Is MLB Catching on to Joe West?

Managers like Joe Maddon won't be double-teamed anymore
by umpires Angel Hernandez, center, and Joe West.

It doesn't go far enough, but Major League Baseball has at last taken a little action against Joe West and Angel Hernandez, the two worst umpires in the game. To start the second half of the season, the two are no longer on the same crew.

It's far short of the firing both have long deserved, but at least their incompetence will be watered down some by working with three other umpires.

Besides the fact that West and Hernandez have an endless capacity for making bad calls, they both seem to revel in the power their position gives them. Photos of the two double-teaming to argue with managers are all over the web.

Once the screaming starts, they are too stubborn to walk away to defuse the situation. They'd rather get in someone's face and then toss the "offender" out. Just ask Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers who was ejected after his manager had pulled him for a new pitcher. Some lip readers say he said "horrible" to an ump on his way off the field. Touchy, touchy.

The old saying goes that the best umpires are the ones you don't notice. Joe West and his former running buddy Hernandez make too much news. Let's hope 2011 is the end of the line for both.

Give the Ump a Break

Brian Knight appears to have made a
good call, but  was criticized anyway.

I haven't been reticent to criticize the state of umpiring, especially as practiced by Joe West, Angel Hernandez and Phil Cuzzi (and boy does this trio need practice). But even when umpires make a seemingly good call they get bashed sometimes.

Such is the case with the final out in last night's game between the Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays. C. Trent Rosecrans at cbssports.com used his space this morning to write about how a blown call ended the game.

The play in question happened with runners and first and second and two out in the ninth and the Jays trailing by a run. A base hit to short left was scooped up by Sox left-fielder Darnell McDonald who fired a strike to catcher Jason Varitek. Varitek had the plate blocked perfectly. Edwin Encarnacion slid in hard and was tagged and then called out by Brian Knight, the home-plate arbiter.

You'd think that would end the discussion. But on replays, Encarnacion's right leg sneaks past Varitek's shin guard. The problem is that no replay angle shows for sure whether his foot touched the plate or passed over it.

I understand the Blue Jays arguing about it. But media, and even bloggers, should try to be objective when calling out umps or players. Most who commented on Rosecrans' post said they couldn't tell if the runner was safe.

Sometimes even the men in blue need a break. Or at least a fair shake.

Umpire Out for the Count

We have a new entry in the race for the title of worst umpire in baseball. Phil Cuzzi, who was already under consideration, added to his credentials on Saturday night when he allowed a batter a walk on just three balls.

This is the same ump who called a Joe Mauer double foul during a 2009 playoff game between the Minnesota Twins and New York Yankees. That call was so bad it led to the addition of instant replay, which had long been kept out of the game because of the objections of purists.

Purists don't mind grievous errors by umpires because that's the way it was always done. That's just not a good enough reason to allow poor calls to stand.

Now, back to Saturday night. Cuzzi lost track of the count during a seven-pitch at bat. Cameron Maybin of the San Diego Padres took his base and came around to score the only run of the game. No one on the Seattle Mariners' bench protested. The Mariners' catcher didn't seem to notice. The fans didn't howl.

It reminds of me of the "Fifth Down" game when Colorado defeated Missouri in a key 1990 Big 8 (yes, it was long ago). The Buffaloes used the extra snap to score the wining touchdown.

Padres' Manager Bud Black says he knew what had happened, but wasn't going to argue about it for obvious reasons. Cuzzi's crew chief, Tom Hallion, was quoted as saying Cuzzi thought it was only ball three, but since the scoreboard had it as ball four, he figured he was wrong.

Say what? Cuzzi ceded his job to the scoreboard operator. It's past time for Major League Baseball to get rid of umpires who can't do the job. Joe West and Phil Cuzzi should be handed pink slips.