Let me preface by saying that last night's 4-3 comeback win was epic.  Like CYC said, it had all the makings of a classic Yankees' comeback win of Octobers past. 

However, as great as it was, I felt the need to talk about the blown call in the top-half of the inning. 

What should've been a double for Joe Mauer was called a foul ball by Phil Cuzzi, who was standing right on the line.  I understand that human error is part of the game, but there are blown calls and then there are BLOWN calls (if you catch my drift).

It's inexcusable for a professional umpire to miss a call like that.  I've seen missed calls on baseballs that hit the line or that were inches fair, but not five or six feet fair.  I don't know what Cuzzi was watching, but it couldn't have been the ball.  I watched the replay again about a dozen times and there's not even a logical explanation for what he could've seen. 

We can say all we want that "oh well, the Twins left 17 runners on base" or "oh well, the Twins had three chances with bases-loaded nobody out" or just "cry me a river Twinkies."  But, the fact remains is that blown call was the worst I've seen in years - maybe ever.  It made Jeter's homerun on Jeffrey Maier's catch in the 1996 ALCS look feasible.  If Mauer's ball was foul, then so was Tex's walk-off homer in the 11th.

Suddenly, this now seems totally legit...

If it's a double, Mauer comes around to score on one of the singles that followed him reaching base.  Tex's homer only ties it in the 11th, and we're back to where we started.  People are chalking it up to "human error" and being "part of the game", yet if the same thing happened to the Yankees, all of us would be screaming bloody murder.

Had Mauer's hit been properly called a double, would the Twins have necessarily won the game?  No.  Are the Yankees the better team?  Yes.  Will they win the series?  Probably. 

But that call by Phil Cuzzi warrants three things:

1) A fine

2) An apology

3) A suspension for the rest of the playoffs

Go Yanks.