We had to get the podcast up yesterday so I waited a day to post this video, but I did watch it about 50 consecutive times when it was going viral on Sunday morning.
First things first: Fellas, can we work on getting some away jerseys in the mix here? I had to rewatch it at least two times right out of the gate because both teams are wearing red and I didn’t really know what the hell was going on.
Second things second: This has to be one of the worst ways to lose a state title I’ve ever seen. And the guy narrating the explanation in the second half of the video nails it: With 2 outs, you must, MUST, secure the out at first base on a third strike*. I’m not sure what that catcher thought the safe signal the umpire gave him meant, but that’s as clear a sign as there is that the runner is safe and the play is still live.
Third things third: My heart goes out to that second baseman. He’s the reason I added at least 10 views to my total. I could not stop rewatching him storming in from his defensive position to try and alert his team to what was going on and find the ball to get that last out. Kid’s hair was on fire. He was the only player on that team who knew what was going on and he was powerless to stop it because the ball was in his catcher’s back pocket. I’d bet even-money that he didn’t say a WORD to his teammates on the bus trip back to school. And he might not say a word to any of them until the 25-year reunion.
Like the narrator said, credit to the home team for knowing the rules and playing the whole thing out. Sometimes you win because you’re more talented, sometimes you win because things broke your way, and sometimes you win by simply being more aware than the other team. Great job, red team!
*We don’t have the perfect view here, but that looked like a pretty iffy call on a called third strike. If it’s called a ball, this whole thing would have been avoided. Pretty rare situation where the team that needs one strike for the final out of a state title game wishes it wouldn’t have been called in hindsight.
PS: There’s a part of me that does feel REALLY bad for the team that botched this thing so badly. It’s a tough era of civilization to live in when things like that happen. When I was a kid in the 90’s, if this exact same scenario played out, you’d probably catch some heat from students that were at the game, but that’s it. In 2023? You’re greatest athletic brain fart is viewed TENS OF MILLIONS of times and you’re getting laughed at by the entire internet. Blockhead bloggers who don’t have an athletic bone in their body are still posting articles days after the fact. There are moments when I thank the good lord that I was born when I was.
Double PS: That team desperately needs one of these to be real:
