Baseball blunders can work for both sides
The umpire crew that blew the infield fly rule call in the first round that helped to kill the Atlanta Braves’ chances is the same group that has made three questionable calls in the New York Yankees vs. Detroit Tiger series.
The latest questionable call occurred when Omar Infante over ran second base and failed to get back in time. He was ruled safe by umpire Jeff Nelson, which was obviously a huge mistake. A batter later, Yankees manager Joe Girardi was tossed after a heated discussion when he went to the mound to bring in reliever Joba Chamberlain. The score was 1-0 Detroit at the time of the call, and 2-0 when Girardi was tossed.
Girardi recently benefited from a bad call when umpires checked a replay and declared a long flyball hit by Nate McLouth of the Baltimore Orioles was upheld as a foul ball when it clearly deflected off the pole and should have been a homer.
After the Infante ruling, Girardi took off on baseball with the need for more, even though he benefited from that call against the Orioles in the first round.
Here’s the bottom line, though: the Yankees have collapsed on their own, and Derek Jeter, their beloved captain, is out for the season with a broken ankle.
Girardi’s high-priced team can’t buy a hit now. Good luck against Justin Verlander tonight boys!
The Monsters reunite: The Monsters are back on TV and it should be a lot of fun. Dan Jiggetts and I will be doing some pregame for WCIU Ch. 26, the U, for the two local Monday night Chicago Bears games #151; Oct. 22 against the Detroit Lions and Nov. 19 against the San Francisco 49ers. Jill Carlson will be doing the heavy lifting as the host, along with former Bears defensive end Alex Brown. Rounding out the coverage, along with Jiggetts and myself, will be Kenny McReynolds and Jim Blaney. Tune in to find out what Jiggetts and I will have to say when the pregame show opens at 7 p.m. Monday.Big win for the Dons:For those of you who don#146;t know, I have been an assistant varsity basketball coach at Notre Dame College Prep in Niles for six years. The coaches at Notre Dame and all the other high schools do a really great job, and it#146;s a job that requires many hours of dedication and work that mostly goes unnoticed. I#146;m happy for Notre Dame athletic director and head football coach Tom Hennessy after his team upset Joliet Catholic, 42-35, last weekend. It#146;s a signature win for the program, and sets up a huge contest against Carmel High School. The Dons were paced by Division I prospect Chris James, a junior running back who had 32 carries for 152 yards and three rushing touchdowns, and quarterback Dan Nagode who was 12 of 17 for 227 yards. While Carmel is only 2-6 this season, the Cosairs have always played Notre Dame tough. Just two weeks ago Carmel lost a close game to Joliet Catholic, 31-24. The game starts at 7:30 Friday at Carmel Catholic High School in Mundelein.Birthday wishes:Happy birthday to my baby brother, Danny, who celebrates 54 years today. Love ya!Program note:Fox Sports Radio recently added Monday nights from 6-9 p.m. to my hosting schedule to go with my usual Saturday (6-9 p.m.) and Sunday (9 p.m.-midnight) shows. Listen in on XM169, iHeart radio or foxpsortsradio.com.Ÿ Mike North#146;s column appears each Tuesday and Friday in the Daily Herald, and his video commentary can be found Monday, Wednesday and Thursday at dailyherald.com. For more, visit northtonorth.com.