Verducci story on umpiring in this week's SI

Him being a manager for one game would be interesting. Just picture him (or one of us) having to decide the batting order, who's starting on the mound, which guys to use out of the 'pen & off the bench, going to the mound and accurately gauge how much the pitcher has left in the tank, a host of other in-game decisions and after the game, face the media and defend all your decisions. That would probably the best part of it: the media member having the tables turned on him.

 

I'm sure someone would let him do that. I could see Bobby Cox agreeing to it, or Bochy. Hell, Ozzie would do it for sure.

 

It probably would work best if he did that with a team that wasn't great, but not lousy, either. The Rockies, Padres, Devil Rays (even with all the head-cases in that organization) or Indians seem like they would provide a great deal of material.

Any other positions you guys/gals think Verducci could pull off a good story with? GM would be nice, but there's probably too much inside-stuff going on that he'd be allowed to fully report on.

 

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/the_bonus/03/28/verducci.umpire0402/index.html

Here's a link. It's now the lead story at si.com.

 

I really enjoyed this piece and it was a perfect example of how using first-person works... and works well.

I put this up there with his story as a Blue Jay a few years ago. Both were very well done...

 

I liked both Verducci's story and GArrity's piece on Tiger.. good issue, but as said elsewhere, Reilly was weak.

 

Very well done, and interesing to hear about the bits casual watchers wouldn't ordinarily pick up on like focusing on the player instead of the ball on pop-ups.

 

I think I enjoyed the Blue Jays story more, but that's not a knock against the umpiring piece. One, I was just impressed that he could get a bat on major league pitching. A straight change would be too much for me. But more than that, the Blue Jays piece did a great job of capturing the wonders of playing professional baseball, a dream that I'm guessing every ball-playing schlub like myself had at one point.

 

I think these stories are just an excuse for Verdooch to look bitchin' in uniforms. He's got the shades and everything.

 

The part about making sure not to track down batted or thrown balls? That may be the hardest thing on the diamond, or any other venue, when you're officiating.

If you have ever played the sport at any level that you are officiating, you will have that instinct at first. You want to get in front the grounder or camp out under the fly ball, but you have to make sure you get in position and watch that players and not the ball.

 

this was an amazing fucking story. To get the access and to have the power of recall to write such a well-detailed story...wow.

The third graph, and the first two sentences of the fourth graph, are flat-out perfect. Some of the most wonderful, evocative writing I've ever seen, and his description of the beauty of baseball dovetails so perfectly with the reality of umpiring.

Damn.