What A Difference A Day Makes

By Guest Bloggers Yankefan Bill and Knuckles

If you saw Friday night's game you know that Polanco made an error when Damon flustered him in the first inning. It ended his record-setting errorless game streak.Lo and behold we find out on Saturday that the official scoring has been changed and the streak is still intact.
Something should be done about "homefield" official scoring. If the Tigers were on the road, I'm sure the original call would have stood.
Major League Baseball with all the millions of dollars it pays in salaries should hire an impartial official scorer as the 5th man of an umpiring crew.
Failing this, the home plate umpire should make the official call (with the option of a conference or even a replay to get it right).I realize this might slow a game down but baseball being a 'numbers' game should make sure those numbers are accurate.
There are still rules that can force a pitcher to speed his delivery to compensate for these delays.

I remember a game in 1993 with the Yanks playing the Blue Jays and batting champion (to-be at year's end) John Olerud hit a routine bouncer to second, and the Yankee fielder (Pat Kelly maybe?) butchered the play. Olerud was flirting with .400, and the scorer gave him a hit.
And then of course in '98 there was the game in Texas when Juan-Gone glared at the official scorer in disdain until he switched a Knoblauch error to a hit so he could have 7 or 8 rbi's.
OTOH, Michael Kay wears me out (as he did Leiter last night) when he goes on and on about this stuff. Bottom like, it's a ballgame, and hit or error, the guy on base could score. I don't think during the game is the time to start a campaign for a neutral scorer.
As an interesting sidelight, Leiter said that retired ump Ken Kaiser called him and suggested a retired ump should get the scorer job. Kay has been talking about balk potential the whole series with Bob Davidson being a member of the officiating crew. I was surprised he was unable to combine his two rants. I'm sure Kaiser called more balks than Davidson ever will.
In 1996 he called a balk on David Cone for faking a throw to second against Baltimore. This remains the only time I ever saw a balk called involving a move to second. I suspect I'll never see it again. Bottom line they should not have reversed the Polanco call, and it's one more record for which I now have lost respect.