Re: Minnesota Twins 2010 Season Part III, {sigh}
The blown call is irreverent, **** happens. Twins lose. All that shouldn't let the ump off the hook.
The ump aside, more important here was the bush league maneuver by the runner. He knew he was toast and slowed up to avoid injury to Cuddy and, mainly, himself. As a professional courtesy, Cuddy laid a light but obvious tag in the mid-torso. He then goes crying to the ump like he wasn't tagged. Because the ump was in horrible position (which the runner probably knew), he calls him safe.
What the runner should have done is take his *** to the dugout like a big boy. Next time, the Twins 3rd baseman (hopefully not Cuddy) likely knocks the runner to the ground to make sure the ump notices. Thus, increasing the possibility of injury to not just himself, but his teammates and the opposing 3rd baseman.
Now, these guys are professionals, and one could argue suck it up, give 110% all the time, look for every edge and so on. While that is true, I believe sportsmanship still means something, especially at the highest level, and that was an example of poor sportsmanship which probably soon won't be forgotten. Additionally, baseball players seem to suffer freak injuries all the time (see: Hudson, Orlando). When it is avoidable, I think you see players not taking advantage of the situation--especially in the middle of a 162 game season. The post season, as it should be, is a different animal.
Again, the call is irrelevant, but was the play? I guess it depends on what happens when faced with the same situation again.
EDIT: Obviously, this struck a nerve here--I didn't think I'd written a novel
