Ozzie, Buehrle tossed for arguing pair of balk calls

[bflaten]

http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100526&content_id=10449660&vkey=news_cws&fext=.jsp&c_id=cws

What say you? Balks or not and what about Joe West?

[AugieDonatelli]

Joe West overreacts to everything, hence the Buehrle ejection.

[jbonnot]

I am no expert in this area, but I didn't see anything on the video to indicate a balk. As an umpire, I give Joe West some slack as he is watching it in real time and from a different angle than the camera. However, I didn't see the balks.

[Bluefish]

Borderline balk. motion of leading leg could be seen as starting towards home. buehrle throws his mit down. gone. cant let a bunch of grown men playing a "game" act like a bunch of babies.

[heyblue26]

In watching the video of the EJ of the pitcher when Joe West called the second balk the second base umpire also pointed that he also saw the pitcher commit a balk. So I think that he saw the same thing that west saw don't you think?

Believe that Ozzie was just protecting his pitcher but also as long as the manager approaches the umpire with respect and is asking a question then let him have his say. And its a two way street but if he told west your F***8 got it out for us and then he needed to go. but it seemed that he didn't want to talk about it as he indicated with the gesture of his hands go away.

The annoucer said that joe west was a disgrace to the umpire profession. What does he know. Has he ever umpired? and then the other annoucer kind of defended west with his remarks. Those guys have a tuff job ask any unmpire it may look easy from the stands or the booth but get on the field and you will find out it is not.

[uame]

Baseball Tonight had a camera angle from the 3B perspective where they actually did a freeze frame and highlighted the leg motion. On the second balk, Buehrle clearly brought his stride foot farther back. Whether it was a balk was still very close. I'm not sure how many times Buehrle actually picked to first, but the TV segment made it look as if Buehrle was trying to make a point to West. I think if the pick that West balked had been a singular event, he wouldn't have called it. In light of the first balk and the continued pick off moves, I think Buehrle was looking for a fight. Again, this is based on ESPN's story, not actually watching the flow of the game.

[mark38090]

Ozzies response after game...

http://msn.foxsports.com/video?vid=801dfb44-4ab8-4512-96b3-51df3d4daae3&from=foxsports_en-us_videocentral

[BrianC14]

"When you are a professional, you have to respect the manager the way we respect the umpires," Guillen said.


Ha. That's rich. :rolleyes:

[polar1955]

Career: Finished first in the 1974 Umpire Development Class (now known as the Jim Evans Academy)...began minor league career in the Western Carolinas League and was selected to its Hall of Fame in 2002...worked the Carolina League (1975), Southern League (1975-1976), the American Association (1976-1977) and the Puerto Rican Winter League (1977)...worked first Major League game in September 1976 at age 23...became full-time National League staff member in April 1978...has worked two All-Star Games (1987, 2005), five Division Series (1995, 2002, 05, 08-09), seven League Championship Series (1981, 86, 88, 93, 96, 2003-04) and four World Series (1992, 97, 2005, 09)...worked the San Diego round of the 2009 World Baseball Classic... participated in MLB’s Umpire Camp for Marines as an instructor in March 2009 in San Diego...was the youngest umpire ever to work a NLCS in 1981 at age 28... Worked his 4,000 game July 30, 2009...his 88 post seasons games is 9th all time...serves as the president of the World Umpires Association, which recently agreed to a five-year pact with Major League Baseball through December 2014.

Ole Joe must be doing something right....

[Tim_C]

When I was at Brinkman in '82 all the instructors said that West is the only school grauate EVER that could have gone directly from school to the Major Leagues.

From Brinkman, McSherry, Voltaigo (sp) to Darling and Deery all thought exactly the same thing.

T

[missouriump]

I think we need more Joe West imitators in the ump ranks. Joe may have been having a bad day but Ozzie has a foul mouth, too. Too many coaches see a confrontation with umpires as an excuse to relive their past lives as an ill-mannered, rude, crude, foul mouthed merchant marine. The players and coaches that we have to deal with see the MLB coaches' behavior and feel the need to copy their tantrums! A point of emphasis should be placed on tantrums and cursing NOT being tolerated. I don't hesitate tossing a coach or player with the first 'f' bomb dropped, why not hold the MLB coaches to such a standard as well??? AND, don't fine the coaches/players---suspend them for a few games. Especially the coaches! Their fines probably go to a charity of their choice and then get taken off their taxes!

I know professional athletes say they are not "role models". BS! They most certainly are and are not being held to a better standard. At least Buerhle admitted his action of throwing his glove was the cause of his ejection. Ozzie, on the other hand, takes Chicago's 'windy city' motto to heart and seems to feel it is his right to grandstand, pout, curse, spit, flail around, and attempt to show up any umpire that has slighted his darling White Sox.

To me, the Great Oz is a lot like Willie Nelson---I like Willie's music but don't like looking at him. So, with Oz, I like waching his White Sox play hardnosed baseball but don't like seeing Oz leave the dugout to confront an umpire. It is like Oz has a dual personality. One that pushes his team to excel at baseball and another that relishes dragging his nails across the chalkboard.

[gkonbaseball]

I think we need more Joe West imitators in the ump ranks. Joe may have been having a bad day but Ozzie has a foul mouth, too. Too many coaches see a confrontation with umpires as an excuse to relive their past lives as an ill-mannered, rude, crude, foul mouthed merchant marine. The players and coaches that we have to deal with see the MLB coaches' behavior and feel the need to copy their tantrums! A point of emphasis should be placed on tantrums and cursing NOT being tolerated. I don't hesitate tossing a coach or player with the first 'f' bomb dropped, why not hold the MLB coaches to such a standard as well??? AND, don't fine the coaches/players---suspend them for a few games. Especially the coaches! Their fines probably go to a charity of their choice and then get taken off their taxes!

I know professional athletes say they are not "role models". BS! They most certainly are and are not being held to a better standard. At least Buerhle admitted his action of throwing his glove was the cause of his ejection. Ozzie, on the other hand, takes Chicago's 'windy city' motto to heart and seems to feel it is his right to grandstand, pout, curse, spit, flail around, and attempt to show up any umpire that has slighted his darling White Sox.

To me, the Great Oz is a lot like Willie Nelson---I like Willie's music but don't like looking at him. So, with Oz, I like waching his White Sox play hardnosed baseball but don't like seeing Oz leave the dugout to confront an umpire. It is like Oz has a dual personality. One that pushes his team to excel at baseball and another that relishes dragging his nails across the chalkboard.

I dunno about all that. Managers arguing, grandstanding, and getting pissed is just as much a part of the game as the ejection is. I'm not saying managers don't overreact to calls; but this idea that everything is baseball should be civil conversation is wishful thinking at best, if you want a gentleman's game go play golf. It's a managers job to stick uf for their players and get the team fired up at times; and it's an umpires job to control the game. Should be no hard feelings either way, leave it between the chalk.