The Umpires - When is Enough Enough?

[Iso7x]

Sometimes umpires leave us all speechless. However, at the end of the day, the majority of them put in a hard worked game. Instant replay is going to eliminate some of them. Also, with then new "on screen" strike zones that can tell the viewer where a pitch was, some of them will have to do a better job at balls and strikes.

I think the all time moment for umpire incompetence was last year when Armando Galarraga lost his perfect game on call by Jim Joyce.

[metfan13]

They need to relax and just call the game. Ump just called Nick Evans out on a low pitch then between innings he's on the 3rd base side of home and turns and tosses someone oin the Mets 1b dugout out of the game. Just ridiculous. If his eyes were as good as his ears he wouldn't be getting crap for his shortcomings.

[Bulldog19]

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=17914491

Agree with you here metfan13...

[metfan13]

Can I give a "good job" to an ump here, for handling what could have been an ugly situation. The home plate ump who tossed Zambrano for throwing at Chipper then quickly turned to the Braves dugout and got them under control. Several Braves were on the field but he shut that down quickly. (Granted the Cubs didn't look too interested)

But he was decisive and took control. Good job.

[Michael Green]

I looked at the box score. The plate umpire was Tim Timmons. Note that you did not mention the umpire's name, which brings to mind a story related to that crybaby Milt Pappas, who's still whining that Bruce Froemming cost him a perfect game. Froemming said the next day a writer told him he had blown a chance to be one of the umpires who worked a perfect game. Froemming asked the writer who the last umpire was to work a perfect game. The writer said he didn't know. Froemming said that he guessed that really must matter, then.

[metfan13]

Ah back to normal tonight. Mets-Pads game. First base ump first incorrectly gives RA Dickey a pick-off against a Pads runner. Then later incorrectly calls Angel Pagan out on a tag play at first (he was never touched) So the incompetence evens out!

And now the 2B ump costs the Mets a run cause he can't get out of the way of a hard ground ball. A one hopper goes through to CF but Wright returned to 2B where he started.

[GiambiJuice]

Poll: Jim Joyce voted best umpire. Joe West, worst.

[KHenry14]

Just watched West call balls and strikes last night.... to say his strike zone is "flexible' is an understatement <sigh>

[Bulldog19]

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=18110179

If umpires want respect, they need to give it as well. There's a big difference between screaming about balls and strikes and having a discussion on the way off the field. These umpires bring it upon theirselves.

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=18109939

And here's an umpire with too much time on his hands.. Do your job and quit worrying about stupid things.

[metfan13]

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=18110179

If umpires want respect, they need to give it as well. There's a big difference between screaming about balls and strikes and having a discussion on the way off the field. These umpires bring it upon theirselves.

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=18109939

And here's an umpire with too much time on his hands.. Do your job and quit worrying about stupid things.

Actually I don't have a problem with either of those. That is assuming Yost started complaining about balls and strikes. That's an automatic ejection. Seems the ump let him have his say then eventually tossed him. On the other, fans with possibly distracting lights, etc are the umps problem.

[Bulldog19]

Having a discussion like that shouldn't warrant ejection. It wasn't slowing up the game, it wasn't "showing up" the ump. He "showed up" the manager if anything. What's new?

The second one should only be dealt with if a player complained. But I'm sure the umpire saw it and he wanted his 30 seconds of everybody looking at him.

[metfan13]

Having a discussion like that shouldn't warrant ejection. It wasn't slowing up the game, it wasn't "showing up" the ump. He "showed up" the manager if anything. What's new?

The second one should only be dealt with if a player complained. But I'm sure the umpire saw it and he wanted his 30 seconds of everybody looking at him.

You'll notice on this thread I'm as critical of umpires as anyone, but I disagree on these. You're looking to be critical for no reason. You don't know what words the manager and ump are saying while walking away. The ump may have already told Yost that another word on B&S and he's gone. His ejection move was overly dramatic. It was about as casual as that particular motion can be.

In the other, the ump is just doing his job. You can't have lights flashing from behind the plate or from CF. It wasn't about having 30 seconds in the spotlight. Also, do you know that a player didn't mention it to the base ump?

[Bulldog19]

Umpires had a rough day on Sunday...

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=18280947

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=18292959

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=18296307

Three ejections; three wrong calls. Sad thing is those managers automatically get fined for getting ejected..

[SHOELESSJOE3]

Umpires had a rough day on Sunday...

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=18280947

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=18292959



http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=18296307

Three ejections; three wrong calls. Sad thing is those managers automatically get fined for getting ejected..

As far as the ejections, whats the difference if the manager crosses the line on a bad call. It's not going to matter to the ump if he was correct or wrong, the manager only gets so much leeway.And again, how do we know what the mannager said, don't just go by body language of the manager at the time he was tossed, it's what he said.

With that out of the way, are we going to hang the umps on plays as difficult to call as that one at third base. No way can anyone look at that one and not understand the ump missing that one. That was a difficult call to make. Even the announcers were not sure at first............after looking at two replays, different angles, slo mo. The ump gets one look and that play was close, very close.
So is it that hard to believe the ump got it wrong.
Not giving the umps a free pass, some terrible calls as of late but this was not one of them.

[SHOELESSJOE3]

Ah back to normal tonight. Mets-Pads game. First base ump first incorrectly gives RA Dickey a pick-off against a Pads runner. Then later incorrectly calls Angel Pagan out on a tag play at first (he was never touched) So the incompetence evens out!

And now the 2B ump costs the Mets a run cause he can't get out of the way of a hard ground ball. A one hopper goes through to CF but Wright returned to 2B where he started.

Did not see that play MF but these things do happen. I can understand the feelings of the team that lose out because of this but it happens. There are times when a runner on base, a teammate can't dodge a batted ball. I have to assume the ump did try to get out of the way.

[metfan13]

Did not see that play MF but these things do happen. I can understand the feelings of the team that lose out because of this but it happens. There are times when a runner on base, a teammate can't dodge a batted ball. I have to assume the ump did try to get out of the way.

Yes he did. Nice dance move. I was just grumpy when it happened. He was up in front of the base with a runner on 2nd. I guess that's the best place for him in that circumstance to see possible pickoffs? Anyway, yeah, sometimes stuff happens.

[SHOELESSJOE3]

Yes he did. Nice dance move. I was just grumpy when it happened. He was up in front of the base with a runner on 2nd. I guess that's the best place for him in that circumstance to see possible pickoffs? Anyway, yeah, sometimes stuff happens.

Bad break for the team, unusual. Rare that an ump gets in the way of a batted ball.

[Michael Green]

Among the many things the old-time umpires fought over was whether to stand inside 2B or behind it with a runner there. In the 1948 World Series, Bill Stewart of the National League missed a pickoff attempt that Bob Feller made there, and it caused a ruckus. If I remember correctly, Stewart was behind the bag, and after that, the NL made the rule that the umpire should be on the infield grass, where they are today.

[Bulldog19]

Will MLB please do something about Cowboy West? Definitely past his prime and time to move on!

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=18551183

He has no reason to be involved here. And it shows because he didn't even come down to the argument.. just tossed the manager!

[CandlestickBum]

Poll: Jim Joyce voted best umpire. Joe West, worst.

Best quote from there: " "Cowboy Joe" is known more for his quick temper than his country albums, although both are pretty bad. "

Heh

[CandlestickBum]

Will MLB please do something about Cowboy West? Definitely past his prime and time to move on!

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=18551183

He has no reason to be involved here. And it shows because he didn't even come down to the argument.. just tossed the manager!

That's just plain despicable. Joe should be made the official scorer for some winter league team. He might learn something.

[Bulldog19]

Three ejections in that game today. Two of them after incorrect calls. One of those was by an umpire who wasn't even involved. But chances are West will be back again next season. It's time he move on. Why are umpires allowed to continue long into their 60's?

[Michael Green]

Bulldog, West is 59 this year. It depends. When C.B. Bucknor was younger, he was no better than he is now. Doug Harvey had to quit at 62 due to his knees, and he's still the best I ever saw. Certainly, the incompetent ones need to be let go, though I wonder, given how good even the incompetent ones have to be, whether we would do better.

[metfan13]

If the new guys came in with a different attitude, knowing that they're gone due to incompetence, too many errors or bad attitude then maybe they'd have a different approach. The players are held to standards below which they are looking for other work.

[GiambiJuice]

According to The Sporting News, Joe West leads all MLB umpires in ejections since 2003, when they started tracking it.

I think he just likes to get on TV.