This will be a rare post for me. I’m angry. Yes, I probably should be waiting until the morning to write this and will try to keep it as non-judgemental as I can but the Pigs were, well, they were hosed.
The Columbus Clippers, led by the efforts of home plate umpire FRAN BURKE, defeated the IronPigs by a final score of 6-2 tonight.
It was cool tonight. Temps in the low 50’s but fans were a lot hotter than that after viewing officiating that rivaled Andy Vincent of a few years back. Before I get into it, let’s look at some game facts.
IronPig Pitchers:
Bush – 94 pitches 54 for strikes
Feierabend – 47 pitches for 32 strikes
Perez – 25 pitches for 10 strikes
Zagurski – 5 pitches for 3 strikes
Add those up and you get 171 pitches for 99 strikes. Keeping in mind balls swung at are considered strikes thrown. That means the IronPigs tossed 72 pitches that were called balls. 42% of the pitches thrown were called balls.
Clipper Pitching:
Martinez – 98 pitches for 65 strikes
Lee – 31 pitches for 16 strikes
Burns – 11 pitches for 7 strikes
140 pitches total for 88 strikes. That works out to 37% of pitches called balls.
Now this may seem insignificant but to those who viewed this game can tell you. The Clippers were getting the close strikes, the Pigs were not.
This type of “bias” causes things to happen.
When close pitches are called balls, batters become more selective. They choose their pitches to hit and swing less. The pitcher then needs to groove pitches in the middle of the strike zone and are more easily hit.
When close pitches are called strikes, batters are forced to hit defensively swinging at anything near the plate. Pitchers become aware of this early and throw more borderline pitches resulting in more poorly hit balls and outs.
15 IronPig batters went down on strikes tonight, and 4 walked.
10 Clippers struck out, 10 walked. (5 in the 9th inning)
Now you can call me a sore loser, you can call me someone second guessing an umpire. If you were at the game tonight you would understand.
Home plate umpire FRAN BURKE was awful tonight. I can accept bad umpiring. If someone can’t perform or has a bad day.. it happens. What I don’t like is when that poor umpiring is leaning heavily towards one team. Longtime IronPig fans can remember the days when former umpire Andy Vincent seemed to make every call against the umpire. The days when even the other team shook their heads in amazement at the poor calls. Tonight reminded me A LOT of those days. Someone commented near me that if they were Ryne Sandberg they would have been ejected by then.
So who is FRAN BURKE?
From the IL Website:
FRAN BURKE..Age 31, 5’9″, 175 lbs., resides Ridgewood, NJ. 2000-01, Gulf Coast Lg.; 2001, Appalachian Lg.; 2002, S. Atlantic Lg.; 2003-05, Carolina Lg.; 2005-07, Eastern Lg.; 2006, Arizona Instruc. Lg.; 2007, Southern Lg. & Venezuelan Lg.; 2008-10, International Lg.; 2010, Arizona Fall Lg. -4th yr. in Triple-A-
Earlier this season we had the infamous “Pull the Tarp” game in Buffalo. In response to my email, IL President Randy Mobley reminded us that AAA umpires are being evaluated just as the players and their goal was to make the big leagues. I’m sure Mr. Burke has a family and friends who love him and care about him and I don’t doubt he is likely a good person, but tonight he was an awful umpire. Be firm but be fair. Tonight’s calls were by far not fair. I hope those who evaluate AAA umpires take notice to this game.
I’m usually not a fan of booing anyone.. folks are out there doing their best… tomorrow umpire FRAN BURKE has earned the booing I’m sure will result.
Add your comments and feelings below..
***
On other notes, why is Domonic Brown still in the lineup? Regular season… sure, let him play out and work on his swing. In what is essentially the World Series for AAA… play the lineup that can win.
On that same note, why.. Why.. WHY did we go with Perez and Chapman in the 9th inning tonight? Is it strategy to accept the loss going into the 9th inning with only a 1 run deficit? Let the strength of the bullpen rest for the long haul of what we hope will now go 5 games?
So many questions. Again, I believe I made my feelings on tonight’s game clear. What are yours?
noisenation.mlblogs.com 
Hey dan
I wasn’t at the game and it didn’t sound good by your post, but i got to thinking about the pen and how they must be running on fumes, not tying to make excuses for tonight, and i could be wrong here but i looked at there schedule and i thought these numbers were interesting, some of my numbers/ stats might be off just a bit though , i believe they are 12-11 since august 18th when the pigs won11-1 and i believe that was the last game in which the pigs won by more than 3 runs, since that game i believe they are 12-11( and i think only 3 days off since the 18?) and all of those 12 wins , they have not won by more than 3 runs, which means almost a save situation every game and means your burning through your pen like crazy,ugh. like i said not trying to make excuses for tonight…but wow i can’t remember when a team has had to reach into there pen that much!! … so what i’m getting at is we really need a blowout win badly!!! just some food for thought!!! Oink !!GO PIGS!! BRING HOME THE CUP/BACON!!!
I watched a lot of the game on milb.com, and to be honest it wasn’t the umpiring. Columbus is just a better team, plain and simple. The magic is wearing off – I still blame fatso Zagurski. They close out that game and they’re up 2-0, and probably takes the wind out of Columbus’s sails.
Sorry, I was at the game and the umpiring was terrible. Clearly at one point one pitch was so far inside and not even close to being over the plate, was not swung at and was called a strike. HuH? I sit in 110 and have an excellent view of the plate and the umpire was not doing his job last night. Yes, the team appeared to be having a rough time of it. But one cannot help but get gun-shy with inconsistent calls. It is hard to deal with the uneven bias in calling last night’s game. But the team has shown that outcome is in their control. They played in the pouring rain in Syracuse for the final game of the regular season. All the chips were on the table in those last final games. I supported them in their efforts and sat in that pouring rain cheering them on. Time to pick themselves up from last night, dust off, and get it done. GO PIGS! OINK ONWARD!!!
AWFUL DECISION BY SANDBERG to bring in Perez, then Chapman. Please, no replies that the bullpen was tired or he was trying to save guys, it is the playoffs, you play for that game…
The bad decision is not in hindsight nor just my opinion. I voiced my displeasure right away. AND, in the row in front of me, Steve Noworata(Phils Minor League Director) was sitting next to another Phils scout and they gave that what is he doing look to each other. Amaro was sitting next to another Phils scout and they gave the same look. I could see someone texted Amaro(he was not hiding it) and they asked why Perez was in the game. His answer was, “I don’t know”. UMPIRING, even Amaro starting yelling at the umpire.
The crowd was taken out of the game after the 2 run homer in the second. They never really got back into it (at least compared to last weeks games). Domonic Brown is showing he obviously doesnt want to be on this team anymore. The lack of hustle shown by him is mind blowing. Catcher drops the third strike and he starts walking back to dugout, only to “trot” slowly down to first. I was booing him, and I will contine to boo as long as he does this.
Rich Thomopson needs to get a September call up. 48 stolen bases and no one even looks at him? Come on!!! Reward the guy who has been screwed for the last 3 years.
A couple of thoughts:
1) Dan is right, the home plate umpire was awful. He simply refused to call the edge-of-the-plate pitches for the ‘Pigs. But the pitching was awful too. Bush didn’t have his best stuff, and a lot of the boos were for pitches that really were balls. Same with Feierabend. And Perez and Chapman? Well, see #2.
2) This is a short series, and it will be even shorter if Ryno keeps bringing Perez and Chapman in as relievers. The second Perez came to the mound, I said to my buddy, “Well, so much for a close game going into the bottom of the 9th.” Call Perez “Dy-no-Mite” because every time he comes into a game lately, things just blow up. Okay, so we’re short on relievers at the moment. Schwimer’s in Philly, Carpenter’s in San Diego. Use an end-of-the-rotation starter, Ryno! Game 3 was a critical game, and when the championship is on the line, you go with the best you have.
3) Maybe it’s just me, but I didn’t like the “feel” of the crowd last night at all. Yes, the umpire made a lot of bad calls, but people were booing EVERY call! There was almost a fight in our section because one rather inebriated fan near me yelled at the ump after nearly every call, and a guy several rows in back of me kept getting more and more fed up with him. Heck, the crowd was booing players, field staff, even other fans who were participants in on-field activities. Columbus fans are going to think we’re just a Minor League version of Philly fans, who even booed Santa Claus once. Let’s tone it down a bit, okay? I’m fed up with Domonic Brown’s “I don’t care” attitude too, but I don’t boo him. All that’s going to do is mess with his head even more. If you can’t give the guy a little encouragement and keep the criticism to conversations with your pals, then keep your mouth shut.
4) Yes, Rich Thompson absolutely deserves a call-up after the playoffs are over. The Phillies owe it to him after the stunt they pulled last year, sending him down to AA Reading even though he was one of the best players on the team, just to test out some younger guys. He’s earned it this year. He’s the spark of the team’s offense and a defensive star in center field. When he gets on base, which is a lot of the time, good things happen. And let’s make sure he’s back in an IronPigs uniform next year, because he sets a fine example for the rest of the team with his dedication, work ethic and hustle on the field.
While I agree that Rich “deserves” it, I also think he should be called up because he can actually help the Phillies. I know he won’t get a playoff spot, but while the rosters are expanded, why not let him help out in Philly.
See my comments below on the booing. However, I kind of felt that the crowd was a tinder keg, ready to go off at any moment. We just didn’t get many “moments.” Hence, emotions were running high. Freddy Galvis was a bright spot; I look forward to seeing him at SS for most of next season.
I sat next to you last night Dan and couldn’t agree with you more. Since when is a pitch that was almost in the dirt a called strike??? That’s the kind of nonsense that this FRAN BURKE was calling all night on the Pigs!! The offense might have been dry but it’s hard to get hits when you have to be a defensive hitter when you don’t know WHAT THE HECK THE STRIKE ZONE IS!!!! I had a rare blow up after the game. My friends in the Majestic Clubhouse store had to calm me down!! Well anyway hopefully we can shake this off and have a good game tonight and get this to a game 5 tomorrow.
Still schratching my head over the Perez, Chapman thing in the 9th! What’s Sandberg thinking??? Why rest the bullpen for a 5 game set?? It’s the playoffs it should be all hands on deck!!! Perez has been aweful since he’s been back and Chance Chapman hasn’t pitched in god knows when. Was he sent up from Reading since thier season ended??? Whatever! Finally, Dom Brown out to be shut down for the rest of the season. He needs to get his head back on straight. Does he play winter ball to work on his stroke and get the old confidence back or should he just take time off and workout to prepare for next season?? I guess that’s up to the top brass.
In conclusion, let’s not give up hope. Let’s win this tonight and have game 5 tomorrow and if not, hat’s off to the IronPigs for giving us a GREAT season!! This has certainly been a great ride!!
One final thought…I agree with pog, bring up Richie T. The guy’s been solid for the Pigs the past now 4 seasons. Give him his just reward!! The guy’s consistantly on base and steals bases to get things started, much like he did last night. And how bout that great catch he made late in the game!!!
OInk Oink!!
I think I know the pitch.
An exchange from last night:
Me: “AWWW C’MON BLUE!!”
Wife: “Mark, that was over the plate.”
Me: “Yeah, but it was ROLLING”
Guy sitting behind my wife: (hysterical laughter)
Dan – It’s OK to get angry once in a while. We’re fans and we have a lot invested in this team (rational, or not)–time, money, emotion. It’s a good thing I don’t come home and write a post every night or there’d be some doosies from 2009 and 2010.
Brian – You’re right about the ‘pen. The strength of this team all season is now somewhat of a weakness. It’s why I had no problem with sending Brian Bass out there in ‘tucket to complete the game. Going into the playoffs with Perez and Chapman was bound to bite us. And now, I don’t trust Zagurski either. DeFratus and Aumont are young, and that makes me nervous. Feirebend lives on the edge, and can be lit up at any point–he did well to keep it close last night. It’s come to the point that Savery is the only one I trust other than the starters. Hoo boy.
KGB, yup, you can’t save guys. I have difficulty questioning Ryne, but he IS the guy that started Sardinha the other day. Fine if everybody gets a chance, but it was difficult to watch. The floating strike zone didn’t help. From comments in The Morning Call this morning, Moss and Frandsen were giving props to Martinez and his curve.
Pog, please don’t boo D.B. If he’s going to be in the lineup we need something from him and his head’s not right. Booing’s not going to help that, and it’s not my ticket price that’s paying his salary. I don’t care about his career or his status as a prospect; I just want a hit. I’d like to see Delwyn at DH tonight. Perhaps Ryne thinks Brownie isn’t prepared to pinch hit and is giving him that DH spot using the blind squirrel theory*. Young is a talented pinch hitter, but we need a bat at #5. I completely agree on Richie Thompson. I know he’s not going to go to the Phils and hit .300. Nor is he going to hit homers. But he’s head and shoulders above MM and Junior as a defensive center fielder and would be an outstanding pinch runner or a guy you can put in to lay down a bunt. These things should be still valuable and especially so for a team with “aces” and 1-0 wins and whatnot. An aside about Mayberry: as he hit a homer last night, the folks behind me were going on about how much better Mayberry is, than Brown. I couldn’t help but think back to the many times over the past couple years when I wanted to boo Mayberry like folks want to boo Brown right now. I know, I know, I want him to look like he’s giving 100%, but I’ve diagnosed his problem as “mental”–not laziness–at its core.
*the Blind Squirrel Theory states: Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while.
Not much for me to add here, except: Thompson is NOT on the 40-man, Brown is, Galvis is, several other Reading guys like Rivero are, Drew Naylor who’s been injured is… can they make a move to let Rich in? You know better than me.
Guys, as much as you like your Ironpigs, there’s a reason why a lot of these guys have been passed over by MLB org’s time and time again. Guys like Rich Thompson are not major league players (although I suppose he could pinch run if needed)
I know what you’re saying, Matt, and that’s the reason I’m not on here complaining about Moss v. Bowker (plus, I like having Moss for the ‘Pigs). But to me, Thompson=Sam Fuld. I really think he could hit .240 and do the things I list above. That’s the basis of my position for campaigning for his promotion (and addition to the 40man; perhaps there’s a DL move or two to make).
I’ll be “that guy…”
If the team didn’t post the record they have this season, there would have been a lot of second guessing about Sandberg’s decisions. Dare I say he’s in a Charlie Manuel situation where he’s an average manager with a great team who loves playing for him which equates to success. I’m not even angry about last night, it’s something I’ve had in my mind for most of the season.
And to the other Matt, the “magic” has not worn off. The Pigs are going to win tonight and tomorrow to take home the Cup. The only reason Rich Thompson isn’t a major leaguer is because he isn’t there right now. He damn well could be if given the opportunity, but as we’ve seen in the past from the Phillies, they often neglect to call up some guys for whatever reason. Now usually that makes me angry, but it benefited us this season as Ruben let the IronPigs go into the playoffs with a full roster minus Schwimer who really left before the playoffs anyway.
See you at the Park tomorrow for game 5.
Y’all are hilarious. Coupla weeks ago, everybody in Allentown was yelping that Ryno was robbed — ROBBED, I tell you! — when he didn’t get IL Manager of the Year. As soon as his team (which had never been above .500 before this year and hadn’t a clue what playoff games felt like until last week) started to struggle in the league championship series, he was downgraded to “average.”
Maybe you should write to Amaro and beg him to swap Sandberg to the Cubs for their current third-base coach. (I hear the guy is an old friend of yours.) And do it fast, before some smartass sabermetrician has time to explain the Pythagorean Formula to your front office.
I agree about the fans not being as vocal and into as last week. I will be in the minority, but I think the towels are not good. It looks great, but I would rather have 9,000 people clapping and cheering than waving a towel. I thought the 5,800 for the first game was louder than last night…