Here we go again! Another WCWS and another round of controversial, if not outright, blown calls from the umpires working the games on the games biggest stage.
Am I the only one who is disturbed by the fact that the ESPN Sports Center coverage of the first two days of the 2017 WCWS is centered on calls that don’t seem to be that difficult but are clearly creating all kinds of controversy. When you see Lisa Fernandez ejected from a game because of the frustration of these calls, I think you see something is really out of whack.
Not that long ago, coaches would complain, players would gripe and the umpires would circle the wagons but there was little video evidence to highlight the controversial of difficult calls. Now we get to see the mistakes in high definition, on the live broadcast, and then again on the highlights on SportsCenter. Not to even mention social media.
As you already know, I come from a very proud tradition where disagreements with umpires were and accepted part of the game. As a result, I am usually critical of the umpiring this time of year. Do umpires get the vast majority of call right? Yes they do! Unfortunately, this is a loaded question. They should get them right, that’s part of the job description!
We often say the best umpires are the ones you don’t even notice during the course of the game. I would love to watch a few more games where I can draw that conclusion.
