1: You're Out: Umpires and managers are sometimes like oil and water: They don't mix. No relationship was more fiery than the one between umpire Ron Luciano and Baltimore Orioles manager Earl Weaver. Not a man to hold his tongue, Weaver was tossed from 81 major league games. Possessing little patience for irate skippers, Luciano threw him out seven times--more than any other ump. The two men hit an all-time low during a doubleheader on August 15, 1975. When Weaver charged out of the dugout to dispute a call for the third time during the first game, Luciano was quick to eject him. In the second game, the end came even quicker. Luciano sent Weaver to the showers in the pregame warmup.
2: No Light Call: The 1922 World Series between the New York Yankees and the New York Giants was the first ever to be broadcast on national radio. Fans who tuned in for Game 2 heard one of the most controversial calls in baseball history. With the score tied 3-3 after 10 innings, and the divided New York crowd caught up in the closely fought match, the umpires inexplicably called the game on account of darkness. Each team was awarded a tie. The fans packing the Polo Grounds felt there was more than enough light to play another full inning--maybe more. Angered by the call, a large mob of spectators surrounded the box occupied by Baseball Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis, thinking he was to blame. But Landis was as outraged by the call as the mob. He angirly instructed his umpires not to be so quick in calling off games. They took his words to heart, and the next day, Game 3 was played in the rain.
3: Going Batty: Sometimes, even when you're right, you're wrong. On July 24, 1983, the Royals' George Brett hit a two-run homer in the top of the ninth to give Kansas City a 5-4 lead over the Yankees. New York protested, claiming that the pine tar on Brett's bat extended up the handle more than the legal 18 inches. The men in blue agreed; plate umpire Joe Brinkman disallowed the home run and called Brett the third out, giving the Yankees a 4-3 victory. It was the correct call, but American League President Lee MacPhail, thinking the pine for rule silly, overturned Brinkman's decision four days later. The two teams assembled in New York on August 18 to finish the ninth inning and the yanks failed to score. So 3 weeks, 4 days, 4 hours and 14 minutes after it began, the Royals won the game for good.
