Reality TV and Baseball... Again

If "reality" TV is scripted, maybe baseball is too.

Monday night, the story leaked that the Sox were designating Darnell MacDonald for assignment. A player is designated for assignment in order to open up a space on the 40-man roster. A player designated for assignment might be traded or placed on waivers, which would allow any team to pick up his contract, with preference going to the team in the player's league with the worst record. If no team picks the player up (clears waivers) the player is assigned to a minor league team.

Francona didn't want to see MacDonald go. MacDonald didn't want to go. But with Mike Cameron and Jacoby Ellsbury coming off the disabled list, and no one wanting to see MacDonald booted from the majors, everyone was really hoping another team would pick him up.

Dramatic, no? It gets juicier.

MacDonald was scheduled for an 8pm flight back to Boston Tuesday night. At 5:30pm he received a call from Sox management to get his butt to Tropicana Field. Jacoby Ellsbury was experiencing pain in his side again, and the Sox needed MacDonald. He made it in time to warm up and play the end of the game.

That's better than any rose ceremony I've ever watched, but if you still aren't buying my theory about baseball resembling reality television...

Recognize the name Joe West (he's behind the plate tonight)? How many other umpires can you name? Okay, Bluehats, you can name them all, but you know what I mean. Joe West is the ump who complained about the length of Red Sox-Yankee play earlier this season. This week he ejected Chicago White Sox pitcher Mark Buerhle and manager Ozzie Guillen during a game against the Cleveland Indians. West called Buerhle twice for a balk, and Buerhle threw down his glove. Guillen went out to either calm him down or protect his image... not quite clear which, but regardless West threw them both out.

The judge becoming a bigger story than the contestants? So reality television. Is anyone else thinking West and Simon Cowell* might be planning a new show together?



*Cowell left American Idol this week, which I read about in the paper and did not witness live during the American Idol Season Finale- there was a game on of course!