MLB Umpires Show They Still Stink

Instant replay couldn't save baseball umpires from the disastrous day they had in the Bronx yesterday. Let's recap the three "questionable" calls made at Yankee Stadium in the Yankees' 7-6 loss to the Blue Jays that weren't so "questionable":

1) Bottom 1st - Derek Jeter attempts to steal 3rd and is called out by umpire Marty Foster. While the ball beat him to the bag, replays show he clearly avoided Scott Rolen's tag. Had Jeter been safe, the Yanks would have scored a run when Swisher singled to left.

2) Top 3rd - Vernon Wells hits a grounder to short. Jeter makes the play in the hole and makes a jump-throw to 2nd to try and force-out Aaron Hill. Wally Bell rules Hill safe, when replays show the throw clearly beat him to the bag by about a foot or two. After Rolen struck out, Alex Rios hit a 3-run homer and the Jays were up 4-0.

3) Bottom 7th - Brett Gardner hits a grounder to 2nd with 2-on and 0-out. John McDonald makes a bad throw to second, pulling Marco Scutaro off the bag, as seen in replays. Only problem: Bell didn't see it that way, saying his foot was still on the bag, and called the runner out. Swisher plated two with a single, but that was all.

Three bad calls by one umpiring crew was bad enough, but after the game, we found out the explanations were even worse. Neither Foster or Bell wanted to speak with the media after the game and instead made crew chief John Hirschbeck talk to reporters. That's a lack of class right there by umps who know they screwed up.

Then, Jeter tells reporters that Foster told him he didn't have to get tagged out because the throw beat him to the bag. Ummmm...WHAT? The last I heard, you needed to be tagged on an attempted steal. If Jeter's telling the truth, then Major League Baseball needs to discipline these umpires somehow. That's just disgraceful.

It's hard to say whether any of the calls had a direct effect on the game. The Yankees lost, and I'm sure were not too happy with these calls and how they were handled, but they won't tell you that's what lost them the game. Regardless, it was pathetic to watch how blatantly wrong these umps were on three different calls. The plays weren't even that close aside from Jeter's steal.

I don't know what's worse: the fact that the calls were bad or that the umpires failed to take responsibility and explain themselves to the media. Either way, it was a new low-point for professional sports officiating yesterday at Yankee Stadium.