The MLB playoffs have been flying over these first two days. We’ve already seen fantastic pitching performances, timely hitting, and a pair of American League managers given the boot on justifiable arguments with umpires. Tampa’s Joe Maddon and Minnesota’s Ron Gardenhire took early showers on Thursday and had to watch from the clubhouse as their respective teams fell behind 0-2 in their ALDS against Texas and New York. Maddon and Gardenhire will have an extra day each to cool off, as the American League takes a break while the National League takes center stage on Friday.

With Michael Young facing Chad Qualls, Young checked a swing on a two-strike pitch; or so thought the umpire, who said that Young did not go around when he so clearly did. Maddon leaped up the stairs and in a fit of fury spoke his mind and was eventually thrown out. Later on in Minnesota, Pavano through a 1-2 strike to get Lance Berkman, except the home plate umpire mysteriously called a ball. Moments later, Gardenhire was out of the game.

Both managers had every right to fume over the poor calls, and it’s too bad considering how much talk there was last postseason about poor umpire calls in almost every game. Yes, things happen extremely fast in baseball, but there has to be more than a couple dozen umpires who can maintain their composure and make the right calls on obvious plays. With so much being said about instant replay, it’s only getting harder for Bud Selig and his committee to overlook the errors committed by the umpiring crews.

Even Roy Halladay’s no-hitter on Wednesday could have received speculation. After Brandon Phillips squibbed a ball in front of the plate, he threw the bat into fair territory and interfered with the ball. Phillips even ran down the base line in fair territory; which also is not allowed. Carlos Ruiz awkwardly recorded the out anyway, but you have to wonder what the umpire’s call would have been had Ruiz botched the play. If it had gone poorly, for the Phillies, we probably would have seen manager Charlie Manuel sent to the showers as well.