Ump Incites an Altercation (again)

[vtyankeefan]

In the Dodgers and Padres game tonite the home plate umpire incited an argument that got Brad Penny and Grady Little ejected (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=260823125&date=20060823).

When is MLB going to do something about these umps? A player makes a comment and they have to show how important they are by immediately amplifying the situation.

I'm sure we have all seen umps follow a player as he is going of the field in order to continue an argument.

This is insane. MLB should fine and suspend these umps.

[Brent]

Im very tired of umpires altering the course of a game. They think to highly of themselves.

[Ynnad]

I believe these were those "minor league call up" umps. The ones who replace the real ones while they go on vacation.
One thing that was funny was Julio Lugo being ejected for throwing his helmet down after almost beating out a close play. At first glance it looked like the ump had his back turned when he did it, but he was ejected for doing so anyway. Absolutely stupid since Lugo ALWAYS hustles in that situation and almost always slams his helmet if he isn't safe..This idiot tossed him for it though.. Amazing!

[Yankeeah]

I believe these were those "minor league call up" umps. The ones who replace the real ones while they go on vacation.
One thing that was funny was Julio Lugo being ejected for throwing his helmet down after almost beating out a close play. At first glance it looked like the ump had his back turned when he did it, but he was ejected for doing so anyway. Absolutely stupid since Lugo ALWAYS hustles in that situation and almost always slams his helmet if he isn't safe..This idiot tossed him for it though.. Amazing!

Putting the issue about the ump facing the right way aside, if you throw your helmet into the ground, your tossed out. And if you do it everytime theres a close play, you're an idiot.

[xie]

Where were those pitches? The second one you could maybe say "Look, I'm drunk, blind, and stupid, and it was low." but the first one was grooved.

Rick Reed is not a callup umpire either.

[TheBamTino24]

I have also had enough of these umpires. They are just as an important element of the game as the players are, yet few people want to acknowledge that. Are they ever penalized for poor performances?

It has gotten insane with some of them. I still dislike Joe West the most. The guy will do anything to become the center of attention.

[dpinzow]

I thought Brad Penny was going to tear the ump's head off...that's a big dude you don't want to tick off...

[Ynnad]

Putting the issue about the ump facing the right way aside, if you throw your helmet into the ground, your tossed out. And if you do it everytime theres a close play, you're an idiot.

The one who tossed Lugo was the callup ump. There was no reason for him to be tossed, the Ump admitted he "heard" Lugo's helmet hit the ground and said he thought Lugo was still upset over Ball & Strikes from a previous at bat, so he tossed him.

[chanman7483]

The one who tossed Lugo was the callup ump. There was no reason for him to be tossed, the Ump admitted he "heard" Lugo's helmet hit the ground and said he thought Lugo was still upset over Ball & Strikes from a previous at bat, so he tossed him.

If they're so upset about their judgement being called to question, we should just eliminate the possibility of error by replacing the home plate ump with Questec, and just have base and line umps......until we have technology that can replace them too.

They're all idiots.

[Mattpat11]

The one who tossed Lugo was the callup ump. There was no reason for him to be tossed, . I think if you go by the rules, he can. Its the selective choosing of when to do it and when not to than annoys me.

[Ynnad]

I think if you go by the rules, he can. Its the selective choosing of when to do it and when not to than annoys me.

Yeah of course, it's up to the umps to make the call, but usually a guy tossing his helmet then going over to chat with his 1st base coach won't get tossed. This guy wasn't even looking at the helmet tossing than said he thought he did it because Lugo was annoyed from an earlier at bat, in which Lugo did not even argue with anyone. Just mind boggiling.

[justtxyank]

Joe West is bad, but Angel Hernandez is the worst. I'll never forget a game last year when we played the Mariners and Jamie Moyer threw a perfect changeup that Hernandez didn't call. Moyer shook his head about the call and Hernandez threw off his mask and started jawing at Moyer like a rabid dog. Hernandez incites issues with every team in the big leagues. I know that he and the Astros got into this year twice.

[xie]

Ask the Mets fans about Angel Hernandez. :eek:

[justtxyank]

Ok. Mets fans...

[xie]

Eh nevermind:

http://www.spudart.org/blogs/angel_hernandez.php

http://willietime.blogspot.com/2006/05/im-furious-just-furious_08.html

[Yankeeah]

The one who tossed Lugo was the callup ump. There was no reason for him to be tossed, the Ump admitted he "heard" Lugo's helmet hit the ground and said he thought Lugo was still upset over Ball & Strikes from a previous at bat, so he tossed him.

Throwing your helmet to the ground after being called out is an offense that warrants being tossed from the game. I don't see how you can argue against that.

I had a conversation with Joe West about a call he made one time. He defended it until I showed him video proof that he was facing the complete wrong direction to make the call. Then he stopped responding.

[whiffleball]

I had a conversation with Joe West about a call he made one time. He defended it until I showed him video proof that he was facing the complete wrong direction to make the call. Then he stopped responding.

That's cool. I love when it's thrown back in their faces.

MLB had the umps union beat a few years back but some how they let them back up. They have to be made to realize that they are not bigger than the game and they are simply a part of it.

Why Joe West was crew chief for last year's World Series, you got me.

[JWHIII]

If they're so upset about their judgement being called to question, we should just eliminate the possibility of error by replacing the home plate ump with Questec, and just have base and line umps......until we have technology that can replace them too.

They're all idiots.
Do you really want to replace the umps with machines? It would be too weird for me watching a machine call the balls and strikes. Not to mention that it may ultimately lead us down the road to mankind's destruction like in the Terminator movies.

[chanman7483]

Do you really want to replace the umps with machines? It would be too weird for me watching a machine call the balls and strikes. Not to mention that it may ultimately lead us down the road to mankind's destruction like in the Terminator movies.

:lol: this is true.

Yes, they should replace the umps with machines. I really hope no one tries to turn this around like they have in threads past, when they say "oh so would you be in support of players being replaced by machines"... that's not the point. There is a strike zone and it should be called with 100% accuracy.

I think if they had this, Mike Mussina would have won 20 games many times over... he gets squeezed more than any pitcher I've ever seen. How about Livan Hernandez in the World Series when he was on the Marlins? That was a joke... and Kerry Wood's 20 strikeout game.. he had about 4 feet to work with on the outside corner on his breaking ball. I could go on all day.

[effdamets]

:lol: this is true.

Yes, they should replace the umps with machines. I really hope no one tries to turn this around like they have in threads past, when they say "oh so would you be in support of players being replaced by machines"... that's not the point. There is a strike zone and it should be called with 100% accuracy.

I think if they had this, Mike Mussina would have won 20 games many times over... he gets squeezed more than any pitcher I've ever seen. How about Livan Hernandez in the World Series when he was on the Marlins? That was a joke... and Kerry Wood's 20 strikeout game.. he had about 4 feet to work with on the outside corner on his breaking ball. I could go on all day.
I think everyone is missing the big picture a little. The only thing a machine could possibly to at this point in time, would be to call balls and strikes. You still need humans to call outs....

[splanky]

I think everyone is missing the big picture a little. The only thing a machine could possibly to at this point in time, would be to call balls and strikes. You still need humans to call outs....

No, you're not thinking big enough. There could be a little chip in each shoe of each player and in the glove. It could automatically determine if the ball beats the runner to first, and then the bag could glow either red or green depending on safe or out. Same thing for fly balls if they're trapped or not. That would be awesome. Then when the players keep making these annoying "errors" that people make, we could swap some of them out, because let's face it, errors are not fun to watch. And the game is too damn slow. The cyborgs could speed up and not have to stomp around the mound after a bad call, because there would be no more bad calls. Fans wouldn't have to be subjected to Weaver or Lowe's fits after an error is made behind them because errors no longer exist.

Can't wait. Bring on the cyborg umpires. Human mistakes need to go away.

[Ynnad]

Throwing your helmet to the ground after being called out is an offense that warrants being tossed from the game. I don't see how you can argue against that.

Yes you already said that. It's up to the ump though whether the guy gets tossed or not though. Half the guys who do this don't get tossed unless the ump feels they are being shown up.....

[Ynnad]

Joe West is bad, but Angel Hernandez is the worst. I'll never forget a game last year when we played the Mariners and Jamie Moyer threw a perfect changeup that Hernandez didn't call. Moyer shook his head about the call and Hernandez threw off his mask and started jawing at Moyer like a rabid dog. Hernandez incites issues with every team in the big leagues. I know that he and the Astros got into this year twice.

Most of you might be familiar with this, but just last month Angel Hernandez got into it with Mariano Duncan, first base coach for the Dodgers... Hernandez was umping third base and Duncan was in the DUGOUT on the first base side. He montioned he was tossed by flicking his wrist..then when Duncan tossed his hat, Hernandez threw it into the crowd. Just a bizarre event.

Guccione, the ump who tossed Lugo, has caused problems in other times up in the bigs. I can recall him tossing David Wells out of a game for arguing balls & strikes with the umpire..
Thing is, Guccione was umpiring second base that game..

[donniesrecordholdsup]

the funny thing to me is that the ump called grady little off the mound and then when little went back he said it was a second visit. i didnt get that. letter of the law. something that is always enforced except for that one time with brett where it actually benefited the yankees.

[splanky]

the funny thing to me is that the ump called grady little off the mound and then when little went back he said it was a second visit. i didnt get that. letter of the law. something that is always enforced except for that one time with brett where it actually benefited the yankees.

Thank you Mr. No Shift Key.

[Yankeeah]

Yes you already said that. It's up to the ump though whether the guy gets tossed or not though. Half the guys who do this don't get tossed unless the ump feels they are being shown up.....

I know I said it, but you keep defending Lugo. It doesn't matter if half the guys who do it don't get tossed. Probably like 70% of people who run red lights don't get caught, does that mean it's wrong that one of those 30% gets caught? Throwing equipment is an automatic ejection.

[Ynnad]

I know I said it, but you keep defending Lugo. It doesn't matter if half the guys who do it don't get tossed. Probably like 70% of people who run red lights don't get caught, does that mean it's wrong that one of those 30% gets caught? Throwing equipment is an automatic ejection.

Ball players and cars running red lights.... No...

[Sillycon]

I know I said it, but you keep defending Lugo. It doesn't matter if half the guys who do it don't get tossed. Probably like 70% of people who run red lights don't get caught, does that mean it's wrong that one of those 30% gets caught? Throwing equipment is an automatic ejection.

It's not an automatic ejection.. It's an automatic fine. It's at the umpire's discretion whether to eject him or not...

[chanman7483]

No, you're not thinking big enough. There could be a little chip in each shoe of each player and in the glove. It could automatically determine if the ball beats the runner to first, and then the bag could glow either red or green depending on safe or out. Same thing for fly balls if they're trapped or not. That would be awesome. Then when the players keep making these annoying "errors" that people make, we could swap some of them out, because let's face it, errors are not fun to watch. And the game is too damn slow. The cyborgs could speed up and not have to stomp around the mound after a bad call, because there would be no more bad calls. Fans wouldn't have to be subjected to Weaver or Lowe's fits after an error is made behind them because errors no longer exist.

Can't wait. Bring on the cyborg umpires. Human mistakes need to go away.

Naturally, someone was going to go and make a totally off base comment on this topic. I even called it in my post above. No one suggested anything you poked fun at... hope you had fun typing it though. My point was that if technology(Questec) exists to improve the quality of how a game is called, then it should be implemented.

[Ynnad]

It's not an automatic ejection.. It's an automatic fine. It's at the umpire's discretion whether to eject him or not...

Is it really? That would make alot of sense considering all the people who aren't ejected for it. I should go read up on the official rules now...