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Wrong Calls Happen But Bad Calls Shouldn’t

By DERON SNYDER

By no means is this an attempt to pick on Tim Welke. He suffered enough in 1998, when a Sports Illustrated cover featured his photo and an incendiary headline: “Kill the Umps! Missed calls and skewed strike zones are marring the postseason.”

I bring up Welke as Exhibit A in my case against the “human element,” though any number of his peers could be used to make the same point. But Welke is timely because he made one of the worst calls ever this month, and his younger brother Bill made a costly bad call Monday.

Both rulings would’ve been overturned instantly after just one replay if baseball allowed such reviews. But expanding the use of technology makes too much sense for commissioner Bud Selig & Co. to take seriously.

In Boston’s 7-4 victory Monday against Detroit, Bill Welke incorrectly ruled that Tigers catcher Gerald Laird didn’t catch a third strike cleanly before it hit the ground, extending the inning long enough for the Red Sox to score three runs.

At least you can understand how Bill Welke was fooled; Laird’s glove hit the dirt and stirred some dust. But it’s beyond comprehension how Tim Welke blew a call May 2 in Colorado’s 8-5 victory against the Dodgers. Jerry Hairston grounded to third and inexplicably was called out on the throw. Rockies first baseman Todd Helton was three feet from the bag.

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