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July 21, 2007
Boston manager Terry Francona was not a happy camper when the umpiring crew erred in not giving J.D. Drew credit for a home run in the first inning of last night's game.
The umpires ruled the ball had hit the wall and not the barrier over the wall.
Today he had a suggestion for making sure the umpires get calls right.
"I think there should be a fifth umpire in the booth. It would give them an extra set of eyes and I think they would see what we see (on replays) and would be an incredible teaching tool. I think the extra set of eyes could eliminate possible things like that," said Francona, referring to the clearly blown call.
Francona said the argument he had with crew chief Tim McClelland, who ultimately ejected him, and the rest of the crew will not carry over to today's game.
"It's not personal," said Francona. "But I knew what had happened. The ball couldn't bounce back into the field of play (if it hadn't hit the barrier over the wall). I asked (McClelland) to check with the other umpires and they did. While I appreciate that, I didn't like the answer. You feel frustration, but it's not personal. It goes away."
Especially since the Red Sox won the game, 10-3.
Francona said he wasn't sure what type of calls the fifth umpire should be able to overrule, nor did was he aware of any forum in which managers are asked for their suggestions to change the game.
McClelland visited Francona's office about an hour before the game. They had a nice peaceful, informal chat.
-- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner 
at 1:57 PM | Permalink
