The Daily Dose/October 31, 2019
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy
Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience…
HERE WE GO AGAIN: As usual, there was a controversial call in a recent major American sporting event. Also as usual for America now, when plate umpire Sam Holbrook had the nerve to call interference in Game 6 of the World Series Tuesday night America – or at least the America that still pays attention to the World Series – lost its collective mind: everyone with a Twitter handle was an expert and in a couple of minutes Holbrook was Public Enemy #1.
This Just In: Most of the spouting off came from those who do not know the rule, which isn’t a news flash, either. This has happened since the first major league game in 1876, the only difference being there wasn’t instant replay and Twitter in 1876, you were limited to yelling and throwing bottles. Our favorite example was this, from an article on yahoo.com. We’ll spare the write the humiliation of mentioning his name:
He could have run the same exact way but would not have been called for interference if Peacock had made an on-target throw.
Oh, Good Gravy: Well, of course. This is akin to saying a foul ball would have been a home run had it been fair. Of course the runner would not have been called out had the throw been good because then the batter-runner would not have interfered.
Fly In The Ointment: As it was, it was a good call and, if you’re an umpire, not a particularly difficult one at that. The batter-runner made contact with a fielder attempting to make a play on a ball being fielded to first base. The runner was out of the running lane so Holbrook called the runner out. Had the runner been a foot or two to the right he would have been in the running lane, where the rules protect the batter-runner, and would not have been called out.
Dry, Technical Matter: People have been arguing with umpires forever, of course, and that’s not going to change but some things about the crap us sports officials take has changed.
God, We Hate Your Whining: One, we’re taking a lot more of it now. There was a time when you only really got grief on the really close ones but those days are long gone. Every call that’s disagreed with gets you an earful. Two, not only are we getting more crap, but it’s personal now, there’s a venom that attends virtually argument that wasn’t there before. You can see it in their eyes, they come at you like you just ate their dog. Everything starts out at DefCon 1 now.
Get Your Official Daily Dose Policy Right Here: This is why there’s a nationwide shortage of sports officials: we’re presumed to be wrong all the time, there’s no respect for the trade or those who ply it, no one says “wow, maybe that’s a good call”. It’s why two-thirds of new officials quit before Year 3 and why there are (a lot) more officials over 50 than under there are officials under 30. Who wants a workplace where you’re told you suck every five minutes?
Editor’s Note: Though mostly retired now, Gaylon began officiating in 1991. He is a two-time graduate of the Harry Wendelstedt School for Umpires.
Today At The Site
The Diary of a Nobody: Sparrow has grits for breakfast instead of oatmeal. Today’s Diary.
The only real problem was the grits, and the oatmeal, for that matter, require boiling water and the dispenser on the coffee maker comes in a bit less than that, of course…Last week, with the oatmeal, I put hot water in (and some hazelnut creamer to liven it up) then threw it in the microwave for a minute and it came out resembling something you caulk bathroom tile with…It was barely edible, even by my standards…With the grits this morning tho, I put hot water into the empty bowl, microwaved that until it started boiling, then put the grits in and it came out pretty good…The grits were butter-flavored which I recall from having grits in North Carolina is really the true purpose of grits: it’s a butter delivery system so Southerners hell-bent on rock-hard arteries can avoid the humiliation of actually eating a stick of butter by itself.
It’s Sparrow, an average man passing an average life.
The Bottom Ten/NFL Week 10: The race for The Dan Henning Trophy limps on.
Here are some funny line from this week’s NFL Bottom Ten:
[Dolphins] so serious about winning B-10 title they traded for cornerback already out with broken ribs…
Falcons so bad Mercedes-Benz reportedly looking to farm out naming rights deal for Falcon’s stadium to Chevy Nova…
Giants glad they benched Eli Manning so new rookie quarterback can get key experience in handling pressures of B-10 race…
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On This Date
In 1973 – Three members of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) are freed from Mountjoy Prison in Dublin via helicopter. The helicopter had been hijacked by two IRA members, with Captain Thompson Boyes instructed to fly to and land in the prison. The prisoners caught a break when the guards initially thought the helicopter was ferrying a government official and not conspirators in an escape attempt. The three prisoners climbed aboard and Boyes flew the craft to an abandoned race track, where the IRA members fled in a hijacked taxi. The three prisoners were eventually recaptured and Boyes was not harmed.
In 1950 – Earl Lloyd of the Washington Capitols becomes the first black to play in the NBA, scoring six points in a 78-70 loss to the Rochester Royals. Lloyd would spend nine years in the NBA, averaging 8.4 points and 6.4 rebounds in 560 games with Washington, Syracuse and Detroit. The Rochester Royals are now the Sacramento Kings while the Washington Capitols folded in January 1951.
In 1953 – Faye Adams is at #1 on Billboard’s soul chart – then known as the R&B Best Sellers chart – for the seventh of ten non-consecutive weeks with Shake a Hand. The song also peaked at #22 on Billboard’s pop chart and was the first of three consecutive soul chart #1s for Adams. The song has been covered many times, and is one of the relatively few songs to have versions chart on Billboard’s soul, country and pop charts. At the time it was just the sixth song to spend at least ten weeks at #1 on the soul chart.
Quotebook
When you clench your fist, no one can put anything in your hand, nor can your hand pick anything up.
Omoro
Roots: The Saga of an American Family
by Alex Haley
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
The War of the Worlds was written by H.G. Wells.
Today’s Stumper
Which team won the NBA title for the 1950-51 season? – Answer next time!
