Umpire Joe West: Red Sox and Yankees a 'disgrace to baseball'
stevek
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in Sports Talk
Apr 08, 2010 12:32 pm EDT
Umpire Joe West: Red Sox and Yankees a 'disgrace to baseball'
By 'Duk
Drowsy fans of the 28 other big league teams no longer have to feel alone.
Someone in power also thinks these interminable Red Sox and Yankees games are taking too darned long.
After sitting behind home plate for three hours and 46 minutes on Sunday night, the patience of umpire Country Joe West finally boiled over in Thursday morning's editions of the Bergen Record.
The veteran of 32 years labeled the turtle pace maintained by both clubs as "a disgrace to baseball" and said the players refuse to cooperate with the umpires when it comes to time-saving measures like staying in the batter's box and limiting trips to the mound.
From the Bergen Record:
"They're the two clubs that don't try to pick up the pace," said West, chief of the umpiring crew that worked the three-game series in Boston. He was the home plate umpire Sunday. "They're two of the best teams in baseball. Why are they playing the slowest?
"It's pathetic and embarrassing. They take too long to play."
West, who has also released a country music CD, hasn't yet penned a hit song entitled "Get On With It, Already!" but it sure sounds like he'd like to. He says the umpires are committed to shortening the time of all games and that intention has come through during this Red Sox-Yankees series as several batters were denied requests for a time out.
Did it work? Well, Wednesday's 10-inning affair clocked in at 3 hours, 21 minutes. Still not a neat and tidy affair, but much closer to a big league average that hovers around 2 hours and 50 minutes these days.
I'm willing to bet that the league office isn't happy over West publicly airing such strong comments, but I'm happy that someone in a position of influence is saying something. Red Sox and Yankees games are always going to take a little longer because both camps are big advocates of their batters taking pitches and working their way into deep counts.
Their lineups are also loaded with sluggers and, hey, all those hits take time.
Still, there's no reason that both teams shouldn't join the cause of shortening their games and if it takes a public scolding from a veteran ump, then so be it. Should watching one of these contests really mean having to shave a ZZ Top-like beard afterward?
Umpire Joe West: Red Sox and Yankees a 'disgrace to baseball'
By 'Duk
Drowsy fans of the 28 other big league teams no longer have to feel alone.
Someone in power also thinks these interminable Red Sox and Yankees games are taking too darned long.
After sitting behind home plate for three hours and 46 minutes on Sunday night, the patience of umpire Country Joe West finally boiled over in Thursday morning's editions of the Bergen Record.
The veteran of 32 years labeled the turtle pace maintained by both clubs as "a disgrace to baseball" and said the players refuse to cooperate with the umpires when it comes to time-saving measures like staying in the batter's box and limiting trips to the mound.
From the Bergen Record:
"They're the two clubs that don't try to pick up the pace," said West, chief of the umpiring crew that worked the three-game series in Boston. He was the home plate umpire Sunday. "They're two of the best teams in baseball. Why are they playing the slowest?
"It's pathetic and embarrassing. They take too long to play."
West, who has also released a country music CD, hasn't yet penned a hit song entitled "Get On With It, Already!" but it sure sounds like he'd like to. He says the umpires are committed to shortening the time of all games and that intention has come through during this Red Sox-Yankees series as several batters were denied requests for a time out.
Did it work? Well, Wednesday's 10-inning affair clocked in at 3 hours, 21 minutes. Still not a neat and tidy affair, but much closer to a big league average that hovers around 2 hours and 50 minutes these days.
I'm willing to bet that the league office isn't happy over West publicly airing such strong comments, but I'm happy that someone in a position of influence is saying something. Red Sox and Yankees games are always going to take a little longer because both camps are big advocates of their batters taking pitches and working their way into deep counts.
Their lineups are also loaded with sluggers and, hey, all those hits take time.
Still, there's no reason that both teams shouldn't join the cause of shortening their games and if it takes a public scolding from a veteran ump, then so be it. Should watching one of these contests really mean having to shave a ZZ Top-like beard afterward?
0
Comments
<< <i>FIRE WEST !!!!!.....let him pack bags at foodtown.. lol >>
To use a phrase like "disgrace to baseball" over something like this to me is ridiculous and shameful, as one of the interesting aspects of the game of baseball is no time clock.
I agree - he should be fired.
Hey Joe........
C'm here...I got to tell ya somethin'......
The Yankees and Red Sox bring in mega-revenue at home and on the road for MLB.....uh...which by
the way......uh....... pays your salary. It's prolly not a good idea to say bad things about the money makers.
What, are the gloves going to fall off their hands if they're not constantly tightened up? These guys all have nervous disorders and should be encouraged to seek treatment. John Buck, have you noticed you're a lousy hitter? Stop doing that. For pete's sake if you have such soft, womanly hands that you have to wear batting gloves, please don't draw attention to them.
We reap what we sow.
Statistics don't lie, the games do take longer, but so what. Just do your job and if you don't want to give so many time outs, then so be it, but do it in an equitable way. No need to trash teams. The umpires have control over the tempo of the game, I am sure the players just don't think in those terms, so are really not aware of how slow the games are on average.
BST: Tennessebanker, Downtown1974, LarkinCollector, nendee
That said, he is right. I wouldn't go so far as to call it a disgrace, but Sox/Yankees games are borderline unwatchable for me.
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4 hours +.
<< <i>The Sox and Yanks are built to knock a starter out by the 5th and 6th inning. Most of the batters are patient and make the pitcher work and get their pitch count high. Getting into an opposing teams pen is their strategy and you can not mock it because it does work. Don't get me wrong when the two teams play the games are usually nail biters, but they can be long and drawn out. >>
Sure. I don't think West had a problem with that. It is the constant in/out of the box. The trips to the mound. The genius Girardi using ten pitchers per game. Etc.... It used to be the most fun baseball games to watch in the bigs. Now it is typically just boring.
At the absolute minimum though, he must never again be allowed to umpire any games involving either the Yankees or Red Sox! He's lost his objectivity, and proven he is not an impartial observer.
Steve
Buying Vintage, all sports.
Buying Woody Hayes, Les Horvath, Vic Janowicz, and Jesse Owens autographed items
63% of the respondents say MLB should do NOTHING to West!
Unfreakinbelievable!!!!!
Steve
Link
Might be the first time I agree with Selig on something.
<< <i>Have any of you seen the poll on ESPN.com?
63% of the respondents say MLB should do NOTHING to West!
Unfreakinbelievable!!!!!
That's how much so many other baseball fans have come to resent baseball's economic structure.
Having said that, I'm one of the 37% even though I despise the Yankees and I don't like the Red Sox (though they are far preferable to the Yankees). Anyone who says something like this has damaged their ability to appear impartial. Even if West never did try to screw either of them with bad calls, every time there as a questionable call that went against them, people would say it was because West had it in for them. That completely damages the "integrity of the game" much as steroids and gambling do.
I want the Yankees to lose, but not because of bad calls by an umpire who had an axe to grind.
<< <i>Great article by Verducci on cnnsi.com:
Link
Might be the first time I agree with Selig on something. >>
I agree. Rule should be no stepping out at all between pitches. Change the rule for visits to 3 total per inning - coaches, managers, players, etc. If the catcher goes to the mound with the coaching staff, it counts as two visits (maybe on this rule).
The pace of play is ridiculous.
Tabe