New definition of the “trickle down” theory
By reformedhippie. Filed in Sports |
I sat in amazement lasty night watching the developing mud bowl during Game 5 of the World Series. Remarkable. I guess when things go bad in the country and in the government it just all “trickles down” to the private sector. And last night it was baseball’s turn.
While watching the mud puddles getting bigger at the end of the fourth inning, with the Phillies leading 2-1, I thought surely after the commercial break the next scene I would see was the tarp being pulled out. Wrong. The game continued. And as the game continued Fox flipped back every once in a while and showed the radar… it was not good.
Between innings it seemed like there were more grounds crew on the field than players. It was beginning to turn into a circus. The grounds crew was fighting Mother Nature and loosing.
The worst part was that this was now a complete game. By the rules (there are no exceptions on the books for playoffs or World Series), if the game were called at the end of 4 1/2 innings the Phillies would win the game and series. Is this the way to end the ultimate baseball showdown? They were stuck by the rules. Bud Selig, the commissioner, could have prevented all of this by stopping the game after the bottom of the fourth. The rainout would have caused an incomplete game and they would have to start over on a future date. But Selig did nothing. What was he waiting on? The weather to get better? Yeah… right!
But then during the top of the fifth inning, due to the heroic efforts of B.J. Upton and Carlos Pena, the integrity of baseball was saved when the Rays tied the game 2-2. Selig and his crew should be kissing the feet of Upton and Pena. They gave him the opportunity that he needed. And this time he was smart enough to take advantage of the opening. On return from the commercial break to start the last half of the fifth inning I saw what I had been waiting for… the tarp being pulled out.
Later Selig said in an interview that he would not have allowed the World Series to end by the rules. He would have put an ultra-liberal spin on the term “rain delay” and basically delay the resumption of the game even if it meant days.
I had been a High School, Little League and American Legion baseball umpire for 20+ years. This came should have been called after four complete innings. In kids leagues, you do it to protect the players. Nobody wants to see a young player injured due to a unplayable field. But even in the Major Leagues the players need to be protected. Things were so bad that Phillies All-Star shortstop wandered all around the field trying to catch a wind-blown popup. Ultimately he dropped the ball. I could just see the headlines now… player and team sues MLB over season ending injury to a multi-gazillion dollar player.
I guess that old adage is true… an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
