Umpiring where have you gone?

So, this year there have been a slew of blown calls, but now we're seeing horribly blown calls by the home plate umpire. Perfect example is tonight between the Sox and Yanks, Wang gets a 3-1 fastball that's easily 6-8 inches outside and gets the strike call. Now, this is the kind of call you expect a legitimate veteran pincher to get if A) His catcher frames it well, B) Veteran pitchers get those calls every now and then.

Biggest problem is, it wasn't framed, and Wang is NOT a veteran pitcher. I saw this a number of times this weekend. This is not just umpires giving calls to pitchers, their strike zones are becoming horribly inconsistent. This causes a number of issues because now at least for the next 1-1.5 innings, the hitters are swinging at awful pitches because they feel the strike zone is too wide. Meanwhile, the opposing pitcher only needs one pitch to not go his way and next thing you know, the flood gates opened (happened to Wakefield tonight but only for two innings, veteran pitchers tend to get less flustered by this, but for a younger guy, it could be horribly damaging to him).

Well, I watch a ton of baseball. It's my favorite sport and has been since I was a kid. This is a problem that's been emerging in every league, but I honestly feel that baseball umpire's control a game more than in any other sport. With one or two calls, they can send a team into a frenzy of poor pitches and swings. The big thing about the call tonight is, Boston was down 2-0 and it would of made it 2-1 with Ortiz coming up with the bases loaded. Instead Youkie struck out.

I don't know how this problem can be fixed, but baseball needs to do something about it. The NBA and NFL constantly reviews their officials and even fines them for poor play, maybe it's time baseball does the same.

Either way, this is a growing problem. Something needs to be done and now. I'm convinced that it isn't favoritism or anything of that nature. It's just blown calls. Instant Replay is NOT the answer. You can't have replay for balls and strikes. The only thing I could think of is a booth situation where an umpire could be overruled, but that would definitely damage the psyche of the umpires. They're under enough scrutiny as it is and this would make it even worse.

As for this series and this game, I really don't care. I don't honestly believe the Yankees are done and this series won't determine the division (unless the Yankees were swept by a combine 30-5 total or something like that). This is a series that the Yankees need much more than the Red Sox. As long as Boston doesn't get swept or takes 2 or 3, they're fine. Tavarez is pitching tomorrow and ever since he pitched that great game against the Yanks last time, he's been very good. I've been a fairly large anti-Tavarez person myself, so it's very nice to see him proving people like me wrong. I like being wrong. Nothing wrong with a little humility.

That being said, Wakefield doesn't look sharp right now. He's walking guys, his control looks off. Plus, it's even more difficult when it looks like Manny Ramirez just doesn't care. I've said numerous times that his contract is very attractive and the market for sluggers is so thin, you could easily try to trade him and get a legitimate young stud in return. I wouldn't mind seeing them make a run at Carl Crawford or Delmon Young (not Baldelli, we don't need injury cases blocking Ellsbury thank you very much), but whether or not it happens remains to be seen.

As for the Yankees, this reminds me a lot of the game where Kei Igawa came in and pitched. Boston showed flashes early, but for the most part, they seemed harmless and helped out the Yanks by swinging at awful pitches. It's also important to note that at 30-13, they've yet to lose back to back games this season. Interesting to note that Wakefield is throwing over a lot. The Yankees have been running on him a lot, but he's throwing over an abnormal amount of times. It comes with the territory of being a knuckleballer though. You're easy to run on. Even more so for Wakefield because he barely clocks in at 75 on his fastball.

But back to Manny for a minute. He always plays like he doesn't care and that's nothing new. I'd also like to say I love Manny. He's one of the greatest sluggers in the history of the game posting 9 straight 30 homer/100 RBI seasons. At some point though, you have to cut ties. Word is that the Rockies are listening to offers on Garrett Atkins and although I haven't heard it, I assume if someone made a good enough pitch for Matt Holiday, they'd definitely listen. The Rockies are the type of team where anyone is available for the right price. The only problem is that Manny is a 10 and 5 guy so he has a full no trade clause. This almost guarantees that it would have to be a 3 team deal for them to get a available player from a non-contender. The Dodgers would probably make sense as a trade partner. They have a slew of young talent and they figure to contend. Plus, it's on the west coast which would make Manny happy. Once again, speculation, don't read into it please.

I know the Angels are pursuing Atkins and as for why the Rockies would trade him is beyond me. I believe he's under their control until 2010 whereas Holliday only has one or two years max left. I'm just spewing my own thoughts so please don't take this as a rumor, but Holliday would be a great replacement for Manny. Do I think it'll happen? I'd say there's a 99% chance it doesn't. I just hope the Sox don't go out and do something idiotic like try to sign Torii Hunter. If you're going to sign someone, take a guy like Andruw Jones who's shown he has the power.

Also, the MLB Draft is going to be televised and is coming up soon. As Ken Rosenthal said, it'll be interesting to see where the Devil Rays go with their first pick. Some say Matt Wieters the Georgia Tech catcher, but since he's represented by Scott Boras, I really doubt that'll happen. Either way, I can't wait to see what happens and if I can, I'll definitely be watching it.

That's it for tonight, I'm out to go watch TV.