“I was right on top of it, and it was wide of the bag. What the ball did when it went past me is irrelevant . . . I understand
that’s the winning run, but in my opinion it was foul.”
– Bob Davidson, third base umpire in last night’s Phillies-Rays game, not letting anything get in the way of his opinion.
And Davidson is right to say that where the ball is after it passes the bag doesn’t matter. It’s just that based on repeated viewings of the play in question, I can’t see how anyone can say the ball wasn’t fair when it passed the bag. It bounced fair in front of the bag. It bounced fair behind the bag. Unless it took a left turn and then an immediate right, I’m not sure how it could have ever been foul.
-
- SouthofHeaven - Aug 6, 2010 at 8:33 AM
-
I knew it should’ve made that left turn at Albuquerque/
-
- Old Gator - Aug 6, 2010 at 8:37 AM
-
Davidson is right. It was foul because he called it foul. And like the luminescent little slugs in Dark City, Davidson can tune.
-
- Andrew - Aug 6, 2010 at 8:47 AM
-
Maybe I’m wrong on this, but I’d think that a ball that hits fair in front of the bag and then fair on its next bounce behind the bag would be fair even if it did take a curved path in foul territory around the base. If a batter hits a fly ball that starts out foul and then hooks fair and hits inside the line behind the base, is it fair or foul?
-
- dl3mk3 - Aug 6, 2010 at 8:50 AM
-
phillies/mariners-not rays.
I love how the phillies broadcast was talking about it being fould over the bag as well , must have hit something and turned back onto the field….funny.
-
- Paper Lions - Aug 6, 2010 at 8:53 AM
-
A bouncing ball is judged differently than a fly ball. A bouncing ball is fair or foul by where it is as it crosses the bag (i.e. 90 ft from home plate). A fly ball if fair or foul by where it lands (or the position of the structure it first strikes).
-
- Craig Calcaterra - Aug 6, 2010 at 8:57 AM
-
+100 for the Dark City reference.
If you need me, I’ll be at Shell Beach.
-
- grapes911 - Aug 6, 2010 at 8:59 AM
-
They you watched a different broadcast then me. They talked about how the ball may have hit something and bounced around the bag, but after a few angles, they couldn’t understand how it was a foul ball and concluded it must be fair.
-
- easports82 - Aug 6, 2010 at 9:01 AM
-
Thanks for the opinion, Bob, but can we come back to the fact that it was fair?
-
- adam - Aug 6, 2010 at 9:06 AM
-
The only thing I can see is it looks like the initial bounce is foul but it definitely bounces fair right before the bag and right after. Maybe Davidson saw the first bounce and assumed it couldn’t possibly do what it really did?
-
- birdmancometh - Aug 6, 2010 at 9:09 AM
-
The Phillies broadcast crew is as bad as it gets. Where are you Harry the K?
-
- Andrew - Aug 6, 2010 at 9:12 AM
-
that’s sort of ridiculous though, because it implies a ball could never actually touch down in foul territory and still be called a foul ball.
-
- BC - Aug 6, 2010 at 9:22 AM
-
“What the ball did when it went past me is irrelevant.”
No Bob, its not.
The first bounce of the ball was foul, then it bounced again in front of the bag fair, and then again after the bag fair. So how the heck was it anything but fair when it crossed the bag, you nimrod.
These umps all have to go. ALL of them. Half of them don’t know their a$$ from their elbow.
On the fair/foul thing… if a ball hits foul before the bag, and then comes back into fair territory, it’s a fair ball. That why when you see a dribbler or bunt going up the line, the second it goes into foul territory, the fielder pounces on it – because if it hits a rock or a rut or something and comes back into fair territory, it’s a fair ball.
-
- turf24 - Aug 6, 2010 at 9:24 AM
-
Wow, the blatant braves homer who runs this site is whining even more then usual. It was a debatable call, but it wasn’t like it was completely obvious what happened, thats why its called a judgement call. Craig, maybe you could make a note in the title of each post to let people know if its a legitimate post or more whining about the phillies. Just face it, the braves are a fraud of a team and its pretty bad when you lose that much ground to a team with its 2 best players on the DL. So stop whining and just accept the fact that the braves aren’t ready to seriously contend for a championship yet, they’re still a year or two away.
-
- Paper Lions - Aug 6, 2010 at 9:29 AM
-
The call wasn’t debatable. It wasn’t really even that close. Wow, a Philly homer that refuses to recognize that his team caught a break.
-
- BB 18 - Aug 6, 2010 at 9:30 AM
-
am I the only person who sees it land in foul territory before it skips over the bag? Yes, it goes over the bag fair, lands past the bag fair, but it just ticks into foul territory a few feet before scooting back into play. Look at it. That’s a foul ball.
-
- Jason @ IIATMS - Aug 6, 2010 at 9:31 AM
-
back and to the left…back and to the left….
-
- turf24 - Aug 6, 2010 at 9:35 AM
-
Yes it was close paper brains, and it happened to break in favor of the phils. All fans are homers my point is somebody who is paid to write about baseball not just their favorite team should be a little more professional and not show such obvious bias in nearly everything they write about certain teams
-
- nps6724 - Aug 6, 2010 at 9:36 AM
-
When a ball bounces in front of the bag fair AND behind the bag fair, how did it go foul? Did Sanchez throw a curve ball with his bat?
-
- doctorfunke - Aug 6, 2010 at 9:41 AM
-
Kinda like the difference between Aspen and Omaha?
The thing that bothered me about this the most is that he isn’t even looking at the ball. He saw it in apparently foul territory in front of the bag and completely rules out the possibility that it may go fair behind it. He cannot argue that it was foul when he wasn’t even watching it! It’s like a batter not watching a curve ball into the catcher’s glove after it passes them and then arguing that it was a ball. How do you know if you didn’t watch it?!?!
-
- Chris Fiorentino - Aug 6, 2010 at 9:41 AM
-
I hate the umpires as much as anyone, and I am a Phillies fan so take this for what it’s worth. It wasn’t THAT obviously a fair ball. That screen capture above is the single most IRRELEVANT picture I have ever seen. It doesn’t even matter where the ball bounces when it passes the bag…it could go foul over the bag, then hit foul ground spinning and end up 30 feet fair and it is still a FOUL BALL!!! That’s why Davidson, who was watching the BAG, thought it went over the bag foul. I don’t think this one would have been overturned if there were replay because I didn’t see a single good angle on the ball as it went OVER THE BAG, which is the RULE!!!
That being said, it could have also been called fair without an argument, so the Phillies caught a big break. But I think Craig is going way overboard in calling this a horrible call. It was debatable at best.
-
- nps6724 - Aug 6, 2010 at 9:42 AM
-
A ball being fair or foul isn’t a judgment call. Either it’s fair or it’s foul.
-
- Craig Calcaterra - Aug 6, 2010 at 9:42 AM
-
Sorry — my fandom has been on my sleeve for as long as I’ve been writing. If you can find an instance in which I’ve denied the bleedin’ obvious or have unfairly (and seriously, as opposed to mockingly) slammed Braves’ opponents or have otherwise handled matters unfairly, you’re welcome to bring them to the attention of the head of the class.
For Christ’s sake, in the past week alone I’ve lobbied for Charlie Manuel to be Manager of the Year twice and if I say more nice things about Halladay this year someone is going to force me to get a room with him.
-
- Chris Fiorentino - Aug 6, 2010 at 9:43 AM
-
No, the White Sox crew is the worst in all sports. The Hawk would probably have ripped off his shirt and started talking in “Macho Man Savage” voice if this had happened to the Sox.
-
- Matt S. - Aug 6, 2010 at 9:45 AM
-
….I don’t see any bias here. Really. Take off the tinfoil hat.
-
- Chris Fiorentino - Aug 6, 2010 at 9:48 AM
-
Screen capture was in other thread…OOPS!!!
