The Buck Stops Here

So I found myself getting into the Tampa/Philly game last night. I mean, hey, the World Series was very well about to end and while I am big Mets fan rooting against the Phillies, I am still a baseball fan. So even if it meant watching Rollins and Utley jump up and down, I was going to subject myself to that agony. But something else happened. I found myself getting increasingly annoyed at Joe Buck of Fox. In tbe words of one Chris Russo, that was a TERRIBLE JOB by Buck last night. There were four different points that Joe Buck made last night that I thought were all ridiculous and over the top. Here they are:

BUCK UP #1: This was the least of the crimes. But Buck and Tim McCarver went on for a couple minutes about how Joe Maddon was the nicest, most forthcoming, honest, open, manager they have ever dealt with. That's great. Terrific. Makes me feel all mushy inside. But here's a question: Who cares? Who gives a shit? What does that have to do with whether or not Tampa is going to stage a miraculous comeback against the Phillies? It doesn't matter. That sort of analysis should be left to others, not national broadcasters who are supposed to be impartial.

BUCK UP #2: This was when I started to realize that Buck was in the tank for the Rays. Early and often, Joe Buck made mention of several questionable pitches that were called balls for Scott Kazmir. The point was clear. Buck didn't think those pitches were balls and when Hamels got close strike calls, he kept going back to Kazmir not getting close calls. Listen, as I stated above, I was rooting for Tampa, but this was starting to annoy me. Your national broadcasters should not be taking sides. Buck did that all night long.

BUCK UP #3: This was the biggest head scratcher for me. After the 5th inning, Joe Buck repeated about a hundred times that this was "now an official game." Now, you might be thinking "what's so bad about that?" The point is that by making that statement over and over again, Buck was implying that the World Series may very well be decided by a rain-shortened and stopped game. That is completely and utterly insane. Do you really think that Bud Selig and Major League Baseball were going to allow a World Series (not just a game, but the ACTUAL SERIES) to be decided by a rain-shortened game? No way. No how. No chance. MLB would have come up with some revised plan to finish the game the next day or something. But Buck kept going on and on about how this was "now an official game." As Gman pointed out to me today, did they even get a statement from Major League Baseball? If so, they never mentioned it. They also made a HUGE deal after the game was stopped about the run that Tampa scored to tie it. Honestly, did they really believe if that run didn't score that that was it - that's Tampa's season was going to be cut short right then and there? There was no way the World Series was going to be decided by rain, but Buck kept implying that was very well at stake.

BUCK UP #4: In the final inning that was played last night, BJ Upton was on first base with 2 outs. Joe Buck carried on that this game NEEDED to be stopped. Why did the game need to be stopped? Simple. It was taking the Tampa Bay Rays' biggest asset - their speed - away from them. Therefore, and NOT because the field was affecting BOTH teams, the game needed to be stopped. Buck went on to say how it was practically impossible for Upton to steal a base in these conditions. There was no chance. Forget the fact that Cole Hamels seemed a bit concerned, as he threw over to first repeatedly. But according to Buck, you couldn't possibly steal a base. The field was a disaster. It was stripping the Rays of their speed. And then what happens? Upton EASILY steals second and scores on a single. What did Buck say? Nothing. Now, don't get me wrong. The game DID need to be stopped and the field WAS awful, but the announcers should be pointing this out for BOTH sides, not implying that the field is ONLY hurting Tampa. Last time I checked, the Phillies had some speed as well.

The Buck stops here.