As a Fanatic, I Need to Know!

When your favorite ball club is built around pitching it's good to know who the home plate umpire is for that day's game. For the entire post-season the Giants' KNBR/680AM had Mike Krukow give the lowdown on the home plate umpire. And his scouting report was flawless. In fact, if an umpire worked earlier and he was due to work again I had a pretty queasy feeling about the Giants' chances.

On at least three (3) occasions I was so disturbed by Krukow's scouting report on the ump's inconsistencies in calling balls and strikes that I chose not to watch the ballgame at Clooney's on 25th and Valencia. The Giants lost all three games. In the entire post-season the Giants were 11-4, and on these 3 nights I had a bad feeling and well, Krukow's scouting report was dead on.

I would like to see the Giants feature this throughout the entire 2011 season as a way of myself being educated on the ability of the umpire. Because I'm a little tired of seeing how the rulebook interpretation of what a strike should be is left to the umpire's interpretation. I want a little more information on the attitude in need of adjustment. As for other fans, the scouting report could be a warm-up for someone at the park who likes to interject a little heckle every now and then. He/she should be educated about the home plate umpire. And after Krukow's brief synopsis he/she can feel good about the things they are about to share with the crowd in regards to the man in blue behind the dish.

I must harken to a popular subtle reminder in closing. The 40,000 plus fans are NOT paying their hard-earned money to see YOU! They are paying their money to see the hometown team have a fair shot at defeating the opponent. And if the umpire calling balls and strikes has a bug up his ass chances are the fans (of a team built around pitching) may not like the outcome.

Kevin J. Marquez