Is Costello confirmed at home plate tonight?

Baseball Insider Board
#1

Or is this speculation?

#2

It is speculation by some based on the fact he was the umpire at first base last night. The NCAA does not release that information until the lineups are disseminated before the game.

#3

OK…I get the animus regarding the SC game but has he not called an Ark game behind the plate since then? How has he been behind the plate since then with other teams?

#4

I guess he’s not an SEC ump & the only time we can see him is during the NCAA tournament.

#5

I don’t think so. Remember, as bad as he was in the S. Carolina games in Omaha, he may have been worse in the Regional Arizona State hosted in 2010, where we lost back to back one-run games. The following is something I copied and saved from a message board after those games (from a MLB sc out!):

[color=#0000FF]“Game 1 was the worst umpired game I’ve ever seen by a home plate umpire in my lifetime. Reference, I was a Major League scout for 7 yrs. and overseas scout for 11 more. The Red team [Arkansas] had 4 dead straight center 3rd strikes not called. And the middle relief had to throw 40-60 pitches more due to the strike zone being as big as a tomato can. I’m glad theTV commentators called him out (most of the time they sugarcoat it). Perry Costello was removed from the minor leagues for that reason, inconsistent strike zone. He should be ashamed. Sun Devils did good job at taking so many pitches. If I was them I wouldn’t have a swung at a single pitch.”[/color]

After those two situations happened, I think DVH and Jeff Long got with the SEC and made sure he never was behind the plate for an Arkansas game in SEC play.

#6

It’s a damned shame the NCAA allows him. I didn’t know how much of this was our own bias talking, but when a competent neutral observer says that, he shouldn’t be at the NCAA tournament. Certainly not in the CWS unless he has improved mightily.

#7

He should be banned to call any games period! Just another example of the incompetence of the NCAA.

#8

Hard to know for sure if he is biased or just incompetent (but I feel it is most likely the latter). Either way he should not be calling the most important games of the season.

#9

Anyone consider that a lot of people are calling him out for bias against AR. That maybe, just maybe, tonight (if he is behind home plate), that he calls a makeup game?

Or would that put an asterisk by the NC in your eyes?