Comments on: Diamondbacks stave off elimination with 8-1 victory

By: 5thbase

5thbase — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 19:06:30 +0000

I don’t think “shielded” means what you think it means. Shielding second base means that you take your left foot and put it along the width of the base (either directly or with a small gap) so there is very little room for any base stealer to get through. The downside is that someone coming in feet first can pretty easily break your ankle as your foot has nowhere to go even if you leave a small gap. That’s why it’s ill advised unless you’re positive beyond a doubt that they guy is going in head first.

What Weeks did was to stand in the basepath with the width of his spread feet doing pretty much nothing to impede the progress of the runner. Bloomquist wasn’t slowed down; he touched the base before his torso slid into Weeks. Regardless, while I initially thought he was out on the failed hit and run attempt, the best replay was from behind and even in super slow motion an out call would have been questionable at best. Plus, if you can’t throw out a not so fast guy on a busted hit and run you probably don’t deserve to have the virtual tie go your way anyway. Your point would have been more poignant had you focused on the Brewers’ inability to take advantage than on not getting a questionable call because that first inning did set the stage for the butt kicking Marcum got. But who knows, maybe he would have been equally terrible in later innings anyway.

By: 5thbase

5thbase — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 18:48:24 +0000

When the pitcher begins his motion the catcher has to have both feet in the catcher’s box behind home plate. If he doesn’t it’s a balk on the catcher and all runners advance a base.

By: Francisco (FC)

Francisco (FC) — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 12:54:07 +0000

Pittsburgh figured that out, not sure why Arizona took so long… (I jest…)

By: proudlycanadian

proudlycanadian — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 12:47:22 +0000

Goldschmidt obviously should have started game 1. Overbay is no longer good enough to be more than a bench player.

By: verytalldad

verytalldad — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 06:55:44 +0000

Diamondbacks?? More like “Comeondbacks!”

Wait. That doesnt sound right.

By: 1943mrmojorisin1971

1943mrmojorisin1971 — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 04:52:38 +0000

Question: Marcum almost threw a wild pitch on an IBB tonight, Sabathia did the same last night, and it’s not uncommon to see pitchers struggling to lob 4 balls to the catcher. Couldn’t the catcher just go into the crouch behind the opposite batter’s box and have the pitcher throw 4 real pitches for balls or is he only allowed to crouch behind home plate?