BY SCOTT LAUBERSo, I went to sleep at about 4 a.m., and it was pouring outside. I woke up at about 9:30 a.m., and it's still pouring outside. Meanwhile, the Phillies sit in their homes, the Rays sit in the Hotel du Pont, and the World Series sits, suspended, with no sign of being able to resume any time soon.
Charlie Manuel, Jimmy Rollins, Pat Burrell and several other Phillies players didn't want to discuss the situation last night, leaving us to draw the sensible conclusion that they weren't happy with how the whole thing was handled. To them, it seemed, Bud Selig dropped the ball either by allowing the game to continue for as long as it did under the most adverse conditions imaginable or by starting it in the first place.
Couple of things:
1. Selig said the weather worsened at a more rapid rate than the forecasts indicated. That may be true. I wasn't monitoring Weather.com throughout the day/night, but presumably, Major League Baseball was. In fact, Selig said MLB was getting three separate forecasts, and none predicted the rain would be as steady or intense as it got by the sixth inning. We have little choice but to take him at his word.
2. At some point, Selig decided that he wasn't going to allow the World Series to end in a suspended state. And since America loves conspiracy theories, a popular one going around last night was that Selig waited for the Rays to tie the game before he instructed the umps to call for the tarp because it would've been easier to explain suspending a tie game than an official game with the Phillies leading 2-1. Once again, we'll never know. But I think we can all agree that allowing the Phillies to win the Series in a rain-shortened Game 5 would've been just as ludicrous. By rule, during the regular season, had the game been suspended before the sixth inning began, the Phillies would've won. But, regardless of the rules, a World Series can't be decided that way.
3. Whenever Game 5 resumes, the strategical maneuverings by Manuel and Joe Maddon will be fascinating. Reliever Grant Balfour was on the mound for the Rays when the tarp came out, but it doesn't mean he has to throw the next pitch. Prevailing wisdom is that Maddon will turn to hard-throwing rookie lefty David Price. If that's the case, who might Manuel use to hit for Hamels and open the bottom of the sixth? My bet: So Taguchi. He's right-handed, somewhat fits a leadoff-hitting mold, and unlike left-field defensive replacement Eric Bruntlett or backup catcher Chris Coste, he won't be needed later in the game.
Meanwhile, the Phillies and Rays wait, you wait, I wait, for the rain to finally stop, the field to dry and Game 5 to resume. While we all wait, you tell me: Did Selig handle the situation correctly last night? And if not, how should he have done it?
9 comments:
I think the game should have either had an earlier start time (7pm?) to squeeze it in (no chance, given MLB is driven by FOX/TV/$$) or postponed all together. Sacrificing the quality of game play is inexcusable on this stage. I know it's somewhat different, but would the US Open or Masters push players into that weather last night??
Should have been called right after J Roll dropped what normally would have been a routine pop up. Especially if Selig had already told both GM's that the game will not be shortened due to weather. He let the conditions come into play and affect the score. Hamels said he couldn't get a good grip on the change or curve, so threw more fastballs than normal... Do Longoria/ Pena score in the 6th if Hamels can throw what he wants?
I don't fault Selig for starting the game, but he should have been acutely aware of when the conditions were beginning to affect the game. This is a bad omen for those of us that have struggled with Philly teams for the last few decades...
He should have suspended it earlier. As it stands the rays got to bat once with us dealing with the worst fielding conditions known to man and we did not. With a normal field J-Roll makes that play on Upton, Ruiz has a better throw to 2nd and Burrell's throw home doesn't splash into the lake on the infield grass, possibly allowing it to beat Upton home. This was a complete and total debacle and is further proof that Selig is the worst thing to happen to baseball since the strike.
I agree with the other comments.
The Rays caught two huge breaks last night. The first -- only having to face Hamels for a shortened game -- was the fault of the weather. Sucks, but we can't really be mad about that. The second was that they were able to tie the game before it was called. This was completely the fault of major league baseball. This game should never have continued past the 4th inning, and certainly not past the 5th.
"the worst fielding conditions known to man "
Wow.....Webster's defines this as an exxageration
Anonymous, its called a hyperbole. But the conditions were FAR from acceptable.
"Anonymous, its called a hyperbole"
Thank you Professor
I personally think it is a conspiracy. Everyone from the commentators, the umps, Selig and MLB. they all want the Phils to lose and will do everything in their power to make the Rays win.
Not here to defend Selig at all, but did he really have a choice??
he said he was extremely concerned in the fifth inning. batting in the fifth inning wasn't much less intense than it was in the 6th.
Selig dropped the ball.
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