Brewers New Found Luck With the Umpires

[DougJones43]

Does it seem to anybody else that the Brewers this year are getting a lot more calls to go their way? Just in the past week or so, it seems to be happening a lot. Borderline plays seem to be getting called for the Crew, whereas in years past it seems like we got hosed A LOT. Admittedly, this is just my perception and I have absolutely no proof.

 

If it is the case though, what would be the most likely explanation? Just plain luck? Good teams get more close calls? Umpires favoring superstars like Braun/Fielder? Maybe they just like Roenicke and dislike LaRussa?

 

If it's anything other than luck, I don't really like that umpires are apparently so "persuadable" though. The umpires are supposed to be completely objective. For example, one thing I never understood either was that if a pitcher is having command problems, the umpires won't give him close strikes. That's basically admitting that they're not calling the game fairly. A strike should be called or not based on the technical definition, not any other factor the umpire decides on his own to use.

[theavrock]

We are paying them off.

 

Oh wait that probably belongs in the STL grassy knollers thread...

[DHonks]

The Brewers are playing well and hustling. Those probably help them get some calls just as Glavine and Maddux being strike-throwers helped them get large strikezones

[igor67]

There's also a fair amount of perceptual reinforcement with everything is going your way leading to everything going your way (at least as you remember it). Take for example Rodriguez's hit last night, I can easily imagine a scenario where on a worse team with a closer game to begin with his "foolishly" running out the ground ball leads to our best relief pitcher not being around in the 9th to close it out.

[dlk9s]

I haven't noticed the pitchers getting wide strike zones (it seemed like Gallardo just couldn't get that fastball on the low-inside corner called against the Cards, for example), but yeah, we've been helped a few times on the bases recently. I don't think there's anything to it, just coincidental.

[bullox]

Maybe since Selig said this is his final year, the umps are giving Brewers the calls in hopes that a World Series in Milwaukee would ease his transition to retirement.