Liverpool Red Sox??

Liverpool Agrees to Sell Club to Red Sox

Liverpool Football Club said Wednesday it has agreed to sell the club to the owners of the Boston Red Sox, but the deal's fate is uncertain because the soccer team's owners remain opposed.

John Henry, a U.S. hedge-fund manager who owns the Boston Red Sox baseball team, has reached a tentative agreement to purchase Liverpool, the once-dominant British soccer team that has fallen on hard times. ...

See the whole article here, courtesy of the Wall Street Journal.

Handball?

Photo Courtesy Boston Globe

For those who have not heard about this story, Derek Jeter when the Yanks were playing the Rays appeared to have gotten beaned with a pitch in the hands. A closer look showed that the ball hit the butt of the bat and not Jeter.

The plate umpire, Lance Barksdale (stats) told him to take his base for being hit. A trainer paid a visit to Jeter to check on him, but at the end of it all, Jeter took his base.

Joe Maddon, the Rays manager argued the call to the point of getting tossed for it, and at the end of the day the Rays won the game 4 - 3, and would appear to be (in the legal community would be called) "harmless error."

After the game, the real fun began with Jeter admitting he was not hit by the pitch and Maddon admitting he did not blame Jeter. No one openly faulted the umpire for the situation.

I did reflect on this a bit and there were a bunch of thoughts I had.

First, I noted that no one was openly castigating the umpire for the ruse. This is sharply contrasted in our game where referees are expected to be drama critics as well as arbiters of THE game. MLBs approach seems more sane to me. How can you hold an umpire, or any referee, responsible for the actions of a player who is purporting such an act? Now, this is not to say that the league should not later take action, such as a token fine for Jeter for his dishonesty to "steal" a base, not withstanding his piety later in the evening. Same holds true for FIFA and MLS who I know have taken action after the fact to an incident that required some further discipline.

Second, is that I agree with Jeter and Maddon. I don't blame either for their reaction. Mistakes happen, and there is no reason not to take advantage of them when they occur. This is one of the realities of any game played at that level. Participants are paid a lot of money, and would be sharply criticized if they don't take advantage of such situations.

Third, I agree with Barksdale's actions. He may have actually got clued into the fact that the ball did not hit Jeter somewhere between home plate and first base. Assuming he had the ability to change his mind once the base was awarded (JAFO may jump in here), it may not have been a good idea and may have actually undermined his authority and caused more issues if he brought Jeter back to the plate. Sometimes when you are committed, you have to roll with it. More than once in my career after I called a foul, a player would get up and smile in that knowing way that gave me the sinking feeling that they just stole one from me. My response, call the foul. To go back and untangle that mess can cause havoc.

Lastly, THERE ARE NO MAKE UP CALLS. Let's say you discover that you got juiced for a call (as I have many times). You can't make up a call the next time for the other team. This is patently dishonest and will instantly bankrupt your credibility with the players and coaches. Now, I have joked about it with players and even admitted that the player got one over on me, but, never, never, never make up a call. It turns a soccer match into a bartering session.

Keep in mind you are there not to be "fair" (one for red, one for blue), but rather to be "objective" (call 'em like you see 'em). Sometimes things are not even in a match, and a referee acting as one who tries to balance such a competition is asking for big trouble.

In my opinion, slap Jeter with a fine for cheating, or in the alternative make him *gasp* apologize for cheating, and leave the rest alone.

A story on the topic is here, courtesy of the Boston Globe.

We're not going to take it ... (Sung to Twisted Sister)

First of all, go here to listen to the song if you are so inclined.

Does anyone remember the name Jim Leyland? Well he is the manager that showed the grace to publicly forgive Jim Joyce for the call he blew back in June taking a perfect game away from Galarraga. See here for a recap.

Well, Jim's "pissed" (his words), and I honestly don't blame him. He was accused of spitting on an umpire, what sound like what actually happened, was some sunflower seeds accidental shot out of his mouth when he was arguing a call at second base. Gross, but innocent in nature.

While he was ejected from the game, and Leyland himself is fine with that, to be accused of spitting on an umpire is serious stuff, and he is not going to stand for it.

As he stated to the Detroit Free Press:

"I'm tired of protecting umpires. I'm tired of not being able to say anything. I'm defending myself. If you want to kick me out, that's fine. I don't care about that because it sprayed on his shirt, but when you start to accuse somebody of doing something you better be careful."

... and he's right. As referees we not only have to report the correct misconduct - but have to get the underlying misconduct correct. Men of good conscious can disagree if it was or was not a handball or yellow card (for example), but to accuse someone of doing something serious, you must be sure. A referee loses all credibility and integrity instantly otherwise.

Full story here, courtesy of USA Today.

90 Foot Launch

Kicking Back Comments:

This is an interesting incident from the perspective that we have to remember as referees that players have relationships too. Very often we are asked to step in when that relationship is not going so well, but there is one there none the less. Over time it is important to form relationships with these players too. For those who see teams on a regular basis (in town leagues for example) there is nothing wrong with taking to understand the dynamics of the relationships between players, coaches, administrators, other referees, et al. These relationships are what will make or break you the further you go.

Early in my career I was instructed to call people "sir" or "ma'am" (except Barbara Boxer, who I would call "Senator"), and this seemed to work for a while for no other reason that it was polite. As I progressed and saw teams more and more regularly I found it more helpful to use a persons name in a respectful way (e.g. Mr. Bright, Ms. Murphy) as it started to form a connection between us. Later still, I took the time to know these folks and could strike up a conversation whenever we saw each other. I recall seeing Steve Nichol so frequently as manager of the local "A League" team that he would comment on my haircut when he did not like it. It was truly comical. But more importantly he felt comfortable to let me know when something was at issue. From there I would filter the comment and ask "what is he getting at?" It was usually something pretty vital to the match at hand.

It is critical for a referee to be aware of what is going on and the interactions between people to get the full picture. I recognize this umpire was a "vacation substitute" and may not have that time to be able to understand the dynamic. In which case, he should have just let it go.

I'm not advocating being willfully blind to an issue, what I am saying is take the time to understand it, and then, and only then, take the appropriate action.

Beltre taken by surprise
He says umpire was way off base

Adrian Beltre was called out on strikes in the second inning last night on a pitch he thought was low. He told umpire Dan Bellino his opinion and returned to the dugout.

“I didn’t curse or anything,’’ Beltre said. “I said I thought it was low. He said it was a good pitch and I walked away.’’

Once the inning was over, Beltre trotted out to third base and playfully boasted to Seattle pitcher Felix Hernandez that he would get him the next time. ...

Full article here courtesy of the Boston Globe.

You wanna go?

For those who follow baseball, and were watching the Angels v. Detroit game on 06-AUG-2010, we were witness to a very interesting incident between plate umpire Ron Kulpa and the Angels right fielder Torii Hunter. This incident resulted in (2) ejections [the Angles Manager Mike Scioscia was also ejected], a suspension, an appeal, now turned no appeal and no doubt a huge fine.

Take a close look at the video here.

After the pitch and called strike (and it was a strike) Hunter began to argue. Note however that his body language is really quite calm. Clearly Hunter said something though as Kulpa responded to him with "... are you kidding me? Do you want to go?". Kulpa then heaved him, I would say almost half heartedly with a wry smile on his face. Both of these things got my attention right away as somewhat odd behavior from an umpire.

Hunter continued from the 8th to 14th second, palms open and up continuing to plead his case.  Take a look at Kulpa during this time ... he is looking away not paying any notice to Hunter. That is right up until the time Hunter jabbed the bill of his batters helmet into Kulpa's forehead. Well, that seemed to get Kulpa to pay a bit more attention to Hunter at that point as manager Scioscia came out and had to get between them.

Look carefully at what comes next. Tom Hallion comes in and does the smart thing and takes Hunter away and engages him in conversation. Hallion talks to Hunter, looking him in the eye and letting him vent about what just happened. Look at the 36th second of the tape, Hunter is acknowledging Hallion and finally concedes with an "OK".

Kulpa continues with Scioscia and that too results in an ejection, albeit the tape does not show that much of the discussion, but it seems more civil, and my suspicion is more theater, than the Hunter incident.

So what does this all mean?
TREAT ALL PLAYERS WITH RESPECT, ALL THE TIME.


I would opine in this situation that the whole thing was completely avoidable, all Kulpa had to do, was show Hunter some respect and listen, just for a minute. If he did that I would bet everything would have been fine. This lack of respect for a player, caused what we saw on the tape.

Let me take the alternate position though, what if Hunter said something really vile that warranted the immediate ejection. What should change to possibly avoid some of the collateral damage?

Well for starters I would never, ever invite the player to determine their own fate orally with an invitation like "You wanna go?". To do so, opens a Pandora's box that you don't want to deal with. There are no good answers or actions to that question. You are there to referee, not farm out that responsibility to the players.

Next, if Hunter did say something vile, toss him, I mean TOSS HIM! He should (proverbially) land in the next zip code if he said something like that. There was no such reaction from Kulpa if that was the case. Now, he may have been thinking that he was not going to give Hunter the pleasure of seeing him upset. Well that works for 1::1 stuff, but this was not a 1::1 moment. Everyone was watching, and Kulpa knows better. He sure knew what to do when Hunter hit him with his helmet, very quickly pointing to his own forehead - AT LEAST 3 TIMES!

This would have been cause for a different emotion ... Kulpa getting mad. There would have been far fewer questions and "gap filling" from those watching if Kulpa got really torqued, tossed Hunter, and showed the emotion, like he did after the bump (or "beak" as Kulpa has called it). His manager likely would have said a word or two to Kulpa, collected Hunter and moved on. [Yes, for those referees that want to referee at a high level, some acting is required at times. At the very least understand body language and know how to use it for people that are watching from a distance.]

Another tactic may be to the the manager involved earlier. This may be more difficult in the baseball setting, but in our case another player (not just a teammate) to get some room between you and the player. A few seconds to cool off can work wonders too.

In the final analysis Hunter deserved the (4) games he got for bumping (beaking) Kulpa. Battery on a referee, short of self defense, is never excusable, no matter the trigger. That said, in my opinion, Kulpa should sit a few too to think about how this one could have finished so much better if he just paid a little more respect to Hunter.

Justice for those who love the game ... even in the face of adversity ...

Players vote Joyce top umpire in baseball

By Tom Singer / MLB.com

06/13/10 7:16 PM ET

In a recent poll conducted by ESPN The Magazine, Major League Baseball players voted Jim Joyce the best big league umpire. ...

Full story here courtesy of MLB.com.

Take me out to the ball game ... what ... wait a minute

Fenway Park to host soccer game July 21

The Boston Red Sox have announced that Fenway Park will host an exhibition soccer game between Celtic FC of the Scottish Premier League and Sporting Clube de Portugal, commonly called "Sporting," on July 21.

The Fenway Football Challenge will be the 19th soccer game at Fenway, but the first since 1968. It will be broadcast live on NESN, with kickoff at 8 p.m.

Tickets ($20-$120) will go on sale at noon on June 22 at tickets.com.

Story courtesy of Boston.com

Sorry seems to be the hardest word ...

Maybe Sir John has it right. An apology may indeed be the hardest word, at least a good apology that is. However, could it be a tool to help manage a match? Is it a way to get out of trouble, and save the day? Or is it a way to just sink yourself deeper into trouble with those you are already in trouble with?

We saw from an earlier post that a heartfelt apology offered in a timely fashion can go a long way. A pristine example is that of Jim Joyce and his tearful apology to Armando Galarraga. While having its share of detractors, noting that none of the actors are among them, has earned more respect for the men involved and MLB than ire of folks who witnessed the matter and have eagerly commented. Believe it or not, I think what happened was good for baseball.

Before answering the posed question directly, lets look at some, well,  not so pristine examples of apologies.

Remember Tonya Harding? She was accused of (allegedly) conspiring to injure Nancy Kerrigan prior to the Olympics. Once the scheme has unwound to the point of Tonya just about getting caught with the lead pipe in her own hand she stated, “I know I've let you down, but I've also let myself down too. But I still want to represent my country in Lillehammer, Norway next month.”

How about this one. Latrell Sprewell and what I would consider one of the worst apologies ever in history by saying, "I’m sorry for what I did, and if you don’t believe that, I’ll kick your butt". This after he choked his coach PJ Carlesimo after the coach told him to “put some mustard” on a pass during practice.

Finally, and of greatest concern to me personally, was the apology of Tim Donaghy during his July 29th, 2008 sentencing for the gambling scandal that rocked the NBA. During the proceedings, Donaghy stated, "I brought shame on myself, my family, and the profession".  Frankly Tim, your profession was not the only one affected.

So onto the answer. Can an apology be used to help mange a match, or get out of a scrape? Well, my answer is the same one that I have given on every law school exam to date, it depends.

An effective apology is not one that is manufactured to try to placate a person who may be upset about something. An apology is something that is offered to express genuine regret about something that a person has done to offend another. It can be rejected, and sometimes is.

Keep in mind that not everything deserves an apology on the pitch, most things don't. A referee is out there to make decisions that inevitably 50% of the people participating will not like. You are going to tick more than a few people off by doing exactly what you are supposed to during a match and during a career. If you go around apologizing anytime you have offended someone, you will have no respect from the players, which at the heart of it all really run the match (hint).

That said if you really blew a call, and it is too late to correct it (Did you check with your AR before signaling for a goal kick? Was that hand ball REALLY outside the penalty area?) apologizing to those who you have affected most may go a long way. A brief conversation running back from a goal kick, or during a stoppage in play (like an injury) to simply say that you think you missed it and you will keep working to do better for the next call.

You may think this is corny but players really respond to hard work and a commitment to getting the next one right. I have experienced this all the way through the MLS level ... and it took me by surprise at first honestly. Just when you thought you were going to get CREAMED verbally by a player, a simple "sorry, I blew that one ... I'll work harder ..." can go a long way.

Like I said earlier, it can't be manufactured or a bunch of BS to get you out of a jam where you really screwed up and were just plain negligent in your duties as an official. No apology covers for careless, negligent, or lazy refereeing. Any attempt to do so will make it worse and you will have the worst day in the park of your life. 

I've been there ... it usually gets coupled with arrogance and forgetting who really runs the game ... hint #2, it's the players.

Keep in mind too that players know the difference between a referee that is over their head and trying to hang on, and a referee who is just lazy and does not want to be there. Learning is part of the deal. Evolution is necessary for referees, they grow, they learn, they evolve with experience and time. Players understand and will respond (generally) less harshly in return.

So what of it then, two pages of drivel, what is the result?

Be human with people, and recognize that we all make mistakes sometimes.

They will probably be human back.

Of mice and men

There are times in life when peoples' mettle is tested. June 2nd, 2010 was the day when MLB umpire Jim Joyce (stats) was called to prove his.

For anyone who has been living in a cave over the last 24-48 hours, Armando Galarraga of the Detroit Tigers pitched a perfect game, almost. This as we know is statistically improbable, (unless you’re Kevin Costner and in the movies) as shown by having only 20 perfect games in history.


Galarraga didn’t pitch a perfect game however, as on the very last out of the very last inning, a batter hit a drive to center field, the ball was thrown to first, and the first baseman touched the bag BEFORE THE BATTER GOT THERE. Except that Joyce called the hitter safe. And what the ump says goes. Looking at instant replay isn’t allowed, but after the game Joyce sure looked at a replay, seems like the whole world did.

Some mice may have let it go there and been willing to wither the criticism of the informed and uninformed alike. Not Joyce, what did he do?

He started that night in the club house saying,
"I’m not sure what to say right now other than that probably was the most important call of my career, and I missed it. Nothing like this has ever happened to me, and I don’t know what to say. This isn’t (just) a call -- this is a history call, and I kicked the (crap) out of it, and there’s nobody that feels worse than I do. I take pride in this job and I kicked the (crap) out of that (call), and I took a perfect game away from that kid over there who worked his (butt) off all night."

Wow ...

He continued the next day with a tearful meeting with Galarraga during the roster exchange where Joyce was in the rotation as the home plate umpire.

He's didn't duck, hide, dodge, parry ... nothing ... he said he screwed up, took a game away from someone who deserved it, and asked for forgiveness ... which he was graciously granted by Galarraga.

It was a bitter pill no doubt, but Joyce swallowed it, first time, without question or hesitation.

That's a guy I want working in my league.

Next on my list of folks to hold in high regard for this after Joyce and Galarraga (respectively), is Bud Selig who as of this writing has decided not to invoke the "what's best for the game" rule and overturn Joyce's decision.

While I am sure the pressure was tremendous, and Selig recognized he did not want to set a precedent for any questionable decision to be reviewed and judged by the commissioner themselves, part of the decision lie in trusting his officiating crew to make a decision ... even a wrong one sometimes.

What this will do to the state of instant replay we will see in the days ahead.

This lays the groundwork for a few topics of relevance in the subjects we cover. Most notably ... what does an apology get you these days in sports? Sometimes salvation, sometimes big trouble.

Also, there was a very, very interesting comment by that last batter, Jason Donald, who said "I thought it was just so bang-bang, I thought for sure I was going to be called out just because of everything that was at stake." (emphasis added)

Just let that one sink in for a minute ... we'll get to that one soon.