Podcast - Mike Reilly's Rite of Spring

Retired MLB crew chief Mike Reilly joins The Plate Meeting podcast to trace his career as an umpire, talks about the excitement of Spring Training a week ahead of baseball's 2020 preseason, and shares a healthy heap of stories from ejections to odd plays and fond memories both on and off the field.

Cornflakes tells us how he earned that nickname courtesy Detroit sportscaster Ernie Harwell, the story of ejecting Earl Weaver as a young umpire ("Kid, you're gonna be a good umpire, but you can't umpire today!"), the infamous World Series Bill Haller-Weaver tiff, and takes your questions.

Listen to this show by clicking the play button on the following player or by visiting the link, below. You can also download The Plate Meeting podcast through providers such as Apple Podcasts, Google, Spotify, and more.

Alternate Link: Episode 24 - Mike Reilly's Rite of Spring (CCS on Anchor).

Videos
28:00 - 2B Umpire Mike Reilly witnesses Haller's famous mic'd up ejection of Earl Weaver
38:15 - Giants batboy Darren Baker runs onto field during 2002 WS play, HP Umpire Mike Reilly

41:00 - Mike remembers Chuck Meriwether.
49:00 - The Origin of Mike's Corn Flakes Reilly nickname.
53:00 - Mike turns down ump analyst gig at FOX.
56:00 - Questions from the audience.

57:00 - The Steve Bartman play at Wrigley Field - Marlins @ Cubs

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The Plate Meeting, a Left Field Umpire Podcast is the official audio program of Close Call Sports, where we talk umpiring with umpires, including analysis or other conversation pertaining to plays, ejections, rules, and more.

It is brought to you by OSIP, where Outstanding Sportsmanship is Paramount.

Follow us on Twitter 🐦 (@UmpireEjections) and like on Facebook 👍 (/UmpireEjections).

Call for Questions - Mike Reilly Podcast

Close Call Sports is pleased to announce Mike Reilly as our next guest on The Plate Meeting podcast. An umpire in the AL and MLB for 34 years (1977-2010), Reilly officiated 4,491 regular season games, six DivisionSeries, nine League Championship Series, and four World Series.

His 64 career ejections span from Earl Weaver and Jack McKeon to Jay Payton and Joe Torre.

The Sioux City, Iowa-born Reilly moved to Battle Creek, Michigan (the cereal capital of the world), which inspired his nickname of "Cornflakes."

In October, Reilly joined CCS to celebrate the life of Eric Cooper and was recently the subject of a game-management oriented Teachable.
Related Post: Podcast - Mike Reilly Recalls Crew Mate Eric Cooper (10/24/19).
Related Post: Teachable - Reilly Handles a Bean Ball Situation (11/26/19).

Comment with what you'd like to ask Mike during his upcoming Plate Meeting appearance.

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The Plate Meeting, a Left Field Umpire Podcast, Close Call Sports/UEFL's official audio show, features interviews and discussions of officiating topics with umpires.

To subscribe to The Plate Meeting, visit the show's Anchor.fm page, or Apple Podcasts page, which offers external links to popular podcast providers, such as iTunes, Spotify, Radio Public, and Google Podcasts.

Follow us on Twitter 🐦 (@UmpireEjections) and like on Facebook 👍 (/UmpireEjections).

Teachable - Reilly Handles a Bean Ball Situation

A pair of pitchers trading hit-by-pitches is our pre-Thanksgiving Tmac's Teachable Moment as HP Umpire Mike Reilly issues warnings to both teams while Cubs Manager Dusty Baker and Cardinals skipper Tony La Russa yell across the field at each other.

Situation handling sometimes requires a heavy hand while other scenarios call for a light touch and Reilly delves into the toolbox to use distance, guiding Baker back to Chicago's dugout when discussing warnings starts to turn into blanket insults toward the opposing squad.

On September 3, 2003, the 73-67 Cardinals faced the 72-67 Cubs at Wrigley Field with crew chief Reilly behind home plate, 1B Umpire Bill Hohn, 2B Umpire Eric Cooper, and 3B Umpire Tim Timmons.

In the top of the 2nd inning, Cubs pitcher Matt Clement hit Cardinals batter (and St. Louis' starting pitcher) Dan Haren with a pitch. During Clement's very next plate appearance to lead off the bottom of the 3rd, Haren returned the favor and hit Clement with a pitch, resulting in warnings from Reilly.

Reilly warns both teams after the second HBP.

Official Baseball Rule 6.02(c)(9) lists two options for addressing a case of a pitcher intentionally throwing at a batter: "Expel the pitcher, or the manager and the pitcher, from the game, or...warn the pitcher and the manager of both teams that another such pitch will result in the immediate expulsion of that pitcher (or a replacement) and the manager."

Note that ignoring the infraction is not one of those two options. Given the location of the Haren-Clement HBP, Reilly surmised that a warning was more useful to manage the game and handle the situation than an ejection, and thus warned both teams.

Cooper officiates the backend tag play.

Not entirely out of the woods yet, with the hit Clement now on first base, 2B Umpire Cooper knew that Kenny Lofton's subsequent ground ball to first base would set up a potential play at second base, and knew that the offended party (Clement) may try to target St. Louis' middle infielder.

Coop set up for the play at second and although Clement did slide into the shortstop more-so than into the base, Cooper was in the midst of the action and ready to handle any further situation that might have arisen had shortstop Edgar Renteria sought to press the issue (he did not and the game proceeded without incident).

This Tmac's Teachable Moment was sponsored by Umpire Placement Course (UmpCourse.com).

Video as follows:

Podcast - Mike Reilly Recalls Crew Mate Eric Cooper

We continue the celebration of MLB umpire Eric Cooper's life in a Plate Meeting Podcast episode with one of the umpires who perhaps knew him best: his long-time crew chief, Mike Reilly.

Mike was there for Cooper's first career MLB game in 1996, and Eric was there for Reilly's final career MLB game in 2010.

The two Iowa-born umpires shared a bond that kept them on the same crew for the better part of the 2000s—maybe it was their shared fandom for Notre Dame or simply being from the same region. Mike talks about the good times with Coop on the show.

This episode is available in both audio and video form. Click the following link to access the audio of "Episode 20 - Mike Reilly Remembers Longtime Crew Mate Eric Cooper" or watch the video via "Read More."