More Buehrle Balks

[bnumpire]

From 9/10/11

Buerle's first balk

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=11934359

Balk #2 leads to Ozzie's ejection

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=11937109

I find something curious in something one of the announcers said. He says that the only four balks called on Mark Buehrle this year have come from Joe West's crew. Why is it this crew sees his move one way but no one else sees it the same?

I'm not Sox fan but it does just seem curious. I would like to think that this crew isn't just sticking it to the Sox after the happenings in Cleveland earlier this year.

[p1timeblue]

Why is it this crew sees his move one way but no one else sees it the same?



Why does one umpire see strikes one way but no one else sees it the same?

[bnumpire]

Here for comparative purposes is Mark Buehrle's move when he wasn't called for a balk.

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=8025341

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=6254157

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=3566276

All five videos look like virtually the same move to me. So 64 umpires see it one way and 4 see it differently and the 4 that see it differently are on the same crew.

[johnnyg08]

Haven't looked at the videos yet, but I can imagine that they're similar to the other ones. And I guess it's hard for me to disagree with the other posts...how does West's crew see the moves as balks, but the other crews do not.

Maybe they're that much better than the other crews? :-) *wink.

[mr umpire]

And I have never heard the line "None of the umpires have called that before." It happens all the time. One umpire sees something another doesn't. Or, the move is not the same as what the other umpires saw.

And, just b/c 1 umpire doesn't call something for some reason doesn't mean another one shouldn't. Even if it is at the MLB level.

And, the 2 called, he balked. He went a lot toward HP, especially on the 1st one. And, if PU is calling it, then it must have been bad. The other 3 were much more toward 1B than HP. But, the camera angle is not optimal so it may be a little deceiving. But, given the view provided, I am with all calls.

[heyblue26]

I watched the Videos and I say that thay got the calls right. The camera angle that it is shown at the plate umpire calls the balk. I say he has the best angle of the pitchers move and if he calls it then he saw something.
The announcers they talked about Joe West's crew and bring up something from another series that took place in Cleveland give me a break will ya. What one Umpire see's another may not or another umpire crew its all part of the human element of the game.

Annoucers saying the league has got to do something, No the annoucers need to just annouce the game and leave the umpiring to the umpires. Boy I hate these guys that don't know the rules.

[bigbird69]

Looking at the 5 different videos, I see 5 distinctly different motions. That is what makes him more effective, and causes some balks... This is not like Andy Pettitte who has the same motion nearly every time and is not committed until the last second. The two that were called we certainly called with reasons that I would agree with, and I did not see the same things in the moves that got called.

The last one that got Ozzie tossed was clear to me that he came too far to the plate.

[thunderheads]

For me, he's REALLY borderline every time! He leans toward home and is NOT stepping toward first.

That said .... the first balk call was, 1) delayed, bad! and was less than the second balk. 2) The second balk call was DEFINATELY a balk ...