Capps still had a shot to get Berkman out after that non call. And even though I thought he went around let's face it, most of the time umps just don't want to make that call.
Every time I think about this, I'll invariably have that thought but my immediate next thought is "Matt Capps DID get Berkman out!" He struck him out. We saw it! The error had been accounted for because Lance Berkman had been struck out for the third out? Game over. We win!
Instead, if a strike isn't a strike then what is a strike? Why should Matt Capps be forced to get four called strikes to get an out? If a pitcher is forced to throw four strikes, for example, to get an out, the chances of a batter getting a hit increases. And not just a hit. So many bad things can happen when a pitcher is forced to throw extra pitches. Berkman could have been hit by a pitch. He could have walked him, both of which would also have given us a loss. These extra pitches, in this case, were the fault of the umpire.
And if the umpires don't want to make these calls, they should get a job a Burger King instead.
But I can get over it...eventually. What I can't get over is the complete lack of acknowledgment of wrong. Does Bill Hohn think he made a mistake? We know Jim Joyce thinks HE made a mistake so speaking up is not unheard of. Does MLB think what we saw was a strike? What we've gotten from Major League Baseball offices is silence.
And the fact that it's a "judgment call" is irrelevant. Either it was a strike or it wasn't. Bill Hohn's judgment doesn't change the reality of the situation.
And I hope Jim Riggleman doesn't get over it!
