[Andrew]

So, how long after the first pitch before our first epic Scioscia-Greg Gibson showdown? 4 innings, maybe 5? CB Bucknor isn't exactly a welcome addition either, IMO. That's at least two umps who we have seen make themselves more of a part of the action than an umpire ideally should, that's the last thing we want in a playoff series.

It's funny, if you google "CB Bucknor" you get a long list of websites/forums talking about how awful he is. It includes a huge variety of different teams. Fans of all teams hate him. At least he's evenhandedly awful.

[BucketOBalls]

What evaluation system gives Bucknor and Gibson playoff assignments?

Seniority.

[bosockboy]

I believe Iassogna is also atrocious. I think he had some run-ins with Schilling IIRC. Maybe I'm thinking of someone else, but I do remember he is awful behind the plate.

Wow is that a bad crew...maybe enough to swing a series.

[MidnightC]

I believe Iassogna is also atrocious. I think he had some run-ins with Schilling IIRC. Maybe I'm thinking of someone else, but I do remember he is awful behind the plate.

Wow is that a bad crew...maybe enough to swing a series.

Iassogna once called a high pitch a strike for Dustin Pedroia that wouldn't have been a strike for Richie Sexson. I'll never forget that, and suffice to say, Iassogna was not nearly as generous calling strikes for Tim Wakefield's knuckleballs that night. Maybe he's improved since then, but that moment left a lasting impression. Even Tito was barking after that one.

That really is one of the worst umpiring crews MLB could have ever assembled for a playoff series. Seriously, what the hell? The only guy we're missing is Angel Hernandez.

This post has been edited by MidnightC: 05 October 2009 - 04:27 PM

[MoGator71]

Iassogna once called a high pitch a strike for Dustin Pedroia that wouldn't have been a strike for Richie Sexson. I'll never forget that, and suffice to say, Iassogna was not nearly as generous calling strikes for Tim Wakefield's knuckleballs that night. Maybe he's improved since then, but that moment left a lasting impression. Even Tito was barking after that one.

That really is one of the worst umpiring crews MLB could have ever assembled for a playoff series. Seriously, what the hell? The only guy we're missing is Angel Hernandez.

And Doug Eddings.

Wasn't Iassogna the guy who tossed David Wells as the 2nd base ump in '05? I swear I remember Wells grumbling a bit about a pitch, and Iassogna tossing him...

I'm not a huge Joe West fan either, frankly. After '04 I've generally given him a lifetime pass, but I'm not a huge fan of his act, and he gets a little squeezey sometimes.

[Rudy's Curve]

Wasn't Iassogna the guy who tossed David Wells as the 2nd base ump in '05? I swear I remember Wells grumbling a bit about a pitch, and Iassogna tossing him...

That was Chris Guccione.

Video

[Bellhorn]

I believe Iassogna is also atrocious. I think he had some run-ins with Schilling IIRC. Maybe I'm thinking of someone else, but I do remember he is awful behind the plate.

He's the one who prompted Papi to start throwing bats onto the field back in '04

[bosockboy]

He's the one who prompted Papi to start throwing bats onto the field back in '04

Bingo; that's it. I knew we had someone that had a major beef with him.

[Gehrig38]

FWIW that might be the worst umpiring crew in the history of post season baseball. Bucknor, Gibson AND Merriweather? Oh and Joe West, the umpire who is well known to hate the Sox as much as any man ever.
At least in Joe's defense he's a decent ump, albeit one who has stated EXPLICITLY on the field he holds grudges and gets even, CB, Gibby and Chuck just suck, no two ways about it. Chuck's at least a nice guy though. He feels bad when he blows calls. CB has never been good enough to ID a bad or missed call and as far as Gibby knows he's NEVER MADE a bad call.

Direct quote from Greg Gibson during a game "Do you know you are arguing with the best young umpire in the game right now?"

Dead serious when delivering it too....

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

Gibson's also the guy who got into it with both Greinke and Hillman when the Sox were in KC a week or so ago. He's a horse's ass.

Hey Curt, Joe West got all the controversial calls right during your start in Game 6 in '04. No soft spot for the guy due to that?

[OBPercent1]

[quote name='Gehrig38' date='Oct 6 2009, 12:55 AM' post='2608288']
FWIW that might be the worst umpiring crew in the history of post season baseball. Bucknor, Gibson AND Merriweather? Oh and Joe West, the umpire who is well known to hate the Sox as much as any man ever.
At least in Joe's defense he's a decent ump, albeit one who has stated EXPLICITLY on the field he holds grudges and gets even, CB, Gibby and Chuck just suck, no two ways about it. Chuck's at least a nice guy though. He feels bad when he blows calls. CB has never been good enough to ID a bad or missed call and as far as Gibby knows he's NEVER MADE a bad call.

Direct quote from Greg Gibson during a game "Do you know you are arguing with the best young umpire in the game right now?"

Dead serious when delivering it too....

I simply don't understand how Merriwather & CB still have jobs I thought all umps were being held accoutable but I must be mistaken

[86spike]

So Curt, now that you're just a fan like the rest of us, what are your thoughts on this series?

(but you don't have to tell us how you voted in the 'will Tek make the ALDS roster' poll if you don't want to)

[Corsi Combover]

Direct quote from Greg Gibson during a game "Do you know you are arguing with the best young umpire in the game right now?"

Dead serious when delivering it too....

Love that photo.

[MoGator71]

That was Chris Guccione.

Video

Oops. I must've been thinking of the Papi thing.

And yeah, I'd forgotten about Gibson in that Royals game. Watching him on the field, I'm not at all surprised by that quote...if I heard that on the field I don't know if I'd lose it or bust out laughing.

[Montana Fan]

So Curt, now that you're just a fan like the rest of us, what are your thoughts on this series?

(but you don't have to tell us how you voted in the 'will Tek make the ALDS roster' poll if you don't want to)

Dillard can't carry your jock.

[jon abbey]

FWIW that might be the worst umpiring crew in the history of post season baseball. Bucknor, Gibson AND Merriweather?

Meriweather is in the other crew, on the Yankees series.

[bosoxx05]

FWIW that might be the worst umpiring crew in the history of post season baseball. Bucknor, Gibson AND Merriweather? Oh and Joe West, the umpire who is well known to hate the Sox as much as any man ever.
At least in Joe's defense he's a decent ump, albeit one who has stated EXPLICITLY on the field he holds grudges and gets even, CB, Gibby and Chuck just suck, no two ways about it. Chuck's at least a nice guy though. He feels bad when he blows calls. CB has never been good enough to ID a bad or missed call and as far as Gibby knows he's NEVER MADE a bad call.

Direct quote from Greg Gibson during a game "Do you know you are arguing with the best young umpire in the game right now?"

Dead serious when delivering it too....

G38... Game six of the ALCS wasn't Joe West behind the dish when you pitched in the bloody sock game? I thought he squeezed Foulke in the 9th a bit ,but during the game I don't remember him squeezing you more then any other umpire.
I will say I really believed he was going to call Roberts out at second on the steal in game 4 at second,and the way he carries himself during the game kind of has that eff u attitude. Like Ken Kaiser used to.
Anyway Curt, thanks for the input.

[Eric Van]

Crap. I had been intending to re-do and improve my de facto strike zone algorithms for the pitch/fx data after the season. With that umpiring lineup (several names which rung a bell from past analysis, which is to say that the assessments by Curt and others have objective backup), I may be forced to do it before this post-season. But whether I do or not, I will try to have an analysis here the next day.

[HriniakPosterChild]

G38... Game six of the ALCS wasn't Joe West behind the dish when you pitched in the bloody sock game? I thought he squeezed Foulke in the 9th a bit ,but during the game I don't remember him squeezing you more then any other umpire.

Game log agrees with your memory. And my memory said he squeezed Arroyo during the A-Rod AB, too. A-Rod should have struck out before he hit his 65 foot ground ball along the base line.

[shawnrbu]

Iassogna once called a high pitch a strike for Dustin Pedroia that wouldn't have been a strike for Richie Sexson. I'll never forget that, and suffice to say, Iassogna was not nearly as generous calling strikes for Tim Wakefield's knuckleballs that night. Maybe he's improved since then, but that moment left a lasting impression. Even Tito was barking after that one.

from rotoworld:

Wakefield wasn't aided by perhaps the worst umpiring performance we've seen this year, courtesy of Dan Iassogna. It wasn't that he was biased. It's just that he'd randomly call pitches 6-12 inches above the belt strikes and ignore those at the knees. Further enraged by two incidents -- a HBP against Wakefield when Mark Ellis obviously leaned into a knuckleball and a check-swing third strike against David Ortiz that Iassogna called on his own, even though the replay showed that Ortiz didn't go -- Red Sox manager Terry Francona finally had enough in the eighth, getting himself tossed when a curveball that wouldn't have been in Richie Sexson's zone was called a strike against 5-foot-7 Dustin Pedroia.

Here's the game. This was Game 3 of a 4 game set in Oakland in 07. Sox lost the first 3 of the series and Schilling pitched his 1 hit shutout in the 4th game.

fwiw, both Iassogna and C.B. were on the umpire crew for the 07 ALDS vs. LAAA. Iassogna was behind the plate in Game 2 (Daisuke vs. Escobar) and, thankfully, C.B. was stashed in RF for Game 1 and never saw the plate during the three game sweep.