream that my two little children will one day live in a city where they will not be judged by the condition of their Sox cap, but by the content of their character.

QUOTE(The Critic @ Oct 13, 2005 -> 08:13 AM) Wow, that's a nice clean sharp Sox cap he's wearing. How DOES he keep his hat so clean after all these years of loyal White Sox fandom????? Hey, I have a couple new ones also. I guess a true Sox fan buys one hat in his lifetime.

Is this the America we want to live in? The firefighters put it out once. I guess this is the difference between the America ideal. Neighbors helping neighbors through a crisis use to be the standard of American behavior. Now it's f*** you, too bad, we're not helping because you didn't pay $25. I find it sad. Volunteer fire departments use to be run as a community, with the residents helping each other. Some community members contributed more, some less or not at all, but everyone was helped. Another example of America pulling apart instead of pulling together.

QUOTE(Controlled Chaos @ Oct 13, 2005 -> 08:39 AM) There's really no need to argue whether he caught it or not. It's the umps call. It's like arguing balls and strikes...Sometimes they're right sometimes they're wrong. What can't be argued is whether or not he said "You're Out" which he didnt. The ump was very clear in the press conference last night. He never said 'You're Out' and he was waiting for Josh Paul to tag AJ. I think this has been one of the best discussions we have had on any subject

What's the value of a walk off? $1,000,000 per year on a 5-year contract? And he's had a couple big ones.

Next to Crede and his family, may I introduce the happiest man on the planet when Joe has another "walk off moment" "Get my real estate agent on the phone, we're buying another small country with this contract!"

QUOTE(The Critic @ Oct 13, 2005 -> 08:15 AM) Don't ever censor yourself, Tex! I didn't even mean what I said in a bad way - I love Ozzie's press conferences!! The BEST reality television going today!!! Without searching for every instance, IIRC, most of Oz's controversial comments have come off the cuff and away from official news conferences. He may have handled this with the same class that Scioscia showed. Especially if he had a few minutes to prepare. On the other hand, I wonder of the reporters, who didn't seem to be on their game as it was, would have asked questions designed to set Oz off.

One make up call? No make up call? Angels get the benefit the rest of the series? It seems many times that officials in all sports "even things out". I just hope this doesn't stick around for the rest of the series.

I'm going to hazard a guess that the first close play goes to the Angels. I hope it's early.

QUOTE(The Critic @ Oct 13, 2005 -> 08:12 AM) I'm trying to imagine the Ozzie press conference if this had gone against the Sox....heh..... I started to go there and stopped. I fear Ozzie would have reacted more like a fan.

The Angel fans are acting exactly like every other fan in every other city would act. I take that back, Philly fans would be looking for the ump.

QUOTE(Rex Hudler @ Oct 13, 2005 -> 07:41 AM) If that happened you would have seen the glove move at first contact. It didn't. Second, the way the glove was being held, there was no other part of the glove for it to hit before the webbing. The webbing was the first point of contact due to the position of the glove. What part of the glove do you think should move if it hit webbing? It seems to me if the webbing is directly on the ground there is no place for the glove to move to, the ball would compress the webbing against the ground. Plus at 90 mph, it would happen so fast. Maybe 8 - 10 nanoseconds from the webbing to the palm. Whether or not it actually happened that way is open to interpretation, but the theory of he caught it is plausible to me.

Jenks closing them out . . .

QUOTE(Rex Hudler @ Oct 13, 2005 -> 07:35 AM) I still disagree with ya on that part Krush. How can the ball change direction inside the mitt before it touches the mitt? The glove didn't move until the ball hit the webbing, which was after the change of direction. Even if the catcher's mitt completely surrounded the ball it is not a catch until it actually hits the glove. It did not hit the glove and move up inside the glove because you would have seen the glove move before that. For a change of direction to occur, the ball has to hit something and that occurred before it touched the glove. Watch it again in slow mo. I think you will agree. I do agree that the mechanics used were incorrect. The fist pump should not have been used there. But that did not affect what Josh Paul did. With the distance from the front to the back of a glove, I could see the ball hitting the webbing, fingers, etc and then heading to the palm, therefor changing directions. If balls can bounce out of gloves, why can't they bounce and stay?

If AJ really thought the ball hit the dirt, then why did he take a step towards the dugout? Good deke AJ. What bothers me is the assuption that the Angels would have won this game. The score was tied and heading into extra innings. We will never know how it would have ended if AJ runs to the dugout instead of first. So Angel fans cannot say they would have won that game.

Watching the post game interview I was so impressed with Scioscia. That was one classy interview, protecting the integrity of the game, and defining what sportsmanship should be.