McClelland best known for pine tar
Tim McClelland, the majors’ second longest-tenured umpire behind Joe West, will miss the season with a back injury.
McClelland, 62, told The Des Moines Register last week that he was not retiring but had struggled with his health thelast couple of seasons. Asked if the injury could end his career, McClelland said: “Possibly. We don’t know.”
McClelland, who umpired his first major league game in 1981, has been behind the plate for many notable moments, including David Wells’ perfect game in 1998, the final game of the Mets-Yankees World Series in 2000 and the sixth game of the 2002 World Series, when the Angels overcame a five-rundeficit to hold off elimination on the way to their only title.
But McClelland is perhaps best known as the umpire who overturned a home run by the Royals’ George Brett, citing the pine tar on his bat, at Yankee Stadium in 1983. Brett - who later was awarded the home run by American League President Lee MacPhail - charged from the dugout at McClelland, who is 6 feet 6 inches and was not worried.
“I knew he really wasn’t going to hit me or run over me,” McClelland said at Yankee Stadium in 2008. “If he did, I’d probably own the Kansas City Royals right now.”
Traffic jam
Move over! Out of the way!
Throw in a few expletives and that’s pretty much what was being shouted from car to car during a chaotic scene trying to get into the parking lots at AT&T Stadium for the Final Four.
Traffic was backed up onto Interstate 30, every lane turning into what amounted to a parking lot - outside the real parking lots. Not even the best efforts of traffic police could keep things moving, which might have kept some from seeing the tip off of the opener between Connecticut and Florida.
Of course, none of that applied to the teams.
The bus carrying Florida from its accommodations at the Hilton Anatole near downtown Dallas breezed through the traffic with the help of a police escort. When it passed a bus carrying some members of the media, that driver wisely attempted to slot in behind for an easier path.
The traffic in North Texas is notorious, but it’s hardly the worst in the country. According to INRIX, a traffic analytics company, the Dallas Metroplex is ranked No. 22 in the U.S. in terms of congestion. That’s not even worst in Texas: Austin is ranked fourth in the nation.
Indianapolis, which will host the Final Four next year, came in at No. 46.
Headlines
At SportsPickle.com: “Crips release DeSean Jackson over concern about his affiliation with Washington Redskins organization”
“Kentucky Fires John Calipari After Discovering Improper Who/Whom Usage on His Resume”
Quote of the day
“Should Jesus be in heaven? There’s your answer about Nolan and the Hall of Fame.”
Former LSU Coach Dale Brown on former Arkansas Coach Nolan Richardson, who is among 10 finalists for this year’s Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame class.
Sports, Pages 22 on 04/06/2014