Eddings Was A Douche in 2002

Fans may recall a game from early 2002 when Eddings reversed himself and screwed the Angels:

Troy Glaus hit Erik Hiljus’ next pitch down the left field line, and the ball appeared to hit the foul pole. Third base umpire Doug Eddings originally ruled a homer, but after a conference of the umpires, the call was overturned.

“I didn’t see it,” Glaus said. “I didn’t think I hit it that far. I was running for a double. This was a first for me, to have a homer called back like that.”

“I pretty much lost it and called it a home run and then heard it hit concrete,” Eddings said. “It was the wrong call. Art (Howe) came out and said I should talk to the other umpires which I did. They all lost it too but they all heard it hit concrete so we reversed the call. If we weren’t 100 percent in that decision I wouldn’t have changed it. In my own mind after the play I thought it was foul.”

Parallel to a call a year earlier, when a ball that was an obvious home run was initially called a double by Eddings:

Saenz hit the first pitch of the third for his sixth homer, though it was originally ruled a double by second base umpire Doug Eddings. The umpires conferred at the request of Howe and changed the call. Television replays showed the ball hit well above a yellow line atop the 19-foot wall in left.

Here's the thing, Major League umps are supposed to be the best of the best. And the ones in the Post Season are supposed to be the elites.

Why in God's name is the Douche in this elite class?