the tag and the slap.

all you non baseball fans (and non white sox fans!) out there, i apologize in advance for boring you to tears over the next week or so with random thoughts on, well, the white sox. here is today's:

did anyone else notice how much "the tag" play in the 8th inning last night (where Escobar tried to tag Pierzynski running to first, but tagged him with an empty glove with the ball sitting right in his other hand) resembled "the slap" play from last year's Red Sox-Yankees ALCS? you know the one - when A-Rod was running to first and Arroyo was reaching out to tag him with the ball in his bare hand, and A-Rod slapped at his arm like a scared six year old and knocked the ball loose.

both were in ALCS games. both plays involved a ground ball to the pitcher and a runner on the way to first. both plays involved the ball in the open hand. both times, the umps made the obviously wrong call and then corrected it. both times, i leapt off the couch screaming and banging my hands on the coffee table. both times that ended up hurting my hands, but i was almost too mad to care.

i also think it's kind of amazing that on both calls, the umps actually got it right and reversed the calls. those plays were so egregious (perhaps i'm showing my bias, but especially the slap), if they hadn't been overturned i may have committed hari-kari. but thankfully they were, and all was right with the world.

and no, i don't think baseball should use instant replay. love it in football, would hate it in baseball. why? because i'm finicky.