RealFan
10-13-2005, 10:14 AM
This is probably a fair reading of the situation. The column is more than just the play and I've only lifted what is relevant to last night. The link to the entire article is at the end.
Angels Go From Small Ball to Paul's Goof Ball
T.J. Simers
October 13, 2005
CHICAGO — He's got the perfect first name, "Josh," because he's always goofing around, and that's Josh Paul's role with the Angels — keeping the guys loose while making fun of the media under his breath.
Take, for example, the end of the eighth inning Wednesday against the Sox. Ah, what a clown. He catches the third strike thrown to Paul Konerko and jogs off the field with ball in hand and tosses it to Angel owner Arte Moreno, who is sitting behind the dugout.
What a hoot — he knows who signs his checks.
The only thing that would've made it funnier would've been had he waited an inning, running off the field with the ball in his hand on the third strike to A.J. Pierzynski, tossing it to Moreno and then watching him scream at Moreno to give it back.
The lesson here, of course, is simple: Never play the court jester in such a serious game unless you don't mind the last laugh being on you.
If the clown is all business, doing what every catcher has been taught from the time batters are allowed to run to first base on what they think might be a dropped third strike, he tags Pierzynski, who was just standing there.
"Isn't that standard procedure for a catcher after catching a low pitch in the dirt?" I asked Manager Mike Scioscia, a former catcher.
Scioscia agreed, but tried to protect the team's resident jokester, who has played in only 69 games in the last three seasons, by saying the umpire made a "definitive swing call," and then a "definitive out call," and "Josh saw that."
Well, no he didn't. Paul told reporters all that took place behind his back. He said he never heard the umpire say anything, or for that matter do anything. He said it's customary for an umpire to yell "no catch, no catch" if he doesn't think the ball has been caught, and since he didn't hear that, he started running off the field.
Doug Eddings, the not-ready-for-prime-time plate umpire, said nothing, explaining later, "I had a question" whether Paul caught the ball, and with a clown like Paul — you can't really blame Eddings. I know I was waiting to see whom he was going to throw the ball to this time. I was betting on Jackie Autry.
The umpire went on to explain that he waved his arm as he always does on a swinging third strike, raising the question that wasn't asked — What gesture does he make when he thinks the ball has been trapped on a swinging third strike?
"I think [Eddings] ruled that the ball was trapped," said umpire supervisor Rich Rieker, which makes him a pretty good mind reader as far as I can tell.
It's all good fodder for another round of off-day stories, of course, but the Angels lost. And as Scioscia pointed out, "The only opinion that matters is the umpire making the call," and that's that. The good news, of course, is that the umpires rotate and Eddings won't be behind the plate the rest of the series.
I've got a hunch Paul won't be there either, that instead he'll be back on the bench clowning it up for the guys, and doing what he does best.
http://www.latimes.com/sports/columnists/la-sp-simers13oct13,1,7870389.column?coll=la-headlines-sports-columnists
Angels Go From Small Ball to Paul's Goof Ball
T.J. Simers
October 13, 2005
CHICAGO — He's got the perfect first name, "Josh," because he's always goofing around, and that's Josh Paul's role with the Angels — keeping the guys loose while making fun of the media under his breath.
Take, for example, the end of the eighth inning Wednesday against the Sox. Ah, what a clown. He catches the third strike thrown to Paul Konerko and jogs off the field with ball in hand and tosses it to Angel owner Arte Moreno, who is sitting behind the dugout.
What a hoot — he knows who signs his checks.
The only thing that would've made it funnier would've been had he waited an inning, running off the field with the ball in his hand on the third strike to A.J. Pierzynski, tossing it to Moreno and then watching him scream at Moreno to give it back.
The lesson here, of course, is simple: Never play the court jester in such a serious game unless you don't mind the last laugh being on you.
If the clown is all business, doing what every catcher has been taught from the time batters are allowed to run to first base on what they think might be a dropped third strike, he tags Pierzynski, who was just standing there.
"Isn't that standard procedure for a catcher after catching a low pitch in the dirt?" I asked Manager Mike Scioscia, a former catcher.
Scioscia agreed, but tried to protect the team's resident jokester, who has played in only 69 games in the last three seasons, by saying the umpire made a "definitive swing call," and then a "definitive out call," and "Josh saw that."
Well, no he didn't. Paul told reporters all that took place behind his back. He said he never heard the umpire say anything, or for that matter do anything. He said it's customary for an umpire to yell "no catch, no catch" if he doesn't think the ball has been caught, and since he didn't hear that, he started running off the field.
Doug Eddings, the not-ready-for-prime-time plate umpire, said nothing, explaining later, "I had a question" whether Paul caught the ball, and with a clown like Paul — you can't really blame Eddings. I know I was waiting to see whom he was going to throw the ball to this time. I was betting on Jackie Autry.
The umpire went on to explain that he waved his arm as he always does on a swinging third strike, raising the question that wasn't asked — What gesture does he make when he thinks the ball has been trapped on a swinging third strike?
"I think [Eddings] ruled that the ball was trapped," said umpire supervisor Rich Rieker, which makes him a pretty good mind reader as far as I can tell.
It's all good fodder for another round of off-day stories, of course, but the Angels lost. And as Scioscia pointed out, "The only opinion that matters is the umpire making the call," and that's that. The good news, of course, is that the umpires rotate and Eddings won't be behind the plate the rest of the series.
I've got a hunch Paul won't be there either, that instead he'll be back on the bench clowning it up for the guys, and doing what he does best.
http://www.latimes.com/sports/columnists/la-sp-simers13oct13,1,7870389.column?coll=la-headlines-sports-columnists