Second base, graveyard of empires.
OK, it's not exactly Babe Ruth being thrown out to end the 1926 Series, but still. I knew bunting was more or less a lost art, Jeff Cirillo aside. Who knew that timing your slide so that you stopped, you know, on the bag, would be that difficult. I mean, it's not like he's been doing this on a 90 ft. diamond since 6th grade or anything.
As for that other play, the one that prompted the Plague of Plastic Water Bottles? Now, it's perfectly ok to slide in hard to break up a double play. I even remember it being ok to barrel-roll into the base. There's a famous picture of Ty Cobb that looks as though he's just finished doing exactly that. Although Cobb also used to file his spikes to the point where they could substitute for phonograph needles, so on second thought he may not be the best reference here.
What it's not ok to do is to barrel-roll into the base and do your Jack Tatum impersonation. There was a time about 100 years ago, when a baserunner coming home could count on knowing he'd been somewhere. He'd get spiked, held, elbowed, and whatever else wouldn't show a mark. That's why they went and formed the American League.
Now people will say tomorrow that it cost Arizona the game, and they did indeed load the bases after that. But without the play, it's an almost certian double play anyway, which is why the ump could call it the way he did. The call sure didn't help Arizona, though. With a no-call, it's 1st and 3rd with one out. If the rest of the inning plays out the same way, they get two, possibly three runs, and the whole complexion of the game changes the rest of the way.
Man, do I love October.
