Uh oh.

Umpires:

3B Scott Letendre: actually was doing ok until the 9th inning when he and the other two stooges conspired to mess with the Aggies.

1B Ruben Candelaria: missed a pick- off call late in the game. Also rung up Ryan Anderson on an appeal. The only way that would've been a strike is if his bat were a limbo pole because that pitch was as low as you can go.

HP Ken Durham: how much time do you have ? He's been messing up unchecked for decades.

First he decided to show what a prima donna he is. A fan (not I) standing behind the back row was giving him grief about his strike zone. He said nothing offensive, and used no profanity. He was just kind of relentless. This fool calls time and yells, "I want that fan removed !" Aww, poor baby can't take criticism of his work! The guy left on his own. Funny thing though. I laid into him After that with zingers twice as nasty as anything that guy said (and was sitting closer to boot) and he didn't do anything. He doesn't have the cajones to deal with someone like me, picking on a young student like that.

I had never seen a fan ejected from Dobbins Stadium before. This goes back to when the Red shirts would sit in the stands and heckle just like the other fans, and they were MEAN. It just goes to show how much of a crybaby he is. I would've liked to see him throw me out. I'd have given him a bigger earful before the polo- shirted nincompoops showed up (bet they'd send 2 walkie- talkies) to protect him. Then I would write as many nasty letters as it took to get him canned. He's lucky I settled for venting on a message board. I was primed to write the governing board of NCAA umpires and file a formal complaint about his lack of competence. More on that shortly.

Funny thing is I don't think they could ever enforce a ban on anyone like UCSB did with the Superfan. Sac State staffs the same guys for each home game, but UCD's staff is an ever- changing mix of bored students who don't recognize anyone.

Durham began messing with the Aggies w/one out in the 9th. Stone had strike 3 three separate times in exactly the same spots Matador pitchers were getting the call. That guy walked and scored the tying run. Then there was the colossal mess- up that took all 3 of them. They initially called a batter out to end the inning on a grounder. Olson just got the tag on with a wild throw from Thomas. Then Northridge's crybaby coach had to throw a fit with his said player in tow. Neither were ejected. Then Durham goes up to the visitor dugout and stands there conversing with the CSUN coach at length and the Nothridge fans start screaming all of a sudden. Then all 3 stopped gather around and walk over to Vaughn. They spend maybe 1 min explaining it to him, then they overturn the call. I would love to have seen Vaughn get angry and kick some dirt right then but he's too Harvard- professor- like for that.

So here's the kicker. They awarded CSUN the 2nd run, for the runner going from 2nd to 3rd. Olson caught the ball. You can't assume the 2nd run would've scored since he could've just whipped the ball to Diaz after not getting the call.

That changed the outcome of the game. Down by one maybe Diaz is bunting instead of swinging away and hitting into a double play. There's more umpire meddling.

Very unprofessional, also having a private meeting at the dugout. What kind of umpire worth his salt let's a coach bully him into changing his call ? I wouldn't be at all surprised to hear some money had changed hands, although I didn't see it. I've long suspected a couple umpires might be taking bribes over the years, particularly from bigger programs, not Northridge.

And so, if someone else would like to take the lead on baseball I would welcome it. Not going to disappear from here just not going to baseball games so I won't have anything to talk about

Sounds like Vaughn should have got his money's worth!

He definitely should have. It would have fired up the crowd + players. I don't think I've ever seen him ever get in a heated argument w/an umpire. I remember Coach Swimley would. Don't really remember Coach Peters.

The Athletics Department recap covered the crazy controversy also:

Excerpt: "UC Davis held a 2-1 lead in the ninth, turning the ball over to its closer, Zach Stone (2-1), to try and nail down the win. CSUN, however had different plans, getting a double off the bat of Dylan Alexander with one out and another two batters later by Michael Russo that snuck under the glove of a diving Alex Aguiar, allowing the tying run to score."

"A fielder's choice left runners on the corners with two outs for Justin Toerner when controversy ensued. Toerner's chopper over the mound was fielded behind the second base bag and thrown on to first where the umpire called the head-first sliding Toerner out, as the Aggies made their way to the dugout after the apparent third out of the inning."

"However, following a conference between the three officials, the call was reversed, ruling that Toerner safe after it was determined that the throw pulled Cameron Olson's foot off the bag, allowing both William Colantano, who was at third when the play happened, and Alvaro Rubalcaba to score, the latter coming all the way around from first when there was no one manning the plate, UC Davis having run off the field after the apparent third out."

http://www.ucdavisaggies.com/sports/m-basebl/recaps/040117aaa.html

So they allowed the runner to score from first after the batter was called out on a bang-bang play...makes sense if the infielder threw the ball to the Segundo DC.

Seems to be the case! The part that seems so outrageous to me is that the runner scored from first with no Aggie player covering home because the Ags left the field after the first base ump had initially called the batter out for the 3rd out of the inning. How the heck can the umps allow the runner to score from first, after the apparent 3rd out was called at first, in a play that was so close that had to be discussed to be overturned?

If the batter had been initially called safe at first it seems likely that a play could have been made at the plate or the runner from first wouldn't have even tried to score, but the Ags had left the field thinking the inning was over. That's crazy!

The inning WAS over. The third out was called! The umps awarded three bases and essentially the game for their "error". That is crazy.

If that happened during a beer league softball game all he!! would break loose!

I'm still shocked that Vaughn didn't go wild.

Speaking of the movie Beer League I saw CSUN employ the Davanzo shift- successfully- yesterday where they left a gaping hole on the left side.

At least the Aggies won today to take the series so CSUN only managed to win a game the umpires gifted to them. We'll take it.

Turns out I'll be attending a little sooner than 20172. I forgot the next opponent is SAC State, and regardless of which team wins I win , so I was a bit hasty, sorry, ߘꮠGiven, however, that Durham and co. probably also drive across the Causeway to work SAC State games are probably not safe either from their meddling. Have to only attend games where the Aggies and Hornets play each other I guess.

I wonder if they were involved with a blown game there this year against WSU and the blown calls against Seattle in 2014. I'll look it up.

Nope, Eric Martinez was the home plate umpire who blew those games..haha.

Coach Vaughn's take on the goofy umpiring from the Enterprise article:

Excerpt: “They told me the first-base umpire did not have a good look at the play because the stretch was towards him. That’s why they agreed to get together. One of the other umpires had our guy clearly off the base.

“My argument to that was … our catcher started jogging off the field when the first-base umpire called him out. Which means the second run scores when our catcher is trying to hustle back to catch a throw when he was ready to get off the field.”

The umpires told Vaughn that it didn’t matter. Vaughn said they told him: “In that situation, you have to play through.”

Furthermore, the umpires told Vaughn the second run home after the “third out” was going to score anyway. Vaughn didn’t agree…

“If we have a catcher there, we have that second runner dead to rights and we’re down one instead of two.”

http://www.davisenterprise.com/sports/crazy-ninth-inning-does-in-uc-davis-4-2/

Why would you keep playing after the umpire called the runner at first out? THAT ends the inning.

It would be like hearing a whistle in basketball and everyone keeps playing for another thirty seconds just in case the ref didn't mean to blow his whistle.

Crazy stuff. This feels like the conference needs to weigh in.

It happened because Vaughn is a alter boy type coach.

I have never seen him spend more then 20 seconds discussing a play with an umpire before he bows his head and walks off the field.

Maybe I've been spoiled watching So Cal coaches come out fighting tooth and nail with umps without a care of the consequences. Maybe Vaughn is a pawn of an academic school where they preach tender loving compassion for umps and bad calls. Maybe Vaughn doesn't have the eggs to come out firing. Maybe Vaughn is a guy who should not be coaching D1 baseball because he doesn't know what he is doing. ( I for on believe this is the case).

The chatter on this board has been that he started as a pitching coach but from I've seen for the last 4-5 years is a pitching staff that is the worst in the league with pitchers that think they can blow away a D-1 hitter with an 85 mph fast ball. They don't know how to pitch to contact and keep hitters off balance and that my friends falls directly on the pitching coach. D-1 hitters ( D2 and D3 hitters as well) will spit on a 85 mph fastball so where does that leave a guy like Vaughn?.

I, like many, have grown weary of watching this program finish in last place year after year and clearly see that they don't know how to recruit D-1 quality players. Sorry if any parents are on this board but it's the truth. Not all players are good enough for D-1. Davis has no business being in the Big West Conference and don't have the talent, coaches, administration, money or facilities to attract top notch D-1 talent.

Vaughn should have run those umps off his field and kicked dirt all over them as he berates them. He should have fought for his teams effort. What's the worse that could have happened? He gets thrown out of the game? Maybe sit out the next game? Big F-ing deal. These players would have respected him more for it. In fact if I was his boss I would have insisted he grow a pair and get his team fired up the win games or find a job with the local JC as an assistant coach.

Instead he and his team will go about business as usual which is getting everyone excited over a win or two only to make you suffer while they lose the next 6 of 8 and end up in the cellar again.

Sounds like Vaughn just doesn't really care to be honest.
9.99/10 coaches fly-off over something like that.

Ags won Sunday and took the series 2-1.

Don't give a crap about umpires. Why leave it up to the umpires? Stone should have struck out the side, period. How many games is that, where our hitters claw to a lead, then our closer's can't hold the damn lead? (at least one game against UConn, Oregon St., Oregon, St Mary's and now CSUN). F- the umpires, we need closers!

Sorry, but Davis has never had the talent or the coaching to compete with most D-1 programs.

They should have stayed in D-2 and maybe even D-3 with the way they recruit and the level of commitment the administration gives the program.

All you have to do is look at the bottom line year after year after year. In the cellar ( or knocking on the door) every year

We'll, I believe the program wasn't ready for D- I when they made the change. It was basically a middling team in the CCAA that had a few good years consecutively. As UCD goes so do all the sports teams, and I don't see the university changing anytime soon

I agree Goags.... The ship has sailed as far as them going back to D-1. They just should have never done it in the 1st place.
UC Davis is a wonderful academic school and it should be commended for that.......but for anyone to think they will garner top notch talent in any sport is dreaming.
Its just very frustrating watching game after game with the same results. Bad coaching, bad umpiring, bad turnout of fans and lots and lots of losing.
They should maybe think of removing some sports like baseball, football etc.. and maybe get a top notch chess team or rodeo team going.

NOTED THAT MBB HAS BROUGHT BACK THE CIRCLE C LOGO ON THEIR CAPS OR DID I MISS THIS BEFORE

CIRCLE CA THAT IS

Commitment from the administration?

How about a bang-up fundraising effort from athletics for lights, clubhouse, etc.?? I guess the administration gets an assist for undercutting (?) the Dobbins gift with delays and politics.