The Obstruction in Game 3 of the 2013 World Series

Since everybody and their dog is doing a post or article on this, I'll toss my hat in the ring for reasons passing understanding.  You can watch the play here, but here's a brief description if you don't feel like watching it.  The play in question, as if you didn't know by now, occurred in the bottom of the 9th with the score tied 4 all.  With runners on second and third with one down, Jon Jay hit a ground ball in the vicinity of Dustin Pedroia, who dove to his right, stopped the ball, got up and gunned down Yadier Molina at home.  Behind Molina, Allen Craig broke for third and Jarrod Saltalamacchia attempted to throw him out.  Will Middlebrooks attempted to stop the ball while staying on the bag and missed, falling to his left in the process while Craig slid in to third.  Middlebrooks stayed down while Craig attempted to score from third.  He tripped over Middlebrooks' legs, at which point Jim Joyce called obstruction.  The play continued and Craig was thrown out at home, but because of how close the play was, Craig was given home, scoring the winning run and giving the Cardinals the win over the Red Sox.  Several hours later, people were still arguing that the obstruction call was wrong.  Here's why I believe those people are wrong.

Beating a Dead Horse: Tim Lincecum Edition

People enjoy beating dead horses.  Not in the literal sense, because that would make you crazy, weird or both.  There's also the possibility you're in high school and you like to beat a dead horse because you think its hilarious.  I would imagine that type of person is not doing much reading of any kind, but I digress.

Tim Lincecum has been talked about and looked at and put under a microscope for the past 2 seasons.  Does that mean everybody has to stop doing that?  No, since the alternative is writing about A-Rod and I'd rather strap myself to a spinning wheel while a blindfolded monkey threw knives at me than write about that debacle.  I don't know if there is anything new, but there are graphs with bright colors.  Come look at the graphs with bright colors!

The Phillies Made a Mistake

Ruben Amaro Jr.: You have my vote of confidence Charlie.

Charlie Manuel: Damn

RA: What do you mean?  This team has talent.  I have confidence in your ability as a manager.

CM: So I won't be back next year?

RA: No, no you won't.

CM: Why don't we go ahead and schedule a press conference?

Probably not exactly how the conversation went, but it may have been something along those lines.  It was interesting to see Amaro close to tears and Manuel act like it was another day.  Manuel did add that he didn't quit/resign, but he wasn't fired either.  That's not the reason this post exists though.  The reasons behind the "firing" don't matter.  Its the why Manuel is gone that matters.

Expanded Replay Announced

Whoops!

Will the advent of expanded instant replay end the outrage aimed at the umpires for blown calls?  Will fans sit back and go with whatever decision is handed down from New York during a game?  The answer to both, in my opinion, is hell no.  Fans are a passionate breed with bias to spare.

Don't get me wrong.  I think expanding instant replay to include pretty much every call on the field except balls and strikes is a massive step in the right direction.  When the fans can sit at home and see a replay from fifty different angles and in super slow motion, why keep that from the guys on the field?  The continued outrage will stem from the calls that don't get reviewed.  Instead of being yet another blown call, it'll have that much more emphasis put on it because the system won't allow that call to be reviewed.  That being said, lets take a look at what might be coming for the 2014 playoffs and its effect on future seasons.

Maiden Post and Welcome

Hello and welcome to my baseball blog! To get this out of the way, I also post on marinerslatest.com and have decided to expand a bit. There has been material that I would like to write about, but couldn't due to the Mariners Latest blog being, well, Mariners. Because of that, I've decided to create a blog that's more broad in its scope. There will be posts about pretty much whatever I feel like writing about in the world of Major League Baseball.

With that brief description out of the way, the inaugural post of an actual baseball related subject will be soon. And if it's already up, thanks for looking. I also created a twitter account for this blog, which you can find here:

Thanks again for looking and here's to blogging things!