Of last night’s monumentally botched call at first base by umpire Jerry Meals, the New York Post’s Joel Sherman considers it somewhat un-Bomberesque to bitch and moan. “Jerry Meals blew the call,” Sherman admits. “But he didn’t blow the 10-game lead or lose this game. The Yankees should try looking in the mirror for that.”
Meals did not throw one pitch for CC Sabathia, an ace in memory right now. He did not take a single swing for Nick Swisher or Curtis Granderson, two guys killing the lineup. And, by the way, if Meals gets the call right the score is 5-5. You think the Yankees as they are playing right now definitely win?
Like the entire 10-game lead they have blown the setback last night is the responsibility of the Yankees. Three more homers off a starter, 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position. You put yourself in a spot to be hurt by the umps, you can be hurt by the umps.
“I never blame the umps, we lost this game,” said Derek Jeter, a rational voice in a sea of fury, delusion and misplaced accountability. Mark Teixeira, for goodness sake, said the umpires didn’t want the game to go on any longer and that is why the call was blown. That’s right: The Yankees’ first baseman publicly said an umpire purposely got a call wrong in the middle of a playoff chase because, what, he wanted to catch a “Saturday Night Live” repeat?
I find Mark Teixeira to be as insufferable as any player not named Nick Swisher, but surely Sherman isn’t suggesting that teams who’ve blown 10 game leads shouldn’t expect a modicum of competent umpiring?