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“FANS SAW WHAT THEY WERE MISSING FRIDAY NIGHT WITHOUT REAL EXTRA INNINGS,” Chief Justice Kenesaw Mountain Landis RULES
WPCNR’S VIEW FROM THE UPPER DECK By “Bull” Allen FROM BOSTON’S BRAVES FIELD in the HEAVENLY LEAGUE October 11:
The heavenly court of appeals arbiters in unanimous decision rule extra innings best post season game ever.
HELLO THERE EVERYBODY, THIS IS BULL ALLEN FROM THE JURY BOX BLEACHER IN OLD BRAVES FIELD IN THE HEAVENLY BASEBALL LEAGUE.
“FANS SAW WHAT THEY WERE MISSING FRIDAY NIGHT WITHOUT REAL EXTRA INNINGS to the end,” Kenesaw Mountain Landis Chief Justice of Heaven’s Baseball Supreme Court of Appeals, read the unanimous decision 8:30 PM PACIFIC TIME after the court watching from the famous “Jury Box” Bleacher (upper left in rendering above) in Old Braves Field in the Heavenly Baseball League where the greatest players play again on Elysian Fields of the past.
The Justices viewed the Tigers Mariners 15 inning game on HBLS NETWORK (Heavenly Baseball League Sports, GOD, COMMISSIONER)
The Supreme Baseball Court consists of Judge Landis and the 9 members of the Umpire’s Hall off Fame: Bill Klem, Bruce Froemmng Billy Evans, Hank O’Day, Jocko Conlan, Al Barlick, Bill McGowan, Nestor Chylack and Dough Harvey. (Some of the great arbitrators are still living today and serve by invitation of Judge Landis.
The Judges of Judges of 10 ruled unanimously in the third game of this season to be decided in “Natural Extra Innings” without starting the 10th inning with a runner a second . The appeal from prayers of baseball fans across the land convinced the greatest arbitrators of all time to review the merits of baseball today eliminating “natural extra innings,” and its benefits to the fan.
The judgement from the Supreme Court of Baseball was swift and devastating.
They smote baseball’s tinkerage of the last 30 years of commissioners’ and owners’ changes to traditional rules.
As the Seattle players jumped up and down like kids as the winning run was singled in in the 15th inning, fans roaring up into the night. The stoic Tigers bearing their crushing defeat, the decision by the umpires stunned media as Landis and the court appeared in the Seattle dressing room, champagne flying
Landis read the decision:
“This body of my colleagues in the Umpire’s Hall of Fame after watching this evening’s extraordinary baseball game more tense than a movie, more emotional that frayed the nerves every inning with neither team relenting effort or reaching back for that little something extra and flawlessly executing plays that had to be made under the greatest of pressure. From pitchers using superb poise and execution to get great Tiger stars and relentless Mariners keeping the magic the showcase of what baseball at its highest level. Where no clock saves you and fans can watch forever until the winning run is scored in innings where every pitch counts. Heads up plays and situational baseball strategy knowledge and deployment and extraordinary effort win games like this.
We were asked by the fans of this game, told the games are too long. They do not retain attention they have to be shorter. Fans do not want games lasting three hours. My colleagues watched this game tonight and though we are old this Detroit-Seattle game was baseball showing why it is the greatest game of all.
Was the stadium emptying out after two hours. No.
Were the players tired you bet. But they were playing at the top of their game.
Were the Extra Innings boring?
(Mr. Landis chuckled at this.)
On into the night the fierce game pitch clock and batter timings included, did not bore in the least.
Time after time pitchers and fielders using guile, savvy and must-make plays saved the game for their teams with of course every pitch hit high and far might end it in an instant.
Frankly the end was sad a game ended, not on a penalty not on a walk, not on an error, but the flawless joyous ripped single all runners wheeling madly as the winning run scored.
Seattle fans and oldtime fans of the game stoic and reverent about the epic they had just seen 5 hours and 30 minutes of baseball that moved. Suspense mounting. It was nervous to watch.
As an old time player once said. ”Baseball is a worrying game.”
What gems these Extra innings showcased. That gleamed in baseball’s crown!
Loyal Detroit fans in their sadness that will never be a day they do not think of will remember as long as baseball is played the longest in time playoff game ever!
Seattle remember the horror at Tiger pitchers inducing snappy crisp double plays to snap bases loaded 1 out threats from its best hitters.
The Tiger fans will question not pinch running for the catcher in the 11th when he reached base to 1st and 2nd 1 out, and then watching in horror as a bunt moved the runners up. Seattle drew the infield in to cut off the run at the plate. Sharply hit ground is speared and the fielder goes to the plate for the out. Still a runner a second Detroit cannot score.
The pitching in the clutch spots. Well, watching it was like each pitcher was disarming a time bomb. And the poise on close pitches causing walks.
This happened in extra innings. Unlike what happens with the runner on second starting the inning.
My panel of judges for these reasons rules that baseball has by invoking “natural extra innings” has made an extreme tactical error in selling their shorter games theory which my colleagues agree is a decision to make more gate receipts, get more television and network and streaming services money at the expense of the perfect game.
These 6 extra innings had it all. Tension. Shocking extraordinary execution. Detroit was held scoreless for 9 consecutive innings Seattle for 11.
As far as the other changes of the game, they have speeded up the game.
The denial of field shifts by the major league rules team, has not hurt the game. It has made the fielding better.
In the matter of “Natural Extra Innings” this court finds that Extra innings provides more enjoyment for the fan, more entertainment then starting the 10th inning with a runner on second. Detroit’s last threat was a double so they had a runner on second, but they still had to hit it in. If you hit with runners in scoring position you win.
Also the visiting team wins most games in 10th innings with runner on second starts. This is anticlimactic.
Our decision: Extra Innings Every game all the time when score is tied after nine.”
I was not able to track this game I relied on the pitch by pitch internet service provided by ESPN and Yahoo.
They tell you who is batting and who is pitching. Score, count. Pitcher. And tell each play with a suspense that is compelling. It reminded me of the old Western Union Sports Ticker. Also of the Les Leiter recreations of San Francisco Giant games on I think WHN. He’d play crowd noise and invent what was happening a pitch by pitch terse description of Western Union.
I found watching the ESPN and Yahoo internet version of the old big billboards newspapers put up in hotels in Miami when the World Series was playing.
I felt the tension of the Detroit Seattle classic game without the tedious commentary of sports casters over analyzing and the commercials. I got thinking about the game more.
And most of all like the Judges saw watching the game from their Jury Box Bleacher, the is the winner with Extra Innings….they can always leave.
And unless an umpire is tired and wants to go home and squeezes pitchers in the bottom of Extra Innings, you see all the ironies and miracles and great plays and highs and lows.
Extra innings teach how to live with disappointments, bad breaks, and as they used to say in Brooklyn, “Wait’ll Next Year!”
Watching Extra innings prepare you to weather crisis.
And they are fair.
This is Bull Allen, “So long, Everybody!”