Bob Webb could give out thousands of free hamburgers today, but it wouldn't help him get back in Milwaukee's good graces.
Webb is the official scorer at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. He is the guy whose controversial decision -- awarding a hit to Pirates third baseman Andy LaRoche -- ended up costing Brewers lefty CC Sabathia a no-hitter.
If you missed the game, or any of the gazillion replays, here is what happened: LaRoche led off the bottom of the fifth with a swinging bunt that dribbled up the third-base line. Sabathia tried to pick the ball up with his bare hand and dropped it.
Webb ruled the play a hit.
It didn't seem like a big deal at that time, but Sabathia went on to complete the 7-0 victory without surrendering another hit.
Manager Ned Yost and the Brewers protested after the game, but Webb stood by his call. The Brewers are appealing the decision to Major League Baseball, hoping that officials will reverse the ruling and award Sabathia with the second no-hitter in franchise history.
Guess what?
It's too late for that.
Yost talked about his pitcher and the fans "being cheated" out of a no-hitter. He can make a strong case that Sabathia was dominant enough to have pitched a no-hitter.
The bottom line, however, is that Sabathia didn't have to endure the pressure that comes with throwing a no-hitter. He didn't agonize through the Brewers' offensive half-innings or the Pirates' final 15 outs, because LaRoche's dribbler and Webb's decision removed the pressure.
Would Sabathia, who barely allowed a hard-hit ball during his outing, have crumbled under the pressure? Would the Pirates batters, who looked overmatched, have tried harder in an effort to avoid being no-hit?
We'll never know.
That's why the idea of awarding a retroactive no-hitter to Sabathia doesn't make sense.
You could put it in the record book, with an asterisk, and he could be the answer to a great trivia question for 100 years. Reversing the ruling now, though, would not give the Brewers players and fans the memory of a joyous on-field celebration that follows a no-hitter.
Let's just agree that Webb made a mistake, LaRoche got a cheap hit and leave the rest to history.
Host of “The Drew Olson Show,” which airs 1-3 p.m. weekdays on The Big 902. Sidekick on “The Mike Heller Show,” airing weekdays on The Big 920 and a statewide network including stations in Madison, Appleton and Wausau. Co-author of Bill Schroeder’s “If These Walls Could Talk: Milwaukee Brewers” on Triumph Books. Co-host of “Big 12 Sports Saturday,” which airs Saturdays during football season on WISN-12. Former senior editor at OnMilwaukee.com. Former reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
