In postgame remarks, Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland refused to talk about his ejection from Monday night's 4-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.
As disappointing as that was for fans and media, perhaps Leyland felt he overreacted after seeing replays that show the correct call was ultimately made. Or maybe he was a little bit embarrassed by his theatrics while arguing with home plate umpire Ed Rapuano.
But after sleeping on it, or realizing that reporters weren't going to stop asking about what happened, Leyland decided to address the matter Tuesday afternoon.
"I will make a statement and then we will get off this subject," Leyland said before the Tigers opened a three-game series with the Mets. "I don't care how it all came down. My only point was that in 48 years of baseball, I have never seen a play where a ground ball was thrown to first base, called one way and then changed. I have never seen that in 48 years."
That settles the argument made by several bloggers that Leyland's reaction was silly because the right call was obviously made. But as Mario Impemba pointed out during the telecast, Leyland wasn't disputing the call. He was disputing how it was made. How does the guy with the best view to make the call blow it, only to then be corrected by his colleague standing some 90 feet away?
Leyland went on to say that he's worried this will set a bad precedent. Perhaps he's concerned that umpires will make lazy calls — as Rapuano seemed to on this play — knowing that the others on their crew will bail them out. Such an easy call shouldn't have been blown, plain and simple.
Personally, I like that one umpire consulted another to get the call right. Wouldn't that have been great if Jim Joyce had done the same thing last June 2, after costing Armando Galarraga a perfect game? But this call wouldn't have been changed unless Blue Jays manager John Farrell hadn't first run out of the dugout to protest.
Maybe that's something that needs to change. Something else that should change — which is a years-long pet peeve of mine with baseball — is that umpires should have to answer to reporters after the game. Even if it's just the crew chief. They should be held more accountable publicly.