1B Umpire Rob Drake ejected Indians Manager Manny Acta for arguing a safe call in the top of the 8th inning of the Red Sox-Indians game. With one out and none on, Red Sox batter Jacoby Ellsbury hit a 1-0 sinker to Indians first basemen Matt LaPorta. Ellsbury reached base on a missed catch error by Indians pitcher Justin Masterson. Replays indicate that Masterson dragged his foot next to the base, but never touched the base. Although his foot kicks up, replays indicate it was Masterson's toe (cleat) that bounced off the dirt right next to the base. The call was correct. The call is now inconclusive.* At the time of the ejection, the Red Sox were leading, 2-1. The Indians ultimately won the contest, 3-2.
This is Rob Drake (30)'s second ejection of 2011.
Rob Drake now has 8 points in the Umpire Ejection Fantasy League (4 Previous + 2 MLB + 2 Correct Call = 8).
Rob Drake is owned as a Secondary Umpire by BSBALLUMP, who is now in 11th place in the UEFL with 6 points.
*Quality of Correctness was challenged, deferred, and reverted ("Correct" ==> "Inconclusive" ==> "Correct")
This is the 47th ejection of 2011.
This is the 25th manager ejection of 2011.
This is Manny Acta's first ejection of 2011.
Wrap: Boston at Cleveland 5/23/11 Wrap
Video (1): Acta is ejected arguing a missed tag call
Video (2): Condensed Game BOS @ CLE (8:33 to 9:10 mark; 9:00 to 9:05 zoom; Pause at 9:03)
Who are these idiot announcers - I mean the one that sounds like a fatso. The main guy, he's fine. But the fatso analyst man, he's a moron and needs to be put in a cage fight with Hawk.
ReplyDelete"Without even seeing a replay, I'm gonna say Masterson was right"
"Now he's arguing with the crew chief who has no business being there, he was on the third base line farther than Manny Acta was."
"They've got one job, one job, and how you miss that, even in real time you've got to be able to see that"
And earlier in the video during a slow-mo replay, fatso analyst woman man says "now I can't see if he hits the bag." What a cesspool of wasted DNA that somehow congealed to malform an alleged human who would perform approximately 1250 points lower on an IQ test than the donkey I'm sure he keeps at home as his pet dog.
I had to turn the sound off. It was horrible. "Now I don't mean to blast the umpires" (but I'm going to anyway)
ReplyDeleteI live in Cleveland, our TV announcers can be pretty bad at times. Total homers, like most other announcers. I still think Rick Manning ("fatso") beats out Hawk, who knows though.
ReplyDeleteLOL RE: Hawk cage fight. Next poll about what announcer is the worst? Anyway, I think Drake made a good call, as 'obvious' as Manning claims it to be.
ReplyDeleteOh, and the voice who pipes in at the end "Now I don't men to blast the umpires..." is Mike Hargrove, he actually is in the broadcast booth for a few Indians home games this year.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure on the call, the announcers are right in that it appears Masterson's foot gets stuck on the edge of the bag like he kicks it, although if he did catch the bag he did barely do it.
One thing I did like was the "the way his foot flexed" comment. It's not too hard. He showed some evidence, and used it to come to a reasonable conflusion. Easy.
ReplyDeleteBTW: I think he was out, too, but I have no problem with Drake going safe on that play.
what are you guys talking about? you can blatantly see his foot kicked off the bag after getting caught on it! he hit the base! it was out. the call was #INCORRECT
ReplyDeleteI hope when you guys finish reviewing the replay you decide the call was incorcet.
ReplyDeleteLooked like Masterson ticked the bag with his toe at the very end of the play. It was close, but I think Drake got that one wrong.
ReplyDeletethose replays are grainy crap. you can't tell from that, Drake is right on top of it.
ReplyDelete*Oh but wait... a player would NEVER lie to get a call to go his way... that's just unheard of*... that whole "he wouldn't argue if he wasn't right" BS is just idiotic....
*denotes the most extreme sarcasm known to man*
is there any way we can fine the announcers for being stupid and wrong???
Drake got the call right. next time cover the bag, make the throw, make sure you have the ball and make sure you hit the bag.
I've watched it from the two CLE angles PLUS another on FOX's post game PLUS another on ESPN's highlite and guess what.... I STILL CAN"T TELL!
ReplyDeleteWow i've watched this a lot and still can't tell. Knowing how good drake is it's easy to give him the nod... but 139 cameras and not ONE can get the perfect angle? WOW!
ReplyDeleteNESN's Red Sox broadcast had a better angle on the replay. It's still hard to tell, but it looks like Masterson may indeed have missed the bag.
ReplyDeleteYou better check the ESPN broadcast. This call was INCORRECT and it is clear in the ESPN replays. The entire broadcast crew (Sean McDonough, Aaron Boone, and Rick Sutcliffe) all agree Drake missed the call. I would challenge this.
ReplyDeleteI think all announcers should be required to go to umpire school. Even then I dont think that would help much. My dog would still do a better job.
ReplyDeletedrake got a better look than we have and we have studied all the video.
ReplyDeletegood call.
these announcers are brutal. "he has one job...." and he does it well jerkoff
You guys sound like the Warren Commission! You can't ignore video evidence and physics. The call was incorrect.
ReplyDeleteI have no problem giving this one to Drake. He's in the right place. His visual angle lets him see the foot directly, without being blocked by the bag like our cameras are.
ReplyDeleteThat is some of the very worst commentary I've ever heard. No one talks down about Hawk Harrelson more than I do, and I now have a new target. Rick Manning, you're a joke.
I love that CLE broadcast, lets show all the angles we can where the foot is BEHIND the bag out of view and say yep he tapped it.
ReplyDeleteTo me, it seems like Masterson made a miserable second effort to get the bag. One of those that looks so stupid and failing when you watch yourself later, but seems like the thing to do at the time. Why would a guy who tapped the bag make a miserable second effort to do so...to me that says, darn I missed the bag, maybe if I can throw my leg out there just a little bit more I can tap it...
Drakes positioning was just about the best you could have in that scenario.
Hadn't watched it since last night, so I took one more look. Rick Manning is a disgrace. I so hate the phrase "get your money's worth". Assuming that a player or coach only argues when they're absolutely right is absurd. And claiming that the crew chief has no place in the conversation, even after the ejection? Place that one squarely at Larry Bowa's feet.
ReplyDeleteAs for Mike Hargrove, I imagine he dreams about blasting umpires. Rob Drake had one job, and he did it.
Should be inconclusive. I agree with challenge
ReplyDeleteIs there a link to an ESPN angle of this?
ReplyDeleteDrake was at a good angle, but the only problem I have is he should've come set...he was walking during the the play. Basic Fundamentals right there.
ReplyDeleteGuess what... here's how he really made the call (I don't know if I believe this):
ReplyDeleteAccording to Acta, Drake cited that reaction as the reasoning behind the ruling.
"The umpire told me that he tried to go back to touch the base," Acta said. "So that's why he called him safe. He never heard what I got to say, only the things that I didn't go out there to tell him. Actually, what I wanted to say is you don't make calls based on players' reactions, on the guy going back.
http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110524&content_id=19483274&vkey=news_cle&c_id=cle
@Anon 2 before this... I disagree, he walked to a position, he stopped to view the play, then to get a better view he moved his body at waist level to get a better angle. Perhaps his momentum caused him to take that step afterward, but he did come set. I'd advise you take another look.
ReplyDeleteI called it, the 2nd motion to the bag. I'm not going to believe what Acta says w/o Drake confirming it. Otherwise it's hearsay. I wouldn't be surprised if in the arguement with Acta, Drake did mention the 2nd move, but not that he called him based on that alone. I still believe that if Masterson was so sure he got the bag the first time, he wouldn't have made that 2nd move. So if Drake is in any doubt that Masterson got it, the nature of that 2nd move would tip the scales.
At best I can see an inconclusive with the angles that are posted for the challenge.
This ruling has been challenged.
ReplyDeleteAfter review, the Quality of Correctness has been deferred. The call is now inconclusive.
After review, including examination of the real-time play, replays, and alternate angles, the decision of deferring the original Quality of Correctness was made. From provided angles, it is ultimately unclear whether the fielder's foot made contact with first base; therefore, there is not enough video evidence to overturn this call, yet there is not enough evidence to confirm it, either. As a result, this appeal must be deferred under UEFL Rule 6.d.iii. Rule 7 considers deferred challenges, and as specified by rule, this inconclusive classification is subject to review and resolving and/or reversion at any time, up to the conclusion of the current phase of the season, as defined by Rule 8. As specified by Rule 8.a.iii., the current phase of the season concludes at the All-Star game.
Deferred.
After exhaustive review, the ruling has been reverted to "Correct."
ReplyDelete