Kill the ump

Just for the record, I want to put out front that I'm an old guy; so I can say what needs to be said. Get rid of all the old referees and umpires. They're blind, and it's ruining games. Once they get to be 35 years old, put them out to pasture.

This morning I watched again as a referee in the U.S. match made a phantom call that took away a goal from the U.S. If the U.S. had not scored in stoppage time, we would have been eliminated from the tournament.

Officials make stupid calls all the time. Anyone who has seen an NBA game knows that. The problem with soccer is that half the time you can't tell what the foul is. Throw in a candidate for assisted living to wander around as a referee, and the players no longer determine the game. No wonder they flop on the ground like fish anytime someone comes near them.

But my fun hadn't ended with soccer. This afternoon I settled in to watch pitching phenom Strasburgh pitch for the Nationals. Great game, except the Nats lost on a blatantly bad call at the plate. The runner slid across the plate and was tagged high on his back knee. The umpire was 2 feet from the play and in perfect position. The only reasonable explanation is that he is legally blind. I just want to say that, if that umpire drove home from the game, you don't want to be on the road. Seriously, you'd have to see it; and you would agree with me.