Allgemeines » Mark: Fatigue was much more

TORONTO – Three-and-a-half hours before Wednesdays series finale with the Yankees, the Blue Jays issued a surprising media release announcing the demotion of Kevin Pillar to Triple-A Buffalo. This is far from an earth-shattering move, Pillar was the 25th-man, but the shock lies in his return to the Bisons just 48 hours after his latest recall and in the reasons why hes Buffalo-bound. Pillar and Anthony Gose were supposed to be the right-field platoon while Jose Bautista recovers from a mild strain of his left hamstring. The contract of outfielder Brad Glenn, a 23rd-round pick in 2009, has been purchased. “Were looking for a little more sock from the right side,” said manager John Gibbons. “Weve got three left-handed pitchers coming in from the White Sox and Glenn, hes been on fire down there, as well. So this is his opportunity.” When pressed for more, Gibbons acknowledged Pillars behaviour in the eighth inning of Tuesday nights game played a part in the decision. The score was 6-6 at the time. The Jays had loaded the bases with one out. Pillar was due up but the Yankees flame-throwing set-up man, Dellin Betances, was on the mound. Gibbons pinch hit Anthony Gose. Pillar reacted. He stormed into the dugout. Footage shows him angrily tossing his helmet and ripping off his batting gloves as he walked from Gibbonss end of the dugout to the other. He then tossed his bat, underhanded, down the tunnel leading to the clubhouse. “It didnt help him at all,” said Gibbons. “This is a team game, you know. Theres no room for selfish play. But weve been thinking about Glenn for a while now, anyway.” Glenn has given the Blue Jays plenty to ponder. In 113 at-bats with Buffalo since his promotion from Double-A New Hampshire, the 27-year-old has hit .381/.421/.575 with four home runs and eight doubles among his 43 hits. To make room for Glenn on the 40-man roster, the Blue Jays designated infielder Jonathan Diaz for assignment. THE OUTSIDE CORNER Play a baseball game and inevitably someone will have something to say about the home plate umpires strike zone. Pitchers and hitters develop reputations, to the positive or negative, which can influence the way the game is called. What goes less noticed is how one pitch called incorrectly can affect the remainder of an at-bat. Take Colby Rasmuss three-pitch, caught-looking strikeout in the second inning of Tuesday nights 7-6 win over the Yankees. The first pitch was a David Phelps cut fastball off the outside corner of the plate for a called strike. This is the pitch that changed the at-bat. Pitch two: A knuckle-curve Rasmus fouled off. Pitch three: A cut fastball on the inside corner. The pitch crossed the plate, therefore it was a strike. The correct call was made. The problem: Rasmus was forced to adjust his approach after the first pitch to account for the wide strike zone. “Colbys told me he starts getting bigger to protect and then he starts chasing balls all over the place,” said hitting coach Kevin Seitzer. “I said, ‘Do not change your zone and if they call it, they call it, but you cant change your zone. Do not expand. If they throw three out there and get called, come back and sit down by me.” When pressed for comment, Rasmus politely declined. Good move on his part - he doesnt need the trouble. Adam Lind has also fallen victim to calls off the outside corner. Its common around the game, certainly not exclusive to the Blue Jays. “They both have really good eyes and they look for pitches on the plate and thats what theyre geared to do mentally and I dont want that to change with any of our hitters,” said Seitzer. “Its just a part of the way games always been. (Umpires) are human. Theyre not perfect. Theyre going to make mistakes. You cant expect them to be perfect but I dont want our hitters to change their zone ever in any way, shape or form.” Both Rasmus and Lind have laid-back personalities. Its rare to see either be demonstrative with an umpire. Seitzer appreciates their respectful approach, but he wants them to converse. If a pitch was off the plate, hes encouraged Rasmus and Lind to let the umpire know. Seitzer will accept from his hitters called third strikes on pitches out of the zone. He firmly believes Rasmus, whos prone to the swing-and-miss, having struck out in 33.5 per cent of his plate appearances this season, ends up offering at pitches he otherwise wouldnt due to frustration. Seitzers been a sounding board for his frustrated charges. “All I can do is be supportive,” said Seitzer. “Youve got a great eye. Its not a pitch you want to go on, so you cant go. And you cant even think that theyre going to go back out there because of what happens there, you get locked up on paint inside.” LINDS FOOT Adam Lind fouled a pitch off his right toe in the seventh inning of Tuesday nights game. “Ouch. Thats what I said,” said Lind. Surely he must have cussed? “It was more just deep breaths.” Lind returned to the starting lineup on Monday for the first time since fouling a pitch off the top of his right foot on June 14 in Baltimore. He had three pinch-hit appearances in the seven games in between. Linds wearing a guard on his shin, which extends to the top of his foot. In Wednesday nights series finale versus the Yankees, Lind made his first start at first base since suffering the injury. TOLLESONS EYE Blue Jays utility infielder Steve Tolleson is dealing with an eye problem that cropped up on the last road trip. Hes got dryness and blurriness, especially in his right eye.Tolleson had laser eye surgery five years ago, but its unclear if this is a factor in any way.Hell be seeing a cornea specialist on Thursday, marking a fourth-straight day that hell see an eye doctor of some description. Ken Griffey Jersey .Manager Brendan Rodgers told the Liverpool Echo on Friday that Sturridge pulled his calf muscle in training as he prepared to return from a five-week layoff due to a thigh strain. Brandon Finnegan Jersey .com) - Marc Gasol and the Grizzlies withstood 18 Dallas 3-pointers, as Memphis took control in the third quarter and fended off a Mavericks rally en route to a 114-105 win in a Southwest Division showdown. http://www.redsgearshop.com/Customized/ . Miralem Pjanic dribbled through the defence to score an extraordinary goal in the 43rd minute at the Stadio Olimpico and Gervinho added another from a rebound in the 65th for Romas ninth straight victory — ending Milans five-match winning streak. George Foster Jersey . 17.A string of English Premier League teams, most in the lower end of the standings, has been linked to the 32-year-old forward but most have seemingly balked at the cost given his wages and transfer fee. Scooter Gennett Jersey .C. -- Theyll remember the OT from the first Syracuse-Duke game -- and the Ts that decided Round 2.Got a question on rule clarification, comments on rule enforcements or some memorable NHL stories? Kerry wants to answer your emails at cmonref@tsn.ca. Hi Kerry, With a lot of playoff games this year already going deep into overtime, weve all heard talk about how no player wants to be the one who makes a mistake prompted by exhaustion that leads to the game-winning goal. But to what extent does all this extra play time affect the officials? How much do they feel the physical and mental fatigue caused by a game heading into its second or third overtime period, and is this related to the perception - real or imagined - that officials tend to "swallow their whistles" in OT? Best,Mark Hill Mark: Fatigue was much more of an issue to contend with in the one referee system when we chased the play from end to end and didnt get much of an opportunity for a rest. A refs best friend can be a moving puck. Whenever possible, I attempted to force players to "move it"! Aside from enhancing the entertaining value of the game another upside of sustained action was that players gave and received hits with less likelihood of retaliation and scrums developing. On occasion I wore a heart monitor and during three to five minute runs without a whistle the readings would be sustained between 165-175 bpm. By comparison the highest my heart rate ever got in the two referee system was 98 bpm. There should be no reason (in the two-ref system) where physical fatigue might negatively impact the decision making process for an official regardless how many overtime periods are played. The mental aspect of a referees performance is a whole different kettle of fish! While players dont want to become the "goat" by making a bad play or mistake, the referees internal struggle is all about rendering a decision that might be perceived as a game ending bad call. (You notice I said perceived.) The best remedy in dealing with this pressure is for the official to maintain a rock solid focus of concentration by remaining in the moment and react to call penalties whenever they occur. Once a ref stops refereeing and puts his whistle away he becomes a spectator instead of an enforcer of the playing rules. Each referee can feel intense pressure to make sure any call he makes is viewed as a "must call" in the late stages and overtime. The referees best work is done well in advance of the late stages of a game by maintaining the expected standard of enforcement and to keep the players in check throughout the entire game.dddddddddddd The best deterrent against infractions being committed is "fear" a ref can instill in players that he will call the penalty whenever it is committed. When that is achieved players tend to play much more disciplined. The onus is placed more squarely on the players not to commit infractions once the referees enforce the rules more consistently and when expectations are met. I notice a difference in these playoffs as to which referees the players respond to and those they take full liberties with. Once the penalty standard slides and obvious infractions are let go it is extremely difficult for the referee to make a call in the late stages unless it involves a scoring opportunity, a puck over the glass or a major infraction. At times such as this the referee crew become spectators and fly on a wing and a prayer in hopes that the players will not do something really stupid that might force a call. If the referee chooses to turn his whistle into a fossil the worst thing he can do is upset the apple cart with a penalty call that doesnt have a direct bearing on the play or is of less quality than what he previously has let go. We saw a prime example of this with fewer than two minutes remaining in Game 4 of the Habs-Lightning series. While it is difficult to deny that the trip by Cedric Paquette on Michael Bournival was a legitimate foul, given the countless infractions that were not penalized, the referee(s) were subjected to justifiable ridicule for calling a trip in the corner of the rink at that time of the game. It is important to note there have been some real solid performances by the zebras in games thus far. The officials we notice most however are ones that stop refereeing the game and employ a standard of enforcement that resembles shifting sand. This isnt a result of fatigue; physical or mental. There is an answer to this dilemma. The referees have to be given clear direction by the Officiating Management to know and maintain the expected penalty throughout the entire game. In this regard the officials need to be better coached and held accountable when the expected standard is not met. Finally, when the officials do the job and make the tough calls they need to know they will be supported. 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