Umpiring and managing

I stumbled over (not literally) two great articles today that I thought everyone should be aware of. Both involve the Yankees one way or another, and are well-written and interesting.

The first was published in The Wall Street Journal by Jonah Kerri, titled “Does baseball need umpires?” It leads off the inexcusable Joe Mauer fly ball call in the ALDS, and then ventures off into the history of umpiring and much more.

The second was a post by Benjamin Kabak on River Avenue Blues, called “ALCS Preview: A tale of two managers.” It’s an interesting angle on the ALCS that compares the managing styles of Mike Scioscia and Joe Girardi.

Be sure to give’em both a read. You have a few days before the ALCS begins anyway.