Balk, My Ass!: Peter

I'll get to the title issue momentarily, but tonight was one of those games that just drive a fan crazy, Jenn. Sox go up 4-0 by the 2d, and then go to sleep. They left 11 men on base, including two instances of bases loaded. In either case a timely hit would have opened things up, and presumably they would have secured the win. But, Nooooo. Yooouk, after an early double had three K's himself! Wake, assisted by a passed ball early on gave up a tying four runs in the 3d, and afterwards neither team could seem to score.
More frustrating, Wake, at one point, followed by Bard, retired 16 consecutive A's batters--all to no avail.
Why? Because the plate umpire needs a transplant--an eye transplant, and maybe some new instructions of what constitutes a balk. Here we are in the 10th, still tied at four, and the Sox pitcher hasn't even started toward the plate when the umpire (he'd been making loopy decisions all night, as confirmed by the Oakland telecasters constantly)calls a balk. Result: the A's runner on first goes to second, where he's in perfect position to score on a single. That's exactly what happened a few moments later--game over; A's win. Even the A's telecasters kept replaying the call, and said they couldn't figure out what the ump was talking about. In the process, Sox pitching coach Farrell was tossed by the ump for protesting from the dugout too loudly.