a beef of mine re: umpiring...

[K-State Spur]

evidently, is it impossible to drop the ball on the pivot at second base.

at least once a month, you will see the ball flat-out dropped while attempting to turn a double play, but the umpire will give the pivot man the out and call the drop on the transfer.

this shouldn't be a difficult call, but it is missed constantly. unless you see the second baseman or shorstop clearly establish possession of the ball, error on the side of calling the runner safe. a middle-infielder who is fumbling the ball all over the place on the transfer barely deserves to get the out as is.

[DOMINATOR]

if he bobbles it pulling it out of his glove to throw then it's an out... if he bobbles the catch then he should be safe. you didn't say exactly what happened.

[DisgruntledLionFan#54,927]

C. Guillen did it tonight.

[K-State Spur]

i know the rule. and this post was brought up by the play at the end of the twins-tigers game today.

however, you don't have to watch a whole lot of baseball to see an attempted double play where the shortstop just flat out drops the ball (usually getting in position to make the throw before he has established possession) and still gets an 'out' call from the umpire.

it's a call that's missed very frequently.

[DarkReign]

I am inclined to agree. Guillen never had true possession of the ball. In real time, it looks as though he does/did. But when you slow it down, and look down the line created from 1st to 2nd base, its quite obvious the ball was never in his possession.

Did it matter? Yes, to an extent. But, as they say, "Thems the breaks". Tigers didnt get any breaks in the Seattle series, so they were due. Tag a guy three times....

[Spurminator]

Hell that's nothing compared to the amount of times they give the force at second on a double play when the 2B/SS doesn't have the ball while his foot is on the bag.