Well, it happened again last night, just as it seems to happen every night in every MLB ballpark across the country – a blown call by an umpire. Or was it a blown call? Maybe it wasn’t. Don Mattingly thought it was a blown call – enough to come out and argue about it for for three or four minutes, thus causing a three or four minute interruption in the game (or what MLB.com Gameday affectionately calls an “On-field Delay”). Was it a blown call? We will never know because it wasn’t reviewed.

Because the questionable call did not lead to a run being scored, it will forever be nothing more than a meaningless entry in MLB.com’s Gameday.

Obviously the most frequent type of blown call is a blown ball or strike call by the home plate umpire – something that will (most likely) never change because balls and strikes will (most likely) never become subject to review. But what about the many other blown calls, such as questionable fair or foul balls? This is something that is easily reviewable and, quite frankly, should be reviewed. Yet every time it appears that the MLB is finally actually going to add fair and foul balls to its very short list of reviewable plays, Bud Selig always finds a reason not to, thus subject him, the MLB, and most certainly the umpires to heavy criticism by the players, the media and fans. It’s time to pull the trigger, Bud. It’s time to get it right.

Lost in the excitement of A.J. Ellis’ first-ever two home run game and Chad Billingsley’s outstanding pitching performance (not to mention the excitement of ending a 3-game losing streak) was a play that occurred in the 6th inning; a play that may or may not have been a blown call – something that we will never know because it wasn’t reviewable and because it eventually became a non-factor as no runs scored as a result of it (but only because of a base running gaff by Alfonso Soriano). The only record of its existence will be the “On-field Delay” entry in Gameday.

A.J. Ellis hits his second home run of the night. It was A.J.’s first-ever two home run game. (Photo credit – Jill Weisleder)

After a leadoff walk to Soriano, Cubs right fielder Bryan LaHair hit a sharp grounder down the right field line past James Loney, who did not dive for the ball. Why, you ask? Because he probably thought it was a foul ball. Although Dodger right fielder Andre Ethier ran after the ball (which ended up hitting a security guard’s chair and stopping), he also apparently thought that it was a foul ball. It even appeared that Soriano thought that it was a foul ball because he slid into third base even though there was going to be no play on him and he could have easily scored had he not done so. But first base umpire Bill Miller ruled it a fair ball, thus causing Mattingly to (rightfully) come out and argue the call. To Miller’s credit, he gathered the other three umpires to discuss Mattingly’s appeal, a discussion that I watched very closely through my binoculars from the Left Field Pavilion. In doing so, it was very apparent that none of the other three umpires could definitively say that the ball was fair or foul, so Miller’s call stood.

Was it a fair ball? Heck, I don’t know – I certainly couldn’t tell for sure from 300 feet away with a poor angle on the ball, but a video review of the play would have easily confirmed it one way or the other, and in a matter of seconds, not three or four minutes.

Perhaps those of you who saw this play on TV (and who undoubtedly got several replays of it) can enlighten me as to whether it was a fair or foul ball – something that the umpires also should have been able to do as well.