Attitudes in Blue are in Need of an Adjustment

In both Saturday and Sunday's games the home plate umpire (Tim Welke on Saturday, Allen Porter on Sunday) had serious attitudes in need of adjustment.

Don't question their mannerisms or calls or anything about them. They're right so don't even think to ask once. You would only serve to piss them off.

Welke had an umpire's balk while James McDonald was in the batter's box and Ryan Vogelsong on the mound.  What Dave Flemming described as 'McDonald did that half-spin in the batter's box when you realize you took a called third strike' but Welke witheld the right fist pump and the call became 3-balls and 2-strikes.  Needless to say, Vogey's facial countenance was not all smiles.  The next pitch, in the same spot, BALL FOUR.  McDonald would eventually come around and score.

Now watching Welke's strike zone, the curve only had to land in the catcher's mitt.  And these roundhouse curves were not crossing the plate only landing in the catcher's mitt exactly as he framed the pitch. 

Vogelsong's pitch cut the corners just as you would draw it up if you were a pitching coach and Welke just didn't like the way the pitch looked.  Welke apparently likes the swirly curvy ball that ends up in the catcher's glove.  Corners were for mourners. Welke's a wiffle ball lover and his strike zone emphasized such lollypops.

On Sunday, Allen Foster got hit by a couple of foul tips and picked up the ball that struck him and both times fired the ball back to Lincecum or Kontos (both happening to be Giant pitchers).

This behavior was clearly in the category of poor sportsmanship.  I mean come on, do you think this was something the Giants were trying to do?  And if so, why would they stop at two times? Heck, that was the one thing yesterday they were executing to perfection.

The crew doing the Pirates/Giants games should not get any consideration come post-season time.  Welke and Foster are clueless as to what a strike is while Paul Schrieber is no better.  The only guy in this crew with a workable strike zone is Mike Everitt.  This incompetence cannot be tolerated in the playoffs. Unless they usually break up the crews and field the best team of umpires per series then Everitt gets his just due.  The other three can use this time to go to charm school.

Kevin Marquez