A Tough Game To Watch, Made Tougher

Shut Up.

Michael Kay is perhaps the more infuriating announcer in professional sports. I realize there is a lot of competition, but for Me Kay's aggressive stupidity, his refusal to let go of a "point," no matter how many different ways it is shown to be wrong and/or irrelevant, and his inability to stop doing radio even though he's been on TV for five years now, give him the crown.

Last night Kay was in rare form, even for him.

Pettitte couldn't hold a big lead and was taken out without being able to get the win. Now, in a situation like this . . . the scoring rules are clear. Edwar Ramirez came in, and by the time he left the Yankees had been tied, and then gone ahead again. Ramirez was thus in line to get the win if the score held.

Now there is one exception. If, in the opinion of the official scorer, the reliever who would technically be in line for the win was "brief and ineffective," the scorer can award the win to another pitcher.

It's very rare that that happens. And while there is no strict definition of "brief and ineffective," it's generally assumed that's it really brief and really ineffective, like . . . 1/3 of an inning and four runs allowed. Ramirez wasn't great last night but was nowhere near brief and ineffective -- 1-1/3 innings, one run allowed. Yet Kay several times said that Ramirez was in line for the win but that it would be up to the official scorer. Does he really not know, after all these years, that there was basically zero chance of Ramirez not getting the win?

Infuriating. Aggressively stupid.


Shut Up Shuttin' Up.

But Kay was in rare form already last night. When Ramirez came into the game, he talked about Ramirez' changeup, calling it a "Bugs Bunny changeup."

The reference comes from a Bugs Bunny cartoon in which Bugs is pitching and throws his special pitch, a very slow pitch at which the hitter swings three times and strikes himself out. It's a classic, but if you're going to talk about in on a baseball telecast, you have to have all the facts, namely, what the pitch was actually called.

Say it with me, Michael: The Paralyzin' Palooka Pitch.

Maybe it's sad that I know that, I don't know. But Kay has to know it if he's going to talk about it on TV. Calling it the "Bugs Bunny Changeup" is lame, and sad. And of course in typical Kay fashion, he mentions it over and over. Then to complete the self-humiliation he explains the reference! "For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, there was a Bugs Bunny cartoon . . . "

Stop, Michael, please. Just . . . stop.


And A Special "Shut Up" To The Rules and The Scoring Rules.

Two little odd things from last night. One from the game, one from the box score.

Cano apparently missed third base en route to scoring on Cairo's gapper and was called out when Anaheim appealed. The appeal play last worked in 1967, I think. It's time to take it out of the rules. If the guy left too early, or missed the base, have some guts and make it the umpire's job to call it. A system whereby the other team's mistake/cheating gets penalized only if you notice it, is ridiculous. What are umpires for?

The second thing is that in looking at the box score I see that Edwar Ramzirez, in addition to getting the win last night, gets tagged with a Blown Save.

In the sixth inning?

Not that it matters except I suppose in arbitration hearings, but there should be no blown saves given out prior to the eighth inning. Too much can still happen.