Braves quotes after Wild Card loss to Cardinals

Correct Call Made on Infield-fly, USA Today says…
Paul White, USA TODAY SportsShare
2012-10-05-delay

Paul White: The questionable infield-fly call was the correct ruling
The game was delayed 15 minutes after fans pelted the field with trash
The Braves played the remainder of the game under protest

2:38AM EST October 6. 2012 – Follow closely the controversial infield-fly play in the Braves-Cardinals game and you’ll see the Infield Fly Rule applied as the rule book suggests.

If there’s any argument about the result of umpire Sam Holbrook’s out call, it’s a disagreement on his judgment that the rule applies in this case. And, as a judgment call, that wipes out any hope the Braves have of getting their protest upheld because, by rule, protests can be over only a misinterpretation or wrong application of a rule — not over judgment.

CHAOS: Questionable call sets off Turner Field fans

GAME STORY: Cardinals hold on to win 6-3

PHOTOS: Worst fan behavior in sports history, Atlanta fans among worst ever

CHIPPER: Jones’ career ends on a sour note

Let’s start with the rule.

An automatic out is called when, with runners on first and second (as in tonight’s case) or the bases loaded and fewer than two outs, a fly ball is hit that the umpires believe can be routinely handled by an infielder. The rule exists so an infielder doesn’t purposely drop the ball so he can get force outs for a double or triple play.

The comment in the baseball rule book that accompanies the explanation of the rule is what’s most pertinent in tonight’s case.

Here it is:

Rule 2.00 (Infield Fly) Comment: On the infield fly rule the umpire is to rule whether the ball could ordinarily have been handled by an infielder — not by some arbitrary limitation such as the grass, or the base lines. The umpire must rule also that a ball is an infield fly, even if handled by an outfielder, if, in the umpire’s judgment, the ball could have been as easily handled by an infielder.

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F Sam Holbrook.

How do you look yourself in the face as an umpire and not want to beg somebody to beat the s***.

Prostitution is a nobler profession.

F*ing idiot.

I don’t care how many errors the Braves made.

Every fan who watched this team this year knows they could have come back and won the game.

Who in their right mind can say with Brian McCann at the plate and one out, with Bourn and Prado on deck, that we would not have at least tied it.

I would take Martin Prado, even with two outs, over anybody else on this team or the f*ing @$$hole Cardinals with the bases loaded, down three.

Martin Prado has multiple grand slams.

He hit a game tying grand slam last year against the Nats.

If he had the chance to bat it would not have surprised me to see him win the game with one swing.

Sam Holbrook made sure he didn’t get that chance.

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@ itsdejavualloveragain,good points,; @ ijudgenot; w/u on the moves, hope we can piece the ship back together, “Everything rises & falls on Leadership”.

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It certainly was a bad call and I’ve read the damn rules. If this is called this way each time then in the future with men on 1st & 2nd or bases loaded situations all of the infielders should run to the outfield on any pop fly or looper with their backs to the plate and flap their arms. This was quite obviously a you-got-it-I-take-it confused with the noise of the crowd and the umpire’s arm did not extend until the shortstop pulled off of his run and a few milliseconds before the ball hit the ground. While I agree that it was not the sole reason for the loss it damn sure was a contributing factor and the primary reason the protest is being ignored is not that it was a judgement call but the timing of the call when it became obvious the ball was hitting the ground, and of course, the timing of Sunday’s allotted tv time. Primarily the tv time.

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The Braves played poorly and did not deserve a win. They needed to bring home some of those runners that they stranded. Still, anybody who follows baseball knows that it was inappropriate to invoke the infield fly rule on the Simmons pop-up. Rule-wise, the judgemental nature of these calls could be eliminated if there was a line or arc projected from the foul lines at some arbitrarily appropriate distance (40 feet?) from first and thrid bases so that pop-ups inside the line are automatically affected by the infield fly rule while pop-ups landing outside the line are not.

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Paul; White needs to read the rule before pontificating on it! First, the fly ball has to be fielded by an infielder! It says so very clearly in the rule book.

Second, the intent of the rule is to benefit the offense, not the defense. Sam Hollbrook just interpreted the rule vastly wider and more liberally than it’s ever been applied in the past and for that reason MLB will need to revise the rule to put an actual distance provision into effect. Wouldn’t be a bad idea to change how the field is drawn up and paint an arc to clearly label that distance limit also.

What Holbrook should carry to his grave is the sense of personal shame that until his blunder last night, such an arc was never needed. So, it should be named the “Holbrook arc!” Enjoy the clear badge of shame, Sam Holbrook, you idiot!

Given Holbrook’s foolish application of the rule, from now on you have your nearest infielder sprint after a pop fly to the outfield every time there are runners on base in a force situation with less than two outs. Instruct the nearest infielder to sprint under the ball, and make a move with his hands that he’s got it, and snooker the umpire into making an infield fly out call.

You don’t even have to worry about dropped catches in the outfield any longer! So, it is a 100% out call if the Holbrook interpretation is allowed to stand.

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Chipper had a couple bad throws to second of late – that was not new – I guess he didn’t work on them.

But face it – we didn’t hit in the clutch, we bobbled the ball in the field. Our manager called for a safety squeeze, a move no big game winning manager would have ever make in the same situation.

In short, WE CHOKED!!

It is called CHOKING.

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It’s not about the loss, it’s about the fact that the WC elim game had to be played in the first place. Georgia lost at least $2 million in otherwise earned revenue b/c of the new format. You can estimate at least $2 million per game in ‘tourism dollars’ for hotel/motel tax, motor fuel tax, food & beverage tax, extended jobs, etc. Georgia would have had at least 2 postseason games under the old format. Missourri now reaps at least $4 million of otherwise unearned revenue, a boost to the image of its state’s sports & gets free baseball. MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL ROBBED ALL GEORGIA TAXPAYERS of extra (and earned) revenue by this new format. The outcome of the WC elimination game has an economic impact that is so much bigger than “just one game”. MLB only thought about MLB. MLB did not think about the much bigger picture of what postseason revenue does in terms of job extension & tax dollars for the state’s team that clearly had the better 2nd place record in 162 games.

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I think the fact that the SS gave up on the ball to let the left fielder catch it shows that it wasn’t an “ordinary effort”. Holbrook needs to grow a set and admit that he blew the call. he’s just pathetic.

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Something is fishy in denmark… Not really a conspiracy person, but the players did not think it was infield fly rule. That being said, the players would be running. That would be the perfect time to call it. Plus, my idle, when he coached the braves, Joe Torre, is DEAD to me. What a sell out…koolaide and all…

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