Worst infield fly call ever

So the St. Louis Cardinals are moving on to the division series after beating the Atlanta Braves last night.

Thanks to the worst call in all of sports since that botched touochdown call in the Packers-Seahawks game a couple weeks ago.

This is how it played out in our house ...

I was watching the game in our bedroom, because Phoebe hijacked the living room TV with her Disney Junior programming. I should note that I also was working on my graduate studies, and trying to read the chapters for my next week's paper. Next week marks our mid-term exams, and our assignment is going to be a doozy.

Let's be honest, though. I was reading at a snail's pace because my attention was constantly pulled away by the game.

Eighth inning. The Braves were down 6-3 and had runnerson first and second with one out.  Andrelton Simmons popped a fly ball toward left field. Both the left fielder and shortstop ran toward the ball and closed in on each other. ...

I sat up on the bed as I watched the play unfold and thought -- not sure why -- It's gonna fall, it's gonna fall.

And it did. The Braves had loaded the bases with one out. They had an opportunity to take the lead, and the game was swinging in their favor now.

Just then, there was the sound of a loud thud in the living room. Then "Oweeeeeeeee!" And crying. ... Kates, who was in Faye's room changing her diaper, shouted my name. Throwing down my book and bounding off the bed, I shouted back, "I'm on it!"

I hurried down to the living room to find Phoebe awkwardly sitting on top of her child-sized folding chair. The chair was lying on its backside, nearly flattened on the floor, and it had obviously fallen backward with Phoebe in it. You see, Phoebe has a habit of tipping back in her chair while she's watching TV, something we've told her repeatedly -- like a crochety school teacher -- not to do. I scooped Phoebe off the chair and consoled her.

With Phoebe settled down and Kates back to the living room, I headed back to the bedroom to resume my graduate reading -- er, baseball watching.

Instead, the screen showed members of the Braves' grounds crew cleaning a mess of debris from the field, and suddenly I realized I must have missed something serious on that fly ball. Moments later the analyst showed the replay -- a replay that's been shown a thousand times now -- of the ball falling in the outfield and the umpire apparently calling the infield fly rule.

I groaned a loud groan and slapped my hand to my forehead.

As the analysts have informed us now, while playing the replay over and over, the infield fly rule hinges on a fielder showing “ordinary effort” and being in position to catch the ball.

But gimme a break. The shortstop running back from his regular position and going 40, 50 feet into left field is no ordinary effort.

Still, after all that, I'll say this: I love the new playoff format. I thought it was great before, but the one-game playoff for wild card teams adds an exciting new element that's like March Madness for baseball fans. Well done on this one, Bud Selig.

Good reads ...
a In Wild-Card Play-In Game, It’s Win or You’re Out
a Returning to Playoffs in Style, Orioles Await Yankees
a Heart of Tigers Knows How to Relax, Smile and Win a Triple Crown
a Admiring Yaz, and What Makes a Hero
a Bobby Valentine fired as Red Sox manager ... No surprise here.