Smoke and Mirrors

In last night's American League Championship Series (ALCS) game at Fenway Park, October 21, 2007, the third base coach of the Cleveland Indians (Joel Skinner) chose not to wave in the speedy Kenny Lofton, even though Manny Ramirez had not yet retrieved the line drive down the third-base line hit by Casey Blake, and Lofton had rounded the third sack.

Earlier in the game Lofton had hit a ball off the Green Monster, in left field, that Manny Ramirez played nicely and threw to Dustin Pedroia but Pedroia missed Lofton with his tag. He got Lofton on the sternum, after he had already touched the bag.

This proves once again that the umpires are rarely in position to call tag plays as most settle for calling the runner out simply because the ball got to the base first.

Seems the umpires don't think that the player on the receiving end of a throw needs to tag the runner. Much the same way most defenders still go for the pump fake of a quarterback even though the QB has clearly crossed the line of scrimmage.

Stay in school kids! Because as you mature and you learn the finer points of the game and if you enjoy the sport enough to become a fan you will, at some point in time, learn that it's all done with smoke and mirrors.

Kevin Marquez