A case of the Blues for Canberra in ABL

Hi Joe, Yes, I thought the same but it was a close call and Robson could have been a little better positioned to make the call, but generally Robson had a pretty good game. It was a higher overall standard of umpiring all around the bases. Lets hope it continues!

Hi Mark watched the game on Fox. I thought HP umpire Robson got the out call on Bonomi wrong. The replay seemed to suggest Bonomi had slid over home plate with his left leg before the tag was made. Apart from that though I also thought Robson got most calls right.

Thanks Joe, for your continued interest. Hopefully the umpires in Perth will be 'on the ball' as all 3 games will be on Fox Sports. If you don't have cable or Austar there should be video coverage on the web. Those guys do a good job and aren't afraid to comment if the umpire has a bad one. You can always tell when an umpire knows he has messed up, because when a coach questions him (even agressively, like Williams did in Game 3) the ump usually will not eject him. Looking forward to 3 great games.

Cheers Mark. I listened to the TripleH broadcast over the internet & they did indicate surprise at some of the calls.

Hi Joe, To the best of my knowledge, no. I have Level 4 accreditation (US) and know a number of ML umpires, among them Joe West, who is President of the World Umpires' Association. I wrote to the ABL some time ago about them getting 'help' and suggested that I could put them in contact with Joe, but have not received any reply. Hopefully Mr Hyham will stay away from perth, or else have a look at the video from Ustream, made by the Bite.

Do you know Mark if ABL umpires undergo any form of performance review? Let's hope the best crew get the job for this weekend's championship series in Perth.

I must re-enter the fray regarding umpiring, having witnessed close to the WORST umpiring of a high level game ever. This umpire "Buster" Hyham apparently was awarded the IBAF umpire of the year (2009). Whoever did that needs his head examined. It was game 3 of the playoffs between Blue Sox and Adelaide Bite. I sat near an old stalwart of the game, who has done it all - coached to the highest level, and a level 3 umpire for 30 years. He echoed what most of us were saying. Hyham was appalling. He called strikes and then balls in the same location. He was totally wrong on a foul tip caught third strike when he gave the runner first base. Glen Williams came on and blew up, and then Hyham said the ball hit the batter's hand! He lost all control, and his zone was all over the place. Nearly every time the crowd booed, he gave another bad call. Awful, awful, awful. The Bite won the game fair and square, but Mr Hyham at two stages made decisions that could have effected the result. Quincy Latimore blew up so badly when Hyham called him out on a ball nearly a foot outside the plate. I thought Latimore was about to hit him, he was so angry. He swore and cursed, but Hyham just turned his back. Tine to get back to reality Buster. You are not bigger than the game. Ego way, way too big!

A 60 game ABL season would be all but impossible. Around two thirds of the Blue Sox team are not professional players (they all are technically, as they all get paid by the ABL, but I mean pro ball players such as Dening, Moanaroa, Kandilas, Van Steensel, Sullivan & co who have contracts with US clubs). As such, the 'non-pro ball' players have jobs and the boss doesn't always appreciate guys taking nearly every Thursday and Friday off during the season. A 60 game season would mean a lot of time off work, and some would be faced with the decision of job vs ABL. If the player is looking to get a contract, then he may be willing to gamble, but guys like Maat, Lysaught, D'Antonio for example are ex pro ball players and will struggle to get the time off to play a 60 game competition. For the pro ball players, 60 games is a lot, especially when some don't get back to Oz until October (after Fall Leagie) , and some go back to the US in February. There has to be some time for family and friends as the minor league season is a real grind (I've been there, college and pro ball). Also, many of the imports could not handle a 60 game series and for the forseeable future the ABL needs these guys. 40 games will be it for quite some time to come., that is if the ABL really wants to succeed.

I don't think that you were told off but only told that only players and bat boys were aloud in the dugout, the players and coaching staff are really friendly and would always be happy to give autographs. Maybe you should come and watch the Blue Sox in the play offs and after the game everyone is welcome onto the field to met the players and to get autographs and photos with their favourite players.

I'm almost positive it is a spelling mistake, and it should be the Sock DRAWER. Just like some people say 'there team' for example instead of 'their team'. I agree 100% with your assessment of the umpires. The MLB through its US contacts with umpires offered to send out several ML umpires to the MLBAAP for up to 6 weeks, approximately 4 years ago, to conduct refresher courses and to hopefully upgrade qualifications of several Aussie umpires to Level 4. The US guys were to be equipped with video cameras and all sorts of gadgetry to assist our guys, including brushing up the rules - on balks particularly, and techniques on calling strike zones (especially curves and sliders) and bang-bang plays at first. ML umpires get 97 out of 100 close plays correct. I know because my cousin is presently a ML umpire. The financial commitment from Australia was just to get the umpires to the Gold Coast and for them to pay for lunch and dinner. The accommodation, including breakfast was to be paid for by the US. The answer, "No thanks we can handle it ourselves." That is the attitude that has to be overcome if the ABL is to move forward. I saw the play where Shannon Pender had his glove stepped on by a base runner - and the change of the decision was utterly appalling. Park ball umpires cannot be continued to be allowed to officiate at this level without a comprehensive upgrade of their skills.

Why is it called the "Sox Draw" anyway? Is this a reference to the tied game earlier in the season? :P If they're referring to a clothes "drawer" then perhaps a spelling lesson is in order. For me, calling them "The Sox Draw" doesn't really make any sense, and even as a play on the spelling it doesn't make much sense... I haven't been able to work it out at all... maybe I'm missing something here?

The worst thing about the ABL this season has been the standard of umpiring. Unfortunately they are not up to the standard with the level of play. Players and coaches can't argue balls and strikes but they can question the rules. If a runner makes contact with a fielder who is attempting to field the ball, that is interference and is out. The play with Pender was seen by 2 umpires saying they saw the runner make contact, after the umpires meeting they both changed there decision saying that there was no contact. The issue that we have is that the umpires struggle keeping up with the speed of the game at this level. We have major problems with the quality of umpires in Sydney and unfortunately we have a shortage of not only good umpires but umpires in general. We can keep talking about umpires all day and the bad calls they make, what I find is that they get majority of the calls correct and when they make a bad call it is really bad. As a Syney fan I think it is great that there are loyal fans out there but that does not mean you have to rag on the opposition. I have been embarrassed at times with our so called sox draw members and their antics towards the opposition. Get loud and support your team but there is no need to make it personal. The best thing of all is that we have an opportunity to talk about the matters and would not have the chance if the ABL was not around, so thank god for baseball and can't wait for a 60 game season.

At a guess, I would suggest that the "No name" comments (not that I heard them myself, but I'm assuming here) were a reference to the fact that his jersey did not have a name plate on it. I don't think it was a reference to his skill level at all, just a bit of fan sledging that happens in virtually every sport to a visiting team/player. I don't think Kingman took any of it seriously, or to heart, and frankly, it's surprising that a lot of the Blue Sox fans here are getting so defensive because SOME fans (not all), in their own home ground, chose to have a go at the visiting players - mostly in good spirited banter. I really don't think Josh Dean was very concerned by beeing sledged with "Deano, Deano" from the Cavs fans and as you pointed out, Kingman certainly wasn't fazed. I remember reading one sportsman (can't remember who off the top of my head) saying that he felt more concerned if the home fans weren't sledging or calling you out when playing away from home, because generally that meant that they didn't perceive you as a threat and that he generally used any of that banter as motivation. You could argue that several of the Sydney players used the banter themselves in such a way. Frankly, if the Cavs travelled to any ground in the country, I would be more surprised if the more well known players didn't get some friendly sledging thrown their way. Australian cricket fans, to be honest, a far worse for sledging opposition players (esp. the South Africans, for some reason) than any other live sport I've seen. The Cavs fans don't even hold up a light to that. Honestly, I'd love to see this series turn into a kind of friendly rivalry, banter included. Of course, there will be occasions where both sets of fans will go over the top, but I would like to think that's the exception and not the rule. Friendly banter between sets of fans can be great atmosphere building. I had a mate who sat next to a bunch of Blue Sox fans and they were giving each other hell during the match on Thursday night, all of it in good nature and spirit. And despite the loss, the BS fans still walked out the ground with a smile on their face, like most of the Cavs fans did on Firday and Saturday.

Become an umpire, brindafella.....sounds like you are already a long way towards calling a proper zone !

This was a 'first' season for me -- I've been an armchair fan for years, but now in the stands -- and not the last. I watched from two places during this season, sitting: a. looking directly along the first base line, and b. looking over the right-handed batter's right shoulder. In my humble opinion, the umpiring was hit-and-miss: Some balls were over the side of the plate, and some some low balls were called strikes. But, what do I know? As Arnie famously said, "I'll be back."

Joe, you have single handedly made baseball a regular talking point on The Roar during the ABL season, and you have written on behalf of "the crowd" and done a fine job! Supporters from other ABL teams are welcome to write on behalf of "the crowd" and articulate their article in a way that suits their point of view. A Blue Sox fan is welcome to pen their own article any time. Stories from "the crowd" are supposed to contain a personal point of view, and Joe has done exactly that with his articles.

Hello Peter I make no claim to be a scribe or reporter merely a baseball fan who supports the Cavalry and likes to take advantage of the Roar sports opinion site to write about my Narrabundah game day experience. If I leave out the opposition’s positives or the Cav’s negatives it’s because they were not important to me.

The players from both sides happily signed my program, the only one with the problem was the Blue Sox Coach. I may have been decked out in Cavarly colours (Orange hair and all), but I made a point of saying to the Blu Sox players that their team work was fantastic and their game play solid. That I would be rooting for them in the finals if the Cavalry doesn't make it. I managed to get Michael Collins autograph and he did it with a joke and a smile. An admirable quality for all sports players.

To Joe, you as a scribe have now openly admitted that you are biased. That doesn't make you a bad reporter, just one who leaves out positives regarding the opposition, and hides negatives of the Cavalry. I am hopeful that the Cavalry do improve as years go by because a few of them were players who the Blue Sox didn't want. Michael Collins is a true star, and a gentleman to boot. To Nathan, I agree wholeheartedly about your suggestion of investing in better umpires, and, if the game is to improve and attendances are to improve then the overall umpiring standard has to also improve. Hopefully the MLB can get behind it as well as the ABL. I know one of the ABL players quite well and he is a gifted professional who has played several seasons in the US. He's been been quite frustrated by some of the umpiring, and in particular home plate umpires who just cannot call a curve ball or slider, for love or money.

Brendan Kingman is a star player even at 37-years old, and he clearly made those in the crowd quiet with his great skills!I hear what you're saying regarding the umpires. But we don't have the resources to replace them easily. And I agree that it is reasonable to offer feedback on their performance, it just needs to be decent. I'm not saying yours isn't but some people make it too much of a personal attack and umpiring is a pretty thankless job. Perhaps the ABL could hire some overseas umpires to work as advisors during the course of next season, and have them call some games too. Surely some U.S. MLB umpires would like an Australian working holiday!