Game 5 of the Celtics/Pistons series on Wednesday was perhaps the worst officiated game I have ever witnessed (and, despite what 'Sheed says it was not in Boston's favor). Ridiculous technicals, flagrant fouls, etc, led to the referees playing too large a factor in a job that one is usually performing their best when they go unnoticed. Wednesday they were most certainly noticed. Perhaps the refs are taking a cue from their baseball brethren. This generation of baseball umpires is filled with some of the most obnoxious, attention seeking people on the planet. Between the VERY delay calls for balls, strikes and outs, to the umpires initiating fights with players and managers, the men in blue seem to have forgotten people aren't paying to see them ump. If the Naked Gun were made today people wouldn't realize Leslie Nielson wasn't an actual umpire. This past week 3rd base ump Angel Hernandez stared down Sox shorstop Julio Lugo, practically begging Lugo to give him an excuse to toss him. When Lugo asked why he was staring at him, he got ejected. No further explanation given or apparently needed, and Hernandez simply stood smugly as Lugo tried to plead his case. Sox manager Terry Francona went out to see what happened and was given the heave-ho as well. How can this happen? Don't umpires have a checks and balances system to make sure renegades like Hernandez can't do this? I dream of the day when balls, strikes and all the other calls can be made by computers and idiots like Angel Hernandez lose their cushy jobs...and players and fans alike can go back to worrying about the game, and not the officials. Saturday, May 31, 2008
The Weekend Grudge: Arrogant Umpires
Game 5 of the Celtics/Pistons series on Wednesday was perhaps the worst officiated game I have ever witnessed (and, despite what 'Sheed says it was not in Boston's favor). Ridiculous technicals, flagrant fouls, etc, led to the referees playing too large a factor in a job that one is usually performing their best when they go unnoticed. Wednesday they were most certainly noticed. Perhaps the refs are taking a cue from their baseball brethren. This generation of baseball umpires is filled with some of the most obnoxious, attention seeking people on the planet. Between the VERY delay calls for balls, strikes and outs, to the umpires initiating fights with players and managers, the men in blue seem to have forgotten people aren't paying to see them ump. If the Naked Gun were made today people wouldn't realize Leslie Nielson wasn't an actual umpire. This past week 3rd base ump Angel Hernandez stared down Sox shorstop Julio Lugo, practically begging Lugo to give him an excuse to toss him. When Lugo asked why he was staring at him, he got ejected. No further explanation given or apparently needed, and Hernandez simply stood smugly as Lugo tried to plead his case. Sox manager Terry Francona went out to see what happened and was given the heave-ho as well. How can this happen? Don't umpires have a checks and balances system to make sure renegades like Hernandez can't do this? I dream of the day when balls, strikes and all the other calls can be made by computers and idiots like Angel Hernandez lose their cushy jobs...and players and fans alike can go back to worrying about the game, and not the officials. 
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8 comments:
The Lugo thing was so frustrating...and so is every time their is an umpire vs. manager/player argument...because only one person really holds any power in the argument..the ump. I wouldnt mind seeing some pitchers and fielders throwing some balls that "get away" from them, and nail an ump in the face every once in a while. It's the gestapo.
Umps should be fined by the league for the excessive delayed calls and if its determined they tossed a player with no just cause they should be suspended a game.
True story - South Florida circa 1995-1996.
The Bowdoin College baseball juggernaut is squaring off in a spring training tilt against the MIT Pocket Protectors.
I have donned the tools of ignorance for a grueling 9 innings in the Florida heat.
I make the acquaintance of the man in blue working the dish for the afternoon's action.
Joe Buck and Tim McCarver were not there to introduce the combatants and the officials - so I introduce myself to the ump - one Angel Hernandez. I did not recognize him, but during the course of the day, he let me know he was a MLB ump- currently on strike.
The guy had a strike zone best described as pitcher friendly that encompassed 2 or 3 zip codes. He put 37 cents on his effort and mailed it in - despite the fact that he was working a compelling Division 3 game spring training game.
After the tilt, he put his gear in his white convertible Jeep Wrangler with the soft top and drove off in a wife beater.
That, ladies and gentlemen is a good indicator of the true colors of the men in blue. Enough said.
The best part of the story to indicate his arrogance - I got rung up on a backward K with a curve that would have hit a left handed batter in the ass. The ump will usually give the catcher the benefit of the doubt when he is batting - not Angel.
Now, next half inning as we are finishing warm up's - I say "boy, that third strike was a little outside" and he says "was that you? Well you didn't travel all this way down here to keep the bat on your shoulder, did you?"
I think the best part of that is he didn't even realize it was you.
And GMac, LOVE the idea....
By the way, does anyone know how they pick the refs/umpires/officials for playoffs in the various sports. I'm pretty sure the NFL has a scoring system and the top rated crews do it, but other sports do it by senority, and bad officials shouldn't be rewarded for longevity of bad work.
Orioles manager Trembley just got tossed in the 3rd inning. Trembley blatantly wanted to get tossed and send one of those messages to his team in a 0-0 game. It is one thing to watch arrogant umpires, it is another to hilariously watch an umpire try to not throw out a manager.
Two more horrible examples of umpiring in the Sox game tonight:
1. The missed call on Pedroia's home run called foul (why no replay? afraid to get it right?)
2. The ump who basically forced BJ Upton to turn back around as he walked away and then immeditely threw him out. Did the ump need to rip off his mask and yell at somebody walking away? Did that make the situation better or worse? Ridiculous.
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