MINNEAPOLIS -- Phil Cuzzi, the umpire who missed a call down the left-field line that helped cost the Twins their game Friday night at Yankee Stadium, was fired as a minor league umpire in 1993.According to a June 1999 story by The Associated Press, Cuzzi was working at a hotel bar in July 1999 when he approached National League president Len Coleman and asked for a chance to get back into umpiring.
Coleman allowed Cuzzi to work his way back from the low minors, and Cuzzi was one of 25 new umpires hired in 1999 as a response to mass resignations that were part of a failed labor ploy.
Cuzzi, working the left-field line in Game 2 of the American League Division Series, ruled Joe Mauer's 11th-inning drive foul from about 15 feet away. But the ball clearly hit in fair territory, and it would have been a double for Mauer. He later singled, but the Twins failed to score and went on to lose in the bottom of the inning.
As Twins closer Joe Nathan told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune: "I had a tough night the inning before, and [Cuzzi] made a bad call there. So we both blew one tonight."
And Cuzzi, 44, had yet to speak about the call until a Saturday night interview with the Newark Star-Ledger. After the game, crew chief Tim Tschida addressed the missed call in lieu of Cuzzi, which is standard practice.
"Some things are correctable," Tschida said. "Some things can be overturned. Some things are just -- you have to go with what the guy closest to the play had and you live and die with the decision.
"We just feel horribly when that happens to us, you know? There's a guy sitting over in the umpire's dressing room right now that feels horrible. I've been there. ... Nobody feels it worse than the umpire."
Cuzzi told the Star-Ledger he felt horribly about missing the call.
"Unless you umpire, you can't possibly understand," Cuzzi told the Star-Ledger in a phone interview Saturday night. "It happens. It happens at the worst possible time. And it happened to me." ...In October 1999, the Mets protested to Major League Baseball that Cuzzi, working home plate for a Mets-Braves game, refused to ask for help from the first- and third-base umpires. A New York Post story suggested it was because the corner umpires were union veterans and he was one of the hired replacements.
"We're not used to playing that far down the line," Cuzzi said. "The instant the ball is hit, we usually start running. I think I may have been looking too closely at it. I never had a feel for where the left fielder was on the play."
But this much he knows: "There is no excuse. I missed the play. It's a terrible feeling. As badly as many people on that field may have felt (Friday), I don't think any of them had a worse night's sleep than I did."
This is not Cuzzi's first assignment for a big event; he worked the 2003-04 Division Series, the 2005 NLCS and the 2008 All-Star Game.
The 1999 AP story on Cuzzi read:
Cuzzi began umpiring in 1985 in the New York-Penn League. By 1991, he was a fill-in for the NL, and he worked a total of 95 games in the majors in a three-year span -- ejecting the likes of Bobby Bonilla, Dallas Green and Jim Lefebvre along the way.Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said Saturday instant replay probably isn't a solution.
Then on the day before Thanksgiving in 1993 came the dreaded call. He had done well, but there were no foreseeable spots for him in the majors, and he was being released -- forever.
Though about a dozen pro umps get dropped each year, "I couldn't believe it," he said.
"Give me a headset and give me a red flag and we can fix this stuff," he said, "but I would have to have somebody calling me up saying 'throw your flag, let's question this call.'
"The great thing about baseball is the human elements involved, and we always want to keep it that way; (it's) not easy when you are in New York. The lines are short and it's not easy, so there you have it. You are going to have a few. We made enough mistakes ourselves and we missed opportunities to win the game ourselves, too. It just goes that way sometimes."
Said Yankees manager Joe Girardi: "I like the way they are doing it, just home run calls. Those are important plays, and there are other important plays, and you could look at the play the other night and say that was an important play, but I think there would be too many things that people would want instant replay, and where would you stop?"
2009 Baseball Playoffs
Los Angeles Dodgers' Manny Ramirez follows through with an RBI double during the first inning in Game 3 of the National League division baseball series against the St. Louis Cardinals Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
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ST. LOUIS, MO - OCTOBER 10: Manny Ramirez #99 of the Los Angeles Dodgers warms-up before Game Three of the NLDS against the St. Louis Cardinals during the 2009 MLB Playoffs at Busch Stadium on October 10, 2009 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Manny Ramirez
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ST. LOUIS, MO - OCTOBER 10: Clayton Kershaw #21 of the Los Angeles Dodgers signs balls for fans of the St. Louis Cardinals before Game Three of the NLDS during the 2009 MLB Playoffs at Busch Stadium on October 10, 2009 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Clayton Kershaw
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ST. LOUIS, MO - OCTOBER 10: Attendees arrive to Busch Stadium for Game Three of the NLDS betweens the St. Louis Cardinals and the Los Angeles Dodgers during the 2009 MLB Playoffs at Busch Stadium on October 10, 2009 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)
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ST. LOUIS, MO - OCTOBER 10: Matt Kemp #27 of the Los Angeles Dodgers ismiles in the dugout before Game Three of the NLDS during the 2009 MLB Playoffs against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on October 10, 2009 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Matt Kemp
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ST. LOUIS, MO - OCTOBER 10: Clayton Kershaw #21 of the Los Angeles Dodgers for fans of the St. Louis Cardinals before Game Three of the NLDS during the 2009 MLB Playoffs at Busch Stadium on October 10, 2009 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Clayton Kershaw #
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ST. LOUIS, MO - OCTOBER 10: An exterior view of Busch Stadium before the start of Game Three of the NLDS during the 2009 MLB Playoffs between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Los Angeles Dodgers on October 10, 2009 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
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ST. LOUIS, MO - OCTOBER 10: Fans of the St. Louis Cardinals cheer for their team before the start of Game Three of the NLDS during the 2009 MLB Playoffs against of the Los Angeles Dodgers at Busch Stadium on October 10, 2009 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
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ST. LOUIS, MO - OCTOBER 10: A statue of Stan Musial from the St. Louis Cardinals sits outside of Busch Stadium before the start of Game Three of the NLDS during the 2009 MLB Playoffs between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Los Angeles Dodgers on October 10, 2009 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
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ST. LOUIS, MO - OCTOBER 10: A young fan holds a sign to support the Los Angeles Dodgers before the start of Game Three of the NLDS during the 2009 MLB Playoffs between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Los Angeles Dodgers on October 10, 2009 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 11)
10-10-2009 @ 7:02PM
damien said...
Said Yankees manager Joe Girardi: "I like the way they are doing it, just home run calls. Those are important plays, and there are other important plays, and you could look at the play the other night and say that was an important play, but I think there would be too many things that people would want instant replay, and where would you stop?"
the first time the yankess get screwed,joe?
Reply
10-11-2009 @ 7:13AM
Hugh said...
Nobody's perfect, but that was the worst call I've seen in a long time and of course Girardi has no problem with it. He doesn't care about the game, only about winning. Typical Yankee.
10-11-2009 @ 10:34AM
str00ntz said...
Although the Yankees have often gotten calls go in their favor in the recent past, Girardi's Yankees gotten screwed call wise much more this year than they have received the benefit of the calls. Girardi's a fair guy.
10-11-2009 @ 11:13AM
casey3875 said...
Stop the crying. The Twins had the bases loaded and nobody out and could not score! Mauer, wound up on third in that inning, with nobody out and did not score! They also had their closer on the mound with a 2 run lead and he melted.
10-11-2009 @ 11:46AM
jjstats23 said...
Phil Cuzzi said "he didn't have a feel for where the LF was on the play." What an idiot. How about watching the BALL! It was hit right over his head and landed well inside the foul line. There is no excuse for missing that call, except poor eyesight!
PS- Thanks to the Mets for teaching Carlos Gomez how to tun the bases-LOL.
10-10-2009 @ 7:03PM
stroudsburgian said...
What I like about the "pitch trax" is that it shows just how bad MLB umpires are. The Dodgers vs Cards game 3 is a disgrace at home plate. This idiot doesn't know a ball from a strike!
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10-11-2009 @ 11:01AM
ronjvoelkel said...
Ditto goes for the Yankees/Twins Game 2. Both sides batters were visibly confused and upset by the high and outside strike calls. I sure hope this crew is rotating the homeplate umps. I don't want to see this guy calling pitches again this series.
10-10-2009 @ 7:15PM
S321Saint said...
We know the first time the yankee's get screwed by a bad call.....you will find MLB kneeling down and asking them what should be done...and then do it. Facts are that umpire should be fired AGAIN and this time stay fired. And why couldnt the umpires at LEAST huddle and talk about it? More of the stupid ignorant idea that they dont want to appear weak or "show up" an umpire by reversing a call. Hey the idea is to get the call RIGHT...your stupid ego is not in play. If you had huddled and then reversed your call..no matter what happened after that....at least you could hold your head up and say..we got the call right at least. pathetic...truly pathetic.
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10-11-2009 @ 7:42AM
rob said...
Yea I'm sure the Yankees have never been screwed by a bad call. Quit crying, bad calls are part of the game.
10-11-2009 @ 9:03AM
Pike said...
Once a batted play is called foul it is foul. You have no way of knowing if the batter would have reached second or if he would have been thrown out. That is why you cannot change a foul ball call. So learn the rules before you speak.
10-11-2009 @ 9:24AM
rnkfjumper said...
Hey Pike, pull your head out! the ball bounced into the stands, thus a ground rule double. If you are going to show your "smarts" of the rule book, pay attention to the whole play.
10-10-2009 @ 7:21PM
umpsrok said...
A player goes 3 for 10, and he is a hero. A pircher has an ERA less than 4.00 he could win the Cy Young Award. If an umpire misses 7 of 10 calls he is run out of Little League, but due to the power of the WUA he might end up down the leftfield line in the ALDS with the Twins vs the Yankees. Where is the justice in this.
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10-11-2009 @ 6:27AM
Wish Belkin said...
Amen!
10-10-2009 @ 7:48PM
Tom said...
I'm a Yankee fan, but how can you miss that call? He was 15-20 feet away looking right at it. That's pretty bad. He shouldn't be there.
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10-10-2009 @ 11:52PM
gq21777 said...
I think he should be removed from the rest of the series. (as a yankee fan myself, I don't want him trying to make up for missing that call.)
10-11-2009 @ 10:31AM
bikinginor said...
I too am a yankee fan but I agree that a game shouldn't come down to a bad call by an ump. Doesn't feel like a real win when that happens but at the same time there is no way of knowing the guy would have scored even if he had doubled. You would have to assume each play went exaultly the same after. Bad calls are part of it but there is no place for bad umps!
10-10-2009 @ 8:49PM
Steve said...
anyone watching the redsox/angels? CB(?) Buckner has screwed up several calls that have led to runs, yes, I know, players decide their own fates, but when your counting on getting a certain player out, and the umpire screws it up, it isn't let go quickly at all.
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10-10-2009 @ 8:54PM
Wonderful Brenda said...
What I didn't like about the missed call was the way he made the call. He made big foul movements with his body, throwing his arms in the air in an exagerated call. I think the guy should be let go again. When it effects the outcome of the game, of a PLAYOFF game, it is horrible. There are a lot of missed calls, but most are not as obvious as this one.
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10-11-2009 @ 12:53AM
Raiders Fan said...
Yes, them two brutal calls at first base. Umpires are the most detestable human beings ever. Just looking at them makes me want to run them over.
10-11-2009 @ 11:26AM
cougarhwk said...
Look it this call did not have as much affect on the out come of the game as many of you want us to believe. The REAL change was when the Twinkies had the bases loaded and NOBODY out and left them loaded. They left a runner ON BASE in every inning and thyis was the first time that has happened in MLB history. That is what COST the Twins the game NOT the BLOWN FOUL or FAIR call the ump made.