Tuesday, September 21, 2004
Chin Music
I got home around 7:15 last night and flipped on the TV as I dropped my man-purse on the bed. Luckily, the bed was also there to break my own fall as the image on the screen sapped the strength from my legs. Vladimir Guerrero lying in the dirt, replays showing him beaned in the side of the head by a Ryan Franklin fastball. Like an overprotective mother, I instinctively held my breath and feared the worst. A direct hit like that could kill a man. I don't think I exhaled until Vladdy returned from the hospital to appear in the dugout later in the game, smiling wider than ever.
A team never wants a scare like the Angels got last night, but sometimes a positive byproduct of such an unfortunate incident can be a jolt of rejuvenation in the clubhouse. Seeing a superstar teammate nailed in the head will surely anger the team and that adrenalin can bring a little more spring to your step and a little more focus in these dwindling dog days of summer. After Guerrero was helped off the field, Jose Guillen stepped up to the plate and you could feel his thirst for revenge via the home run. Of course, he ended up striking out to end the inning, but the eruption of emotion that followed gave this fan some hope that the Angels will snap the shackles of their recent offensive malaise. With Aaron Sele throwing tonight, they're going to need all the help they can get.
I take issue with the officiating last night for several reasons. First of all, there was apparently a report of some kind submitted to the umpires before the game about bad blood between Guerrero and the Mariners stemming from a confrontation between he and Mariner Bret Boone after Vlad was hit by a pitch earlier in the season. If that is true, how do they not eject Seattle pitcher Ryan Franklin after he beans Vladimir in the head? Angel manager Mike Scioscia obviously thought he should have been and argued the point so adamantly that he got himself ejected.
Secondly, if both benches were warned following the beaning of Guerrero, how does Angel starter John Lackey not get tossed for nailing Randy Wynn in the top of the third? Was it not obvious to the umpiring crew that it was an act of retaliation? Lackey got ejected and suspended earlier this season for throwing inside and not even hitting a batter in what was perceived to be retaliation. I ask now as I asked when Curt Schilling got away with the exact same thing in Boston's last trip to Anaheim, what is the point of the warning if you're not going to back it up with an ejection when pitchers are clearly hitting batters intentionally?
Finally, I saw something in the 8th inning I have never seen before and may never see again. After initially calling Seattle's Jeremy Reed out by force at second base, second base umpire Chris Guccione conferred with the third base umpire, who was in worse position to see the play, and brought Reed out of the dugout to take second base. Guccione was in perfect position to see the play and replays showed he would have been better served to trust his first instincts. However, even though the final ruling was incorrect, I applaud the umpiring crew for having the resolve to change a call they felt was incorrect. So many times, it seems pride enters into the equation and umpires seem more concerned with sticking to their guns than getting the call right. I seem to recall a similar play the last time I attended an Angel game where Mike Scioscia got ejected for appealing to another umpire for help on the call after the second base umpire refused to do so himself. I guess it all depends on which crew you get and what they had for breakfast.
Third base call-up Dallas McPherson looked fantastic in his first professional start. He was 3-3, with a double, a walk and an RBI and even made some impressive plays defensively, which was a pleasant surprise given that the knock on McPherson this season had been that his defense was not yet at the major league level. It appeared the Angels coaches did a great job in helping him turn the corner at the hot corner. If Adam Kennedy's injury turns out to be as serious as feared, Dallas may have earned a few more starts at third as Chone Figgins would likely be moved to second to fill in for Kennedy.
Losing Kennedy would certainly make the Angels' uphill road to the postseason a little bit steeper. Even with super-sub Chone Figgins providing his usual clutch play, the Halos would sorely miss Kennedy's Gold Glove-caliber defense at second. Angel fans had better be crossing their fingers in hopes that he's okay because the playoffs are all about defense and pitching. Personally, I'm crossing all fingers on both hands and even a few toes where possible.
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A team never wants a scare like the Angels got last night, but sometimes a positive byproduct of such an unfortunate incident can be a jolt of rejuvenation in the clubhouse. Seeing a superstar teammate nailed in the head will surely anger the team and that adrenalin can bring a little more spring to your step and a little more focus in these dwindling dog days of summer. After Guerrero was helped off the field, Jose Guillen stepped up to the plate and you could feel his thirst for revenge via the home run. Of course, he ended up striking out to end the inning, but the eruption of emotion that followed gave this fan some hope that the Angels will snap the shackles of their recent offensive malaise. With Aaron Sele throwing tonight, they're going to need all the help they can get.
I take issue with the officiating last night for several reasons. First of all, there was apparently a report of some kind submitted to the umpires before the game about bad blood between Guerrero and the Mariners stemming from a confrontation between he and Mariner Bret Boone after Vlad was hit by a pitch earlier in the season. If that is true, how do they not eject Seattle pitcher Ryan Franklin after he beans Vladimir in the head? Angel manager Mike Scioscia obviously thought he should have been and argued the point so adamantly that he got himself ejected.
Secondly, if both benches were warned following the beaning of Guerrero, how does Angel starter John Lackey not get tossed for nailing Randy Wynn in the top of the third? Was it not obvious to the umpiring crew that it was an act of retaliation? Lackey got ejected and suspended earlier this season for throwing inside and not even hitting a batter in what was perceived to be retaliation. I ask now as I asked when Curt Schilling got away with the exact same thing in Boston's last trip to Anaheim, what is the point of the warning if you're not going to back it up with an ejection when pitchers are clearly hitting batters intentionally?
Finally, I saw something in the 8th inning I have never seen before and may never see again. After initially calling Seattle's Jeremy Reed out by force at second base, second base umpire Chris Guccione conferred with the third base umpire, who was in worse position to see the play, and brought Reed out of the dugout to take second base. Guccione was in perfect position to see the play and replays showed he would have been better served to trust his first instincts. However, even though the final ruling was incorrect, I applaud the umpiring crew for having the resolve to change a call they felt was incorrect. So many times, it seems pride enters into the equation and umpires seem more concerned with sticking to their guns than getting the call right. I seem to recall a similar play the last time I attended an Angel game where Mike Scioscia got ejected for appealing to another umpire for help on the call after the second base umpire refused to do so himself. I guess it all depends on which crew you get and what they had for breakfast.
Third base call-up Dallas McPherson looked fantastic in his first professional start. He was 3-3, with a double, a walk and an RBI and even made some impressive plays defensively, which was a pleasant surprise given that the knock on McPherson this season had been that his defense was not yet at the major league level. It appeared the Angels coaches did a great job in helping him turn the corner at the hot corner. If Adam Kennedy's injury turns out to be as serious as feared, Dallas may have earned a few more starts at third as Chone Figgins would likely be moved to second to fill in for Kennedy.
Losing Kennedy would certainly make the Angels' uphill road to the postseason a little bit steeper. Even with super-sub Chone Figgins providing his usual clutch play, the Halos would sorely miss Kennedy's Gold Glove-caliber defense at second. Angel fans had better be crossing their fingers in hopes that he's okay because the playoffs are all about defense and pitching. Personally, I'm crossing all fingers on both hands and even a few toes where possible.
# posted by j.h.k. @ 1:25 PM 
