MLB Extra Innings

Last season, from my home in New York, I was able to see every Red Sox game on NESN, through the MLB Extra Innings package. This season, whenever the Sox play out of town, I have to listen to the 'home' announcer team.

This shouldn't really be a problem, I quite enjoy hearing other commentators - you sometimes hear views on your own team that your own announcers wouldn't express, and you also tend to get a very different perspective on the other team.

So tonight I am watching the game on Fox Sports Northwest and listening to... (goes away and does some 'research') Rick Rizzs and Dave Henderson , and am getting more and more frustrated by the nonsense these guys are talking on ball and strike calls.

A pitch by Ryan Franklin, in the exact same location as one correctly called a ball outside two pitches ago, was just called strike 3 by the umpire, but was called "right down the middle" by Rizzs.

Then a half inning later, a pitch by Miller "in exactly the same location as Franklin's" - you know, the one that was in the exact same location as the one that went "RDtM" is complained about as it was called a strike... aarrrghhh - support the home team guys, but please at least be consistent. What I really need is a muted TV, and some Sox announcing on XM Radio's MLB coverage!

In their defense, the home plate umpire's (more research - Jeff Nelson) definition of the outside edge of the plate to left handed hitters seems to change from pitch to pitch - at times it seems to be inches bigger - when both hitters and pitchers are unsure whether a pitch is a strike...