This Sure Isn't Football

Catching the last bit of the Yankees game, Jorge Posada popped the ball up to third base with two outs in the top of ninth. As A-Rod ran by Howie Clark the third baseman, Clark at the last moment got his way out of the play and the ball dropped in for a single. Watching the reply it seemed as though Clark thought John MacDonald called off Clark for the catch and in fact, MacDonald almost went after A-Rod claiming A-Rod yelled, "I got it" as he ran by Clark.

But this isn't about whether A-Rod did something cheap because I really don't know. Why don't I know? Because the YES Network airing the game on MLB TV did something clever. They only showed two angles of the play from far away, so you couldn't even see A-Rod jawing as he went by if that even happened. But one of the angles they showed from the third base side was played with the recorded sound of the play. And of course you couldn't hear anything because it sounded like the mic was all the way back in the third base stands where the camera was. I kept waiting for the camera that would have followed A-Rod close up, but there was no such camera shot shown.

I'm a bit suspicious of this and waiting to see if anything more is shown on Baseball Tonight or ESPN, but the damn NBA is on right now (I'm not a NBA basketball fan FYI). If A-Rod did yell, "I got it" as he ran by and there was a camera shot showing that, I wouldn't be shocked if it's YES policy not to show something like that, especially now. First off it's A-Rod and we all remember the whole knock the ball out of Arroyo's glove in '04. So another cheap play = more A-Fraud comments. Also the Yankees were actually winning at the time, so it would have been considered a cheap win.

But like I said, I don't know if A-Rod yelled anything at all.

If anyone heard it, it would have been Clark or Larry Bowa or the third base umpire. Neither Clark nor the third base umpire got into it with A-Rod. Even so, I don't think it's a rule--there was no contact and I would think a player could yell anything at anytime on the field unless they have turrets or something.

Anyways, I've heard some broadcasters complain about missed calls and there's a small group in favor of instant replay like in football. I don't think that's a great idea for the game, can you imagine a manager throwing a flag out in the middle of a baseball game. How could Lou Pinella be Lou Pinella throwing a tantrum in the middle of the field? It just wouldn't be baseball anymore.

And on another note, the level of cheating and tom foolery on the ball field (steriods aside) isn't the way it used to be back in the day. It's much worse in other sports. Here's my list of sports
where I ranked by the level of cheapness and tom foolery from highest to lowest.

1. Soccer: I watched some World Cup games and some of those guys are big babies and do anything for a foul.
2. NBA: Another game where people fake fouls. But they need more acting lessons to be par with soccer players.
3. Hockey: It happens every once in a while and power plays are key, that's why it's done. Still not right though.
4. Football: Although there's instant replay, some players try to fake being interfered with or anything to get a flag thrown.
5. Baseball: You don't see it much, but when you do it's big news (ie: Kenny Rogers "smudge", Sammy Sosa corked bat, Bobby Valentine's dugout disguise).

I don't have a conclusion other than YES failed to inform me. A game like football, tends to show all the angles. If anyone has the video tape this play tonight I'd like to see/hear it.