Umpires need to start checking players’ gloves when they go into the stands trying to catch a ball. Back on June 11 during a game between the Royals and Pirates, Kansas City first baseman Mitch Maier flips over the railing and snags the foul ball,but it falls out of the glove and it is recorded as an out.

Fast forward to Tuesday’s game between the Indians and Yankees. Yankees outfielder Dewayne Wise dives into the stands to catch a ball only he didn’t emerge from the stands with the ball. In fact, in one replay, a fan is shown to have the ball in his hand, but Wise played it off like he had the ball all along, kept his glove closed and ran to the dugout.

This incident caused Indians third baseman Jack Hannahan to get ejected in the eighth of that game after telling the empire to “go watch the replay”. New York won 6-4.

The third base umpire Mike DiMuro later said he should have asked Wise to show him his glove.

Ya think?

Umpires should start paying more attention to players getting into the stands to catch balls. We’ve had two instances of players not truly coming up with the out and the cries for replay continue.

I am surprised that the Penguins have rewarded Sidney Crosby with a 13 year,$100 million contract. Look,I understand he is their franchise’s best and perhaps most marketable player, but the guy hasn’t played much the last two seasons ever since he suffered that concussion on New Year’s Day in 2011. He has played in 63 games in the last two seasons…and they’re giving him a big pay day? Wow…

If he was playing more than he has, okay, I have no problem with them wanting to reward him with a long-term deal that’s as loaded as this one is. But is he going to be the player he was before his concussion? This worries me that the Penguins are doing this. I just hope they know what they’re doing.

The Sacramento Kings have finally done something right this season, they drafted Thomas Robinson. Sure, he was not on many draft boards going as low as the fifth pick,which Sacramento had, but this pick couldn’t have been a better one for this team.

Robinson has experience,size,and can be a guy that can provide some defensive presence which is something this team needs. Kudos to the other four teams who passed on Robinson, he got dropped in Sacramento’s lap and the fans who are still cheering for this team couldn’t be happier.

So Kings fans, enjoy the season he is here before the team moves to whatever town offers the Maloof family the most money to come there.

Kudos to the Oklahoma City Thunder for rewarding their coach, Scott Brooks, with a four year deal worth around $16 million. Brooks is definitely the man who should be coaching this team, he loves his players, his players believe in him and want to play hard for him and I couldn’t see anyone else coaching this squad to where they need to or should be like he has.

Sure,I heard rumblings that they should get Jeff Van Gundy or even Phil Jackson had they not been able to lock him up, but they knew who their guy was. They knew how far he had gotten this team. He’s been with them almost since the beginning of their era in Oklahoma City. I wish the Kings had hired him as their head coach when Eric Musselman was fired back in 2007 (Brooks was an assistant that season),but they opted to sign Reggie Theus who didn’t get them anywhere and we all know where that team is headed.

Much congratulations to the Thunder for sticking with what is working and what doesn’t need to be fixed.

I know he’s not a San Diego Padre anymore,but something about Reds pitcher Mat Latos still irritates me.

I know he’s owned the Giants ever since he came into the league, I know he’s written “I hate SF” on baseballs before and he probably means that,too.

But I think what really bugs me about him is his face.

He looks like the kind of guy who probably would’ve picked on me if we were in school together. When I look at him, every school bully who ever pushed me, strangled me, threw garbage at me, made me do things I didn’t want to do for their amusement, and so on comes to mind.

I swear to you,though,it’s nothing personal.