Umpires or Emperors? When is their power too much?

As is known, I am an avid Phillies fan. But I also have family in Pittsburgh and (as is also known) I love a good underdog story. Mix that with the Pirates playing the NL Wildcard leader Atlanta Braves, I'm already into it. Combine a dose of a 19 inning pitch off! You have my full and undivided attention Pirates. Please proceed.

A Double Play Double Standard

As I watched last nights Phillies vs. Marlins game, I was hoping for the same thing many in the city of Philadelphia were. A sweep of the Marlins. It wouldn't have meant much. The Marlins have taken a sharp nose dive since they were competing for the division lead. The Phils' whomped them the night before scoring the most runs they have all season. But we haven't been able to close on a sweep for some time since the four game stand against the same team in mid June. I'm not complaining. You have to go a week back before that to find a series they've lost.

The sweep would have been nice but that's not the subject of this post. It's more something that could have caused the sweep. Let me take you through my night of watching the game.

The Fifth Sport

MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL. The four major American sports. They dominate Sports Center and the hearts of our nation. Baseball is the Great American Past Time. Football is the Great American Sport. America is a Basketball haven, and Hockey is something Canada would sue us for stealing if they weren't so darn nice. Point is, we have our main four sports and for years we have been happy with that. We have our niche sports for different people. Golf, Nascar, boxing, tennis. They gain popularity at different times but can't touch the draw of our Big 4.