"Some of the most egregious mistakes by umpires come when the players screw up," Bruce Weber said. "McClelland is regarded as one of the best umpires in the game. Been around a very long time. He's the ump who called George Brett out in the 'pine-tar' game, back in '83.
"And he was at the plate, called Matt Holliday safe in that one-game playoff, Padres-Rockies, 2 years ago. The catcher [Michael Barrett] didn't argue and when they asked him why not, he said 'You never argue with McClelland because he's the best.' "
Weber knows his umpires. Took time off from his job at the New York Times to attend umpire school, traveled with the men in blue for a season, wrote a fascinating book, called "As They See 'Em."
The paperback version is due out next spring.
"It will include," Weber said smugly, "a new chapter on this year's postseason."
It might take two new chapters to explain all the blunders. Can we start with Phil Cuzzi in the Yankees-Twins game? He's the leftfield foul-line ump and he calls Joe Mauer's fly ball foul when it glances off Melky Cabrera's glove and lands 6 inches fair.
"Cuzzi did everything right," Weber sighed. "He straddled the line, he was in absolutely the right position. Did his eyes get crossed at that moment?"
McClelland, however, was not in the right position when he called Nick Swisher out for leaving third base too soon on the fly ball hit to centerfield. Game 4, ALCS.
"He was too close to the line," Weber said sadly. "You have to back up, so that you can see the runner's foot and the outfielder in your line of vision."
Why has the umpiring in the postseason been so dreadful? Weber ducks the question artfully.
"I wouldn't say it's been dreadful or any worse than usual," he said. "It's my contention that all season long the umpiring has been terrible.
"You get bad calls in the media glare during such important games. And Fox loves to humiliate the umpires. Freeze frame, slo-mo, closeups of McClelland's face.
