Very very bad call sinks Japan

The USA beats Japan 4 to 3 at the World Baseball Classic and you say so what?!!! It must have been a close game... well yes.

Alex Rodriguez hit a bases-loaded, two-out single in the ninth to give Team USA a 4-3 victory yesterday in the opener of Round 2 of the inaugural World Baseball Classic in Anaheim, Calif.

And yes it was a close game but in the eighth inning...

Japan appeared to take a 4-3 lead off Joe Nathan in the eighth when Akinori Iwamura flied to left with one out and the bases loaded. Tsuyoshi Nishioka beat Randy Winn's throw home, and second base umpire Brian Knight ruled safe when Team USA appealed the play. But plate umpire Bob Davidson overruled the call after consulting with the other umpires.

I watched in disbelief when even the TV commentators on ESPN2 said it was the wrong call. They replayed it four or five times and every time the Japanese player, Tsuyoshi Nishioka was tagged up at third the American outfielder caught the ball and then Tsuyoshi Nishioka ran home. It must be nice to have the adavantage home grown officials who make calls your way.
Japan may protest reversed call,as they should.

It really looks ugly.

Technically, this was true. Politically, it was a powder keg.

In asserting his right to overrule a colleague's decision yesterday, Davidson left Japan feeling terribly wronged. And with justification. {San Diego-newspaper}

SI.com - Japanese fans cry foul over Classic call: "Several Japanese baseball commentators pointed out that Nishioka was shifting his weight to his front foot before the ball reached Winn's glove but that his back foot was still on the bag and Davidson might have been fooled by this.

Former New York Mets manager Bobby Valentine, who manages Nishioka on the Japan Series champion Chiba Lotte Marines, was quoted in the Nikkansports newspaper as saying 'It was a bad call.''"

Good call or bad call Team USA will need to play better to get any respect from me.

Ump should be man without a country

TheStar.com - A-Rod, bad call sink Japan