Game 1 leftovers
After being awakened by rain this morning – it has since stopped and the sun is out, but there is still a 60 percent chance of thunderstorms tonight – I thought I'd clean out the notebook from Game 1:
* On Chris Sidick's game-changing slide at second base – The play reminded me of one at Consol Energy Park against Evansville earlier this season. On that play, an Evansville baserunner slid into second base and did a popup move as Washington's Rene Quintana made a throw to first base to complete a double play. The Evansville player, however, hit Quintana's throwing arm with his helmet and the ball sailed toward the Wild Things' dugout. Manager John Massarelli argued for an obstruction call but all he got was an ejection for himself.
The Sidick slide was somewhat different, and here's Massarelli's analysis of why:
"Because of the nature of the play. In that game in the regular season, the baserunner obstructed Quintana's throwing motion. Chris, from my anagle, slid low and came up after reaching the bag. Chris didn't do anything to hinder (Gateway's Ryan Saltzgaber's) throwing arm. In fact, I'm not sure he even started to throw the ball. It was just a good, hard, clean slide."
Here is what Gateway manager Phil Warren told the Belleville News-Democrat:
“The way he came up with his hands in the way, you can’t do that. That’s where I thought we had a beef, but the (umpires) didn’t. Unfortunately, it led to a run. It (stinks), but we have to move on. That call gets magnified, but it wasn’t the whole game. It is what it is."
I don't remember Sidick raising his hands. He did use his shoulder, back and elbow to lift Saltzgaber off the ground, but he didn't raise his hands to prevent a throw.
* It's a shame that Aaron Ledbetter didn't get the win. He was outstanding, giving up only three hits in 6 2/3 innings with nine strikeouts. He was dominating for 121 pitches. His 122nd pitch was hit for the three-run homer by Jeff Vincent, just beyond the 342-feet sign in right centerfield. Sidick said he thought he was going to catch the ball, but it landed five feet beyond the low wall.
"Aaron was great on that pitch too," Massarelli said. "That was a Gateway home run. He pitched like a Pitcher of the Year. So did Erik Dessau. It was a good pitchers' battle."
Dessau gave up six hits and four runs in seven innings.
* There were at least three Washington fans in GCS Ballpark. Ledbetter's mother and father made a six-hour drive from Arkansas to see their son pitch, and the team chaplain for the River City Rascals – Aaron's former team – was there sporting a Ledbetter jersey from the 2005 all-star game in Washington.
* After the game, Ledbetter was more upset about walking Charlie Lisk, the Grizzlies' No. 9 hitter, than giving up the home run to Vincent following the seventh-inning walk.
"By far," Ledbetter said. "You can't give up walks in this park. Looking back on it, I wish I was more aggressive with a fastball to Lisk instead of throwing something that barely missed. If I did that, it was a two-run homer instead of a three-run homer. … But, that was a routine fly ball in some places."
* On Chris Sidick's game-changing slide at second base – The play reminded me of one at Consol Energy Park against Evansville earlier this season. On that play, an Evansville baserunner slid into second base and did a popup move as Washington's Rene Quintana made a throw to first base to complete a double play. The Evansville player, however, hit Quintana's throwing arm with his helmet and the ball sailed toward the Wild Things' dugout. Manager John Massarelli argued for an obstruction call but all he got was an ejection for himself.
The Sidick slide was somewhat different, and here's Massarelli's analysis of why:
"Because of the nature of the play. In that game in the regular season, the baserunner obstructed Quintana's throwing motion. Chris, from my anagle, slid low and came up after reaching the bag. Chris didn't do anything to hinder (Gateway's Ryan Saltzgaber's) throwing arm. In fact, I'm not sure he even started to throw the ball. It was just a good, hard, clean slide."
Here is what Gateway manager Phil Warren told the Belleville News-Democrat:
“The way he came up with his hands in the way, you can’t do that. That’s where I thought we had a beef, but the (umpires) didn’t. Unfortunately, it led to a run. It (stinks), but we have to move on. That call gets magnified, but it wasn’t the whole game. It is what it is."
I don't remember Sidick raising his hands. He did use his shoulder, back and elbow to lift Saltzgaber off the ground, but he didn't raise his hands to prevent a throw.
* It's a shame that Aaron Ledbetter didn't get the win. He was outstanding, giving up only three hits in 6 2/3 innings with nine strikeouts. He was dominating for 121 pitches. His 122nd pitch was hit for the three-run homer by Jeff Vincent, just beyond the 342-feet sign in right centerfield. Sidick said he thought he was going to catch the ball, but it landed five feet beyond the low wall.
"Aaron was great on that pitch too," Massarelli said. "That was a Gateway home run. He pitched like a Pitcher of the Year. So did Erik Dessau. It was a good pitchers' battle."
Dessau gave up six hits and four runs in seven innings.
* There were at least three Washington fans in GCS Ballpark. Ledbetter's mother and father made a six-hour drive from Arkansas to see their son pitch, and the team chaplain for the River City Rascals – Aaron's former team – was there sporting a Ledbetter jersey from the 2005 all-star game in Washington.
* After the game, Ledbetter was more upset about walking Charlie Lisk, the Grizzlies' No. 9 hitter, than giving up the home run to Vincent following the seventh-inning walk.
"By far," Ledbetter said. "You can't give up walks in this park. Looking back on it, I wish I was more aggressive with a fastball to Lisk instead of throwing something that barely missed. If I did that, it was a two-run homer instead of a three-run homer. … But, that was a routine fly ball in some places."
posted by Chris Dugan at
9:15 AM
2 Comments:
Obviously, a Gateway fan on the Frontier League's Fan Website, didn't think the Grizzlies got the right call:
I wonder, does the FL have ANY standards concerning game officials, especially during the playoffs? Case in point, last night's Grizzlies/Wild Things first round playoff game. Granted that this is a MINOR league and that you can't expect outstanding players or officials, but last night was a fiasco.
The plate umpire spent nine innings trying to find the strike zone with little success. The blind squirrel principle was clearly in effect.
On a crucial play in the ninth inning, the play that ultimately decided the outcome of the game, Chris Sidick of the Wild Things slid into second base on a double play ball. Failing to take out Grizzlie shortstop Ryan Saltzgaber with the slide, Sidick came up and flipped Saltzgater with a move that would have made Vince McMahon proud.
Instead of making the proper call: interference, runner out, inning over, the go-ahead run was allowed to score while Saltzgager and the baseball both lay motionless next to second base.
The sad thing is that we're stuck with the same three clowns for the entire series. Someone should tell Bill Lee that most professional leagues choose their best officials for playoff work. Here's a math lesson, Bill. 3 X 0 = 0
there were at least 4 wildthings at tues. game - tom cohran's mother flew in from DELAWARE for the series - for wed game she was the lone fan - the only happy fan in the ballpark
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