Runaway

So ... it's 11:47 ... it's time for bed. I obviously have work tommorrow and i need to be up at 6 am .. but there is no way .. NO WAY after that game.

First of all let me say that Kevin Millwood PITCHED HIS HEART OUT! Very much like Jarrod Washburn i don't believe he will maintain his ability to pitch the way he has the first month of April and now a week into May. I just don't think it's possible for him to play at a level this high over a sustained period of time. It's not a knock on the pitchers it's just reference of their talent levels.

Regardless of weather or not he'll eventuall regress, he pitched like an Ace tonight and i'm throughly impressed. He was one of my orignal top 5's and i was initially pretty amazed, but now i'm flabberghasted. CJ "Rick Vaugn" Wilson pitched well to Russ Branyan (who is continued to hit the cover off the ball)

The pitching between frankie and the seattle batters was awesome. Just a game of cat and mouse.

However... the game of cat and mouse WAS RUINED... ABSLOUTELY RUINED!!!! BY PAUL EMMELL the FIRST BASE UMPIRE.

Now i watched and reviewed the call FIVE DIFFERENT TIMES FROM FOUR DIFFERENT ANGLES...Davis(who is a great defensive firstbasemen) DID NOT ... i repeat that DID NOT HAVE HIS FOOT ON THE BASE. IT WASNT TOUCHING IT .. it came off to make the catch ... the catch didn't even beat the runner.


NOW, please do NOT, misunderstand what i'm saying. Because i realize i'm going to have an influx of texas ranger fans to my site shortly to spew their crazy non-sense like greffity let me make this PERFECTLY CLEAR.

Andrus made AN INCREADABLE PLAY ... AMAZING STOP.... GREAT THROW...

Davis showed GREAT AWESOME WONDERFUL RANGE to make that catch.

Here is where the point is ... the throw DID NOT.. beat the runner... the firstbasemen's foot... WAS NOT on the bag. Johjima was safe.

It takes alot of Wak to come out of the dug out and argue the call. I am not sure if it's allowed but i wish we could have had a home plate appeal. I know they allow it in High School play but i'm not sure how it goes down in the Majors and that in and of itself is a huge diss if another umpire over rules you on your own bag during an MLB game.


My point to this run away blog is that a beautifully battled, wonderfully played, ball game but two amazing clubs was ruined by Paul Emmel when he made a snap decision and did not even pay attention to the play.

If joh was safe and not out... runner on first... Gutz looper down the right field line is suddenly HUGE .. because it would have taken joh to third. now with 1st and 3rd and yuni at bat with only one away. if he STILL walks yuni (which let me say THAT was the first time i've seen him take TWO pitches in a row EVER in a game), now ichiro comes to hit with the bases loaded. That line fly out to Byrd brings home Joh and we have a tied up ball game.


Now again time for clairfication i'm not saying we lost because of that one call. Felix pitched very poorly and texas capitlized off several mistakes that King Felix left up in the zone and that happens. he still struck out 9 of 18 outs.. which is awesome and the bull pen was solid for the three innings they were there. I am tottally a fan of Denny Stark and i'm loving his pitching right now.

I really feel we had a chance to do some damage and chase millwood from the game there in the fifth and we rolled over and let him work his way out of it. we swung at bad pitches and he came out attacking hitters. i don't remember him starting off very many counts 1-0. he was just pounding the strike zone tonight and it worked out very well for him tonight. Overall, we had some oppertunities that we didn't cultivate and in the end we lost because of it.

I just hated to see such a wonderfully matched game end the way it did....


Thanks alot, Paul Emmel