Nice to see Bob Davidson act out the end of "…And Justice For All."

It’s not often that you can see a grown man lose his God Damn Mind.
But once again, in a night where we should be celebrating baseball, an umpire’s ego takes center stage.
Bob Davidson tossed out a player, Brewers outfielder Chris Dickerson.
He tossed out a coach, Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan.
He tossed out Brewers manager Ken Macha.
And finally he tossed out a fan who was sitting up close and heckling Yadier Molina.
Now I don’t know what he said and if the fan said anything racist, then I can understand it. But so far nobody has revealed if there was anything really offensive.
And besides, the umpire doesn’t have the authority to eject a fan unless they interfere with the field of play. And this was a guy sitting up close. I can’t imagine the guys sitting up in the upper deck of MILLER Park watching a team called the BREWERS and have been drinking beer since 11 AM were quoting sonnets.
But Bob Davidson basically went nuts. And we are talking about HIM instead of Trevor Hoffman’s 600th save.
No doubt he would have tossed Billy the Brewers, all four Sausages from the Sausage Race and Bob Uecker before the night was out.
I can just hear him screaming “You’re out of order… You’re out of order… this WHOLE game is out of order!”
(Spoiler alert on this clip… it kind of spoils the ending but explains the blog post title.)

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Only idiots are against instant replay in baseball

Yup.
It has come to this.

Name calling.

I’ve written about Instant Replay several times and it isn’t worth rehashing EVERYTHING. But tonight’s travesty just got me fired up again.

The Marlins won the game tonight beating the Phillies in the 9th.
Except they didn’t because of a blown call reversed a walk off hit.
It’s kind of like how the Giants won a game a few weeks ago… except that they didn’t because of the blown call on the final play.
In a year with so many tight races in the National League, a game could be all that keeps the Giants out of the playoffs.
Or maybe the Phillies sneak in by a game.
Exactly what is it going to take for the anti Instant Replay dolts to come around?
We’ve had a perfect game taken away from a pitcher.
We’ve had blown calls left and right in the 2009 post season.
Will it take a walk off hit in the post season being taken away?
Seriously, opponents of Instant Replay, what would have happened if tonight’s grotesque call by Bob Davidson had taken place in the Division Series… or the NLCS… or the World Series?
Is that what it will take to get some sort of replay system in place?
And as always the whole “it will slow down the pace of the game” argument is not only nonsense and asinine, but is untrue.
The replay showed that Davidson’s call was dead wrong while Marlins manager Edwin Rodriguez was still on the field arguing.
So time WAS wasted on the call… and it was truly wasted because nothing was done or could be done.
Davidson can only arrogantly shake his head no, dead certain that he got the call right… only to have every single replay showing over and over again that Davidson’s confidence is unfounded.
Once again, the rest of the planet has access to the undeniable truth that the call was blown except the one person who could use the information to… and please brace yourself for this outlandish idea… GET THE CALL RIGHT!
I am DYING to hear a valid argument against instant replay.
I am guessing I’m not going to hear them.

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Seems like old times

Another day, another Red Sox pitcher throws an outstanding game.

It’s almost as if the Red Sox had a plan to revolve their team around run prevention. And oh yeah, Big Papi supplied all of the offense, which I can get used to.

Yeah, Bob Davidson’s strike zone was so wide that you could hear the ghost of Eric Gregg saying “Are you kidding me?”

But the Sox survived a threat in the 9th and guess what?

They’ve already won the series against the best team in baseball! Winning games in Tampa? That’s what the Sox USED to do! It does seem like old times.

Hmmm… is this team just playing with my head?

Not sure, but I am going to update the tally.

DODGED A BULLET GAMES – 16

April 4 – 9-7 win against Yankees (On Opening Night, the Red Sox overcome a 5-1 Yankee lead with a game tying HR by Pedroia and a go ahead passed ball.)
April 10 – 8-3 win against Kansas City (Beckett out pitches Zack Greinke and nearly gets decapitated by a line drive.)
April 14 – 6-3 win in Minnesota. (Okajima gets Morneau to pop up with the bases loaded in the 7th and Papelbon wiggled out of a 9th inning jam.)
April 20 – 7-6 win against Texas. (Darnell McDonald introduces himself to Boston with an 8th inning game tying homer and a walk off hit in the 9th.)
April 21 – 8-7 win against Texas. (The Red Sox were down 4-0 early only to win it on Youk’s 2 out 11th inning double.)
April 23 – 4-3 win against Baltimore. (The Sox blow a 3-0 lead but win it on Adrian Beltre’s bases loaded walk.)
April 24 – 7-6 win against Baltimore. (The Red Sox score 6 in the 7th and hold off a late Baltimore comeback attempt.)
April 26 – 13-12 win at Toronto. (The Sox blow an early 5-0 lead but hang on for dear life in a slugfest.)
April 27 – 2-1 win at Toronto. (Buchholz holds the Jays down for 8 but it takes a bases loaded walk in the 8th to go ahead.)
April 28 – 2-0 win at Toronto. (Daniel Bard wiggles out of trouble in the 8th to help Lester shut down the Blue Jays and finish the sweep.)
May 4 – 5-1 win against the Angels. (Juan Rivera misplays Jeremy Hermedia’s 2 out flyball into a 3 run game winning double)
May 5 – 3-1 win against the Angels. (Papi and Beltre homer and the Sox hang on despite squandering many potential rallies.)
May 6 – 11-6 win against the Angels. (Dice-K puts the Red Sox in a 4-0 hole before they even bat. The Sox bats respond.)
May 10 – 7-6 win against the Blue Jays. (Sox blow an early 2-0 lead, take advantage of some errors and hang on.)
May 18 – 7-5 win in New York. (Sox climb back from a 5-1 hole. A day after hitting a walk off homer, Marcus Thames drops a fly ball to start the winning rally for the Sox.)
May 25 – 2-0 win in Tampa. (Big Papi supplies all the offense as Papelbon wiggles out of a 9th inning jam.)
TEETH GRINDER GAMES – 13

April 6 – 6-4 loss against the Yankees. (Scutaro’s error leads to the winning run.)
April 7 – 3-1 loss against the Yankees. (Sox leave the winning run on in the 9th only to lose on Granderson’s 10th inning homer)
April 9 – 4-3 loss in Kansas City. (Bard coughs up the lead, denying Wakefield a win.)
April 17 – 3-1 loss to Tampa Bay. (The Sox can’t score with the bases loaded and nobody out in the 11th… lost it in the 12th.)
April 17 – 6-5 loss to Tampa Bay. (The Red Sox comeback falls a run short, leaving two on in the 8th)
April 25 – 7-6 loss to Baltimore. (The Sox blow a 4-1 lead, leave the winning run on second in the 9th, let up 3 in the 10th and could only score 2 in the bottom of the 10th)
April 30 – 5-4 loss in Baltimore. (Tejada ties the game with a 2 out 8th inning homer and wins it with a bloop in the 10th)
May 1 – 12-9 loss in Baltimore. (Dice-K and Wakes get pounded, wasting 2 homers from Ortiz and an early 4-1 lead.)
May 2 – 3-2 loss in Baltimore. (Varitek is thrown at home trying to score with 2 outs in the 8th. Sox get swept in the 10th.
May 12 – 3-2 loss against the Blue Jays. (The Sox rally in the 9th comes up a run short and Kevin Gregg gets an ugly save.)
May 15 – 7-6 loss in Detroit. (The Sox blow a 6-1 lead and lose it on a 2 out bases loaded walk in the 12th.)
May 17 – 11-9 loss in New York. (The Sox come all the way back from a 5-0 first inning hole to take a 9-7 lead in the 9th… but Papelbon lets up a 2 run game tying shot to A-Rod and a 2 run walk off shot to Marcus Thames.)
May 21 – 5-1 loss in Philadelphia. (Big Papi’s bid for a game tying 9th inning grand slam is caught at the warning track.)

Back up to +3.

Tomorrow the Sox are playing with house money as this series is already won… and then back to Boston for four with Kansas City.

Could the Sox go into June in a playoff spot?

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