Last night, home plate umpire John Tumpane whiffed on a big one (thanks to Jason Collette from DRays Bay who caught this picture of the play seconds after it happened, computers are amazing). Not only did the play cost the Rays a run in a 1-0 game, but it ultimately led to extra innings and Detroit’s walkoff win. Tumpane, who was on loan from the Pacific Coast League, is apparently 10 years old, and looks just like Gabe from The Office, cost the Rays the game. Or did he?.
When you are hired as a coach at any level, you are issued a standard coaching pack. It includes:
- One whistle, even though you don’t actually need a whistle to coach stuff;
- One pair of these Bike Coaching Shorts
; and - A list of cliches to memorize.
Generally, all three items are useless (has anyone ever figured out what makes those shorts particularly useful for coaching stuff?). Last night was the exception. One of the cliches on the list says “never give the officials a chance to steal a game with a bad call. If it’s not close, they can’t affect the outcome.” Justin Ruggiano would have done well to heed that advice.
There is simply no reason for Justin Ruggiano – a 5th outfielder who knows he is only in the Majors until the Super-2 clock expires on Desmond Jennings and Brandon Guyer – to avoid contact in a one-run game. It’s 1-0, your teammates are exhausted, and you have a chance to score. There is no excuse for that avoidance slide (when the catcher clearly had the path to the back corner blocked) and second-chance karate kick at the plate. In some ways, if I am Tumpane, I might just call him out for being soft.
Ruggiano would be well-served to follow Sam Fuld’s lead. When Fuld got his legendary heel in the door during the Rays early-season struggles, he threw the rest of his body threw the crack with reckless abandon. Sure he came back to earth offensively but, when he had the chance, Fuld earned a reputation as a fearless defender willing to sacrifice anything for the good of the club. Ruggiano still looks like a pretty boy that wants to win, so long as he doesn’t get hurt (which, incidentally, is a reputation he has been building in my mind during his 32 minor league seasons).
There is no way Ruggiano thinks he is with the club for good. The collective shadows of Jennings and Guyer have to follow his every step. But he’s here now. He got past all the producers and is up there in front of Steven Tyler, Jennifer Lopez, and Randy Jackson. He has to choose his best song. Right? He doesn’t have enough talent to save it for the finale.
In fact, after the game, Ruggiano apparently admitted that he regrets not running over the catcher. Therein lies the fundamental problem. It didn’t occur to Ruggiano to run-through a catcher blocking the plate without the ball until he had taken a shower and got dressed.
interesting take… I wasn’t able to get past the call to analyze the slide. I don’t know if his slide was one of “avoidance”, though. I think he expected to slide through the leg (which he eventually did). Either way, I have to say that Ruggs is (of late) playing his way out of my doghouse (8-game hit streak not too shabby).
As for Tumpane, what was his argument? He tapped his foot like that explained everything, but it looked more like a Step move to me. How does whatever he was trying to convey with his foot negate the fact that a tag was never applied?
I guess I thought it was an avoidance slide because he didn’t slide into the plate, he slid next to the plate with the hopes that he could reach back with his leg and touch it. Sliding through a foot is one thing, but the catcher had his shin guard on the ground. You are just not sliding through that. If he is going in feet first, he needs to be going in spikes up, not on his right hip stretching back for the plate.
I agree he has been playing well. I just think he showed his true colors a little. There is something about him that screams that he plays like he thinks he is better than he really is. Hopefully someone is watching his little audition and we can finally flip him for meaningful parts as soon as DJ and Guyer are outside of Super 2 purgatory.
fair. and i agree about flipping ruggs, homerun last night doesn’t hurt, right? I thought they were doing the same thing with Cobb, because it didn’t make sense that he was up before torres. But now, i say we hold onto Cobb.
After reviewing the slide, had he gone in spikes up (as you said and as I thought on first glance) his leg is over the shin guard and he can plant that foot onto the plate, instead of the flail and drag maneuver.
the first thing i thought when watching the replay was, “why was he jogging off hte base?” Sure, the ump missed the call, but it shouldn’t have been a close call to begin with.
It was a crap call, and I think it’s totally awesome that just about 24-hours ago I premeditated that the umps are the real villians in baseball.
Stop using your powers for evil and start saying things like: “Longo will hit 10 bombs this week.”
Heh.
Mark, your harsh comments on Ruggiano are repulsive.
Just to be clear, which part did you feel was harsh?