My little Rally Monkey is sooooo happy - ANGELS WIN!!! Bye Bye Yankees!

Congrats, MT. Personally, I'm hoping for a Cardinals-White Sox World Series, but only because that is a Small Bears fan's worst nightmare...

(Not that I'm rooting against the Angels.)

I LOVE IT! The Yankees are starting to look like the Atlanta Braves of the American League: good enough to make the postseason, not good enough to win it all.

I can root for everbody now! How refreshing!

I don't watch baseball but I love baseball threads. I like to infiltrate them and pretend like I know what I am talking about.

What did A-Rod earn for his two hits in the series, $50 million each?

Uh...yep.

See what I mean.

Spivol - you goof!

Angels have been ahead this game - it's the 7th now - but they just took out Paul Byrd - geez, Scot Shields is in now - hope he doesn't give it away...

Gotta get my rally monkey out now!

Rally monkey stayed happy - Angels won! Woohoo!!

Angels were robbed tonight!!!! What kind of a call was that call?????

Quote:

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What kind of a call was that call

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Looked like the right one to me (as well as to the Home and third base unpires). When they enlarged the view it was easier to see it hit the ground.

Ball did not hit the ground. All catchers are trained to tag the runner just in case. Batter was just standing there so Paul could have easily tagged him. Instead, he just flipped the ball back to the mound like they do when the third out is made via strikeout. Imagine the problems if he'd have flipped the ball in the stands like most outfielders do. The batter would have been awarded 2 bases. Angels manager would have really been mad then. Instant replay may be in MLB future because of this call.

No one call can be blamed on deciding a game. If Rowand doesn't get greedy and try to score on the bad throw, he's at third with no outs. A good chance he could have scored and the last call wouldn't have mattered. This call was just elevated because the game ended with that runner scoring. If Crede strikes out and the game goes to the 10th, nothing else comes of it.

I'd be mad, too, MT. I don't think the replay is conclusive, either way - there's no way to tell if the change in direction is from hitting the dirt, or from hitting the ridge of the catcher's glove. What is easy to tell is that the umpire gave both the strike and the out signal, which is why all the players ran off the field, which is probably what prompted the cather to toss the ball back towards the mound, rather than bothering to tag the runner.

Would it have been great if the catcher had gone ahead and tagged the runner, "just to be sure"? Yep. But that's kind of blaming the mugging victim for not wearing a bullet-proof vest.

Instant-replay? No. If the 1985 World Series didn't prompt it with a conclusive call, the 2005 ALCS won't do so with an inconclusive call. Again, the problem is not whether the call was right or wrong, it is the umpire's signal.

First off, remember I'm a die-hard Cubs fan.

Every catcher in little league (once you start playing the drop-third-strike rule) should automatically either tag the batter or throw to first, you don't wait for the ump. You just do it.

If he was out, then game tied, going into the 10th. Crede still had to hit that double.

Atleast Anaheim was not 5 outs from a World Series.

Skunk-boy, what about the umpire's signal?

His "flat hand", and then the "fist"?! I was watching replays of it. He was calling his strike-outs very strange all night. ESPN radio said he was like 'Enrico Pallazzo'.

I'll admit the ump was not clear either way.

There was an earlier dropped third-strike (thanks, Tivo) where he gave the flat hand on the swing, and then the fist on the tag. He blew it.

Agree that the ump blew it, but so did the catcher. As has been said, if the ball is even close to hitting the dirt, catchers are trained to tag the runner or throw to first from little league on. He should have tagged the runner just to be sure. He couldn't see the call, the umpire claims he didn't say anything, so the catcher should have made sure. Also, what was the pitcher doing? He was in better position to see what was going on and should have yelled at the catcher or grabbed the ball instead of walking off the field.

The only guy who didn't screw up is Pierzynski - congrats for him for making the effort. For all he knew, it was in vain, but he tried and it paid off. If he walks back to the dugout, the game goes on and who knows what happens.

Too bad it ended that way. I thought it was a great game.

I used to play catcher and I always tagged the batter no matter what. Guess that just means I am a better catcher than Josh Paul.

Pierzinski made a heads-up play. He said that when he didn't hear the umpire call him out, he headed for first. The umpire signaled strike three but never verbally called him out. Under those circumstances the Angels catcher can't just rely on his belief that he caught the ball.

Has anyone heard an interview with Josh Paul? Did he say that he heard the umpire call out? In the replay, the umpire definitely gave two signals as was said before. I couldn't tell whether Paul rolled the ball to the mound before or after the second signal was given. Help with the Tivo?

I think that the "out" fist was given immediately after the catcher rolled the ball to the mound. (In fact, from listening to the ump, I think that is what convinced him to give the out call.) Kevin Kennedy on the Fox pregame last night had it exactly right - the umpire was ambivilent, and when the catcher rolled the ball out he called out. Then when the hitter ran, he changed his mind.

Disagree J. The arm went out and then the fist went up before or, at worse, as Paul was rolling it out. I think it's moot as Paul messed though.