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Plate umpire's comments on THAT play at 2nd
Tom McGorley, a volunteer umpire from Kalamazoo, MI, has been keeping a journal on www.myteam. Here is his reporting of that missed base call in the NY/CA game. He was the plate umpire in that game:
August 23: The big game
How do you start a Journal entry when you have so many thoughts and emotions going on inside of you? For me, tonight's game was the opportunity of a lifetime. As a Little League umpire, I always thought it would be a dream come true to umpire in the World Series. Once I got here, the only thing I could do was "hope" to be in a big game. Tonight was that night. Even though it was not the "big" game of the World Series (the Championship Game), it was a big game for me and I wanted to do it right.
Emotions were running high all day and as the time of the game grew closer, I was doing deep breathing exercises. I knew all of my family, co-workers, friends and Journal readers were going to be watching and even Laura's parents were coming to see the game in person. What kind of pressure is that?
Game time finally arrived and the "Undercover Blues" took the field. We and the teams were actually ready to start the game at about 7:55 p.m. but because of television, we had to wait on the field until about 8:10 p.m. to begin. I am sure most of you know that I was wired for sound and had the "mask cam" on. Well, after the catcher threw the ball down to second, I bent over to brush off the plate. I then stood up, looked up into the announcer's booth where I knew Brent Musburger and Orel Hershiser were and said "If you guys are listening, please be kind". I then ran into my position behind the catcher, asked for the batter, and called out, "Play!" We were finally underway.
I took me the better part of the first inning to feel like I was settling in. Both pitchers were very good and yes, the Almonte kid does throw hard and fast, just like reported. I was more impressed though with the "junk" he could throw. He had a sinker that would come straight to the strike zone and then just fall off the plate. His curve caught several of the Oceanside players flat-footed and his fastball was as fast as you have read about. The Bronx catcher deserves a lot of credit. He takes a lot of abuse back there. One thing sticks out in my mind. If Almonte keeps throwing like he is at this age, what will his arm be like when and if he wants of further his career?
Alright, I know you what you really want to hear about. The call at second base at the top of the fifth inning. Well, I am not going to sit here and add to all of the media hype about the call. I will only tell you that Bill Stains is one of the most decent human beings I have ever had the privilege to know and work with. I can also tell that Bill is human just like the rest of us and he made a human error. When the runner was advancing around second, he honestly thought the runner's leading foot touched the base and it was not until seeing the replay that evening did he find out the truth and he felt sickened. He has worked for years to get the opportunity to work in the Little League World Series and I for one, feel he has done an outstanding job. When I spoke to him later in the evening, there were tears in his eyes and he looked much older than the man I met just a few day before. Bill is a middle school math teacher by profession and works with kids everyday so you can imagine how this is effecting him. With all my heart, I hope Bill, will still look back on the World Series as a fun and enjoyable experience. He has helped make it one for me!
Enough about that. Overall, I think I did an ok job behind the plate. I too have looked at the replays of the game and I offer no comment other than to say, I had a GREAT time. I tried to do the best I could to represent my region (Central), my district (Michigan, District 2), my local league (Eastwood Little League), and all volunteer umpires everywhere. I think I did!
Tomorrow (Friday) is an off day. We have a meeting at headquarters at 11:00 a.m. to learn about our assignments for the US and International Championship games on Saturday and the World Series Championship game on Sunday. Wish me luck.
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