Major League Umpires– How to Make Them Better
I’m still blown away by the ump crew that didn’t know that simple rule having to do with in-game pitcher replacement. And then you have buffoons like Angel Hernandez who couldn’t even make the right call when shown indisputable video evidence.
I know it’s hard to become a major league umpire and I’ve heard they go through lots of training. I’m not sure what kind of tenure they enjoy or how difficult it is to fire them. According to some light googling I did, they make $120K to start, up to 300K. If it were up to me, I’d triple those salaries; at least. Pay these guys to be the best of the best. And if they screw up, fine them heavily or fire them. And if there are any umpires who are involved with fixing games, that might *fix* that problem, too.
These guys aren’t teachers who don’t make sh!t and who *work down* to their salary. I’m not sure who pays the umpires but I’m quite certain that there’s plenty of money to restructure what these guys get paid as well as re-write what they’re accountable for and install stiff penalties if they fail to live up to higher standards.
A Place To Talk About Giants Baseball 
Poor umpires. They are so human.
Say, what do the Flappers think of Alex Rios. He’s somebody that will likely get moved somewhere at the deadline.
Tell us your proposal.
Nothing is human proof. Murphy’s law applies in many instances.
The fact none of the umps knew the rule about the pitcher having to face one hitter is the one that blows me away. That’s a basic rule that’s encountered by every crew at least a couple dozen times every year. Culbreth says they were “cross sectioning” various rules and got confused. Unbelievable.
Yep, MLB Rule 3.05 (b) seems pretty clear:
(a) The pitcher named in the batting order handed the umpire-in-chief, as provided in Rules 4.01 (a) and 4.01 (b), shall pitch to the first batter or any substitute batter until such batter is put out or reaches first base, unless the pitcher sustains injury or illness which, in the judgment of the umpire-in-chief, incapacitates him from pitching.
(b) If the pitcher is replaced, the substitute pitcher shall pitch to the batter then at bat, or any substitute batter, until such batter is put out or reaches first base, or until the offensive team is put out, unless the substitute pitcher sustains injury or illness which, in the umpire-in-chief’s judgment, incapacitates him for further play as a pitcher.
(c) If an improper substitution is made for the pitcher, the umpire shall direct the proper pitcher to return to the game until the provisions of this rule are fulfilled. If the improper pitcher is permitted to pitch, any play that results is legal. The improper pitcher becomes the proper pitcher as soon as he makes his first pitch to the batter, or as soon as any runner is put out.
Rule 3.05(c) Comment: If a manager attempts to remove a pitcher in violation of Rule 3.05 (c) the umpire shall notify the manager of the offending club that it cannot be done. If, by chance, the umpire-in-chief has, through oversight, announced the incoming improper pitcher, he should still correct the situation before the improper pitcher pitches. Once the improper pitcher delivers a pitch he becomes the proper pitcher.
Snarkk Comment: I didn’t see anything about the Houston manager claiming that his reliever was suddenly injured, so I don’t know how four umps could have F’d up that situation and let the manager turn around and put in another reliever to counter the batter substitution. With that logic, they could have allowed Scioscia to then turn around and substitute another PH to counter the pitcher substitution. This rule is as basic as basic gets to baseball…
Bambooed it.
In lieu of that soccer ref getting killed by a 17 year old player last week, I’m not going to say too much about the infallibility of umpires. Frankly, I am empathetic toward most of them (albeit, I wish the league would mandate weight limits and have a minimum physical agility, endurance and strength test.).
New post on my blog.
Speaking of umps. I sat next to Ed Montague during the 89 playoffs and WS. From what I understood it was the first time in years he wasn’t working. I thought he was a pretty cool guy, and from what I just heard, he proved it (apparently, he dropped off a check to buy at least 50 baseball gloves for the Jr. Giants).
The umps are paid well enough. I wouldn’t add a dime to their compensation. What I would do is add a ton to their disciplinary possibilities under their next agreement with MLB. And, require them to talk to the press, with recording devices, after the game, no limits on number of press members. Many of ’em are fat fucks, and sportin’ a ‘tude that is not justified, earned, or wanted. Phil Cuzzi, Angel Hernandez, Joe West? I don’t wanna even know these guys names, but we do, for the wrong reasons. Jim Joyce? Yeah, he copped to blowin’ that kid’s perfect game. Big deal. The players man up after every game and say they blew it when they did. Culbreth after blowing the reliever replacement the other day refused to talk about it, and told the press pool reporter to talk to MLB. That’s weak. Since not admitting mistakes is part of the umpires’ idiotic ethos, and the lack of league discipline options allows them to continue to do that, then when they do rarely admit blowing it, they’re supposed to get props? BS to that. Just get the calls right, and when you don’t, confab with your fat fuck colleagues and get it right, even it it takes reversal. And, when you look at the replay, get THAT right. Gammons said the other day on the Dan Patrick radio show that he thought Hernandez didn’t give the A’s the HR because Hernandez doesn’t agree with replay to begin with, it wasn’t that he couldn’t see the HR, he IGNORED it. http://deadspin.com/peter-gammons-angel-hernandez-blew-that-call-after-ign-499913975 If true, that’s outrageous. And, yeah, call a strike a strike when it IS a strike, according to the rules. Football reffing is far more difficult than being a baseball ump. The only consistently difficult calls in baseball are bang bang at first base, an attempted steal at second, and home plate slide calls. The first base missed calls, which are missed often, could easily be solved with replay…
Tom, I answered your comment, but had a question for you (on my blog). Thanks.
Replied…
hard to believe Pablo only has 5 big flies, thought he was hotter than that.
25 RBIs get him in top 15 of both leagues
The ballpark nabbed him at least a couple of times and probably more. I still marvel at Belt’s “out” the other day against the Dodgers. Ethier caught that high drive near the warning track near the 421 mark. It would rank as one of the longest outs recorded at the ballpark.
I was complaining about that one. I absolutely love ATT, but I think they screwed up that right field wall distance. That drive by Belt reminded me one Huff hit a few years ago where he was so pissed he ripped open his jersey when he got back to the dugout. If you crush a ball like that, it should be a homer in every park.
Couldn’t agree more. I think the architects outdid themselves into making that area “too cute”, too eclectic. If you hit a ball 420 feet, that should be rewarded with an HR, not a long double, or a triple. Sure, everybody plays the same conditions in the park, but this isn’t golf, it’s baseball…
Ed Montague was always my favorite umpire, and that was before I found out he had ties to SF. I loved his signals for strikes and punch-outs. Entertaining, but not too over the top for my tastes. I was in Sacto last year around Labor Day driving with my son along the river listening to Marty Lurie. Some caller had a rules question and Lurie said we needed a consult from Eddie Montague and asked him to call the show. I thought he was fucking around, but a few minutes later Ed Montague himself called the show and explained the rule. I guess he is/was a regular contributor/listener to Lurie’s show. I thought that was pretty awesome.
Great story SanDawg (loved Bozo’s story too).
When I was younger, the umps were known pretty much only for their distinctive strike calls, and other gesticulations. That’s it. Now, they insinuate themselves somehow into the games way more in a public manner, with their egos, mostly. They start yelling matches with the benches on ball/strike calls immediately. In the “olden days”, the umps had longer fuses, they expected to get some grief, and didn’t give any back until after a while, publicly, if at all. I don’t give a crap who the umps are, just make the calls, and shut your yaps otherwise. This new generation of umpiring is no better than the old, maybe worse, many rock idiotic strike zones, and have bad attitudes and short fuses — which MLB has allowed to worsen, for some reason. No, I don’t care much for umpires…
Wainwright was nails tonight against the Rockies. Nine inning, 2 hit shutout (3-0). Nepal’s altitude (or should I call it sea) sickness on the road is hilarious. I have one Rockie (Cuddyer) on my Flap team and I only expect him to hit when he plays in Denver.
Well Wainwright gets some of the credit, too. He’s been one of the best, if not the best, NL pitcher so far this year
Absolutely. I have him on one of my FL league teams and had him last year, so I know how bad he was last year and how good this year. He was injured the year before, so last year was more or less a rehab year for him. I know that Pawlie is appreciating him – I think he is on his Flap team (but not certain).
Basically, I just dislike the Rockies and their faux team. Wainwright gets a lot of the credit, but the Rockies are pathetic and it will get worse, not better as the season goes along. Pitchers are already beginning to break down (same as positiion players) and frankly, it’s not really their fault. Baseball is a difficult game to play, but especially at altitude where the thin air takes so much out of you physically. I know because I have worked out at both and you feel like a champ at sea level compared to altitude. However, that part of the equation doesn’t apply to ballplayers because they hit a ball, not run 3-4 miles like I do. It fucks up their timing when all of a sudden curve balls curve and sinkerballs sink and sliders slide. That shit aint happening at altitude. So they feel good for a few days, but can’t hit worth shit more times than not, than they have to return to the mountains where again they have to adjust (but this time, it’s a physical adjustment, not a baseball one).
Blade, when Mrs. Snarkk and I spent the better part of 5 days in Santa Fe and Taos, we found it hard to adjust to the elevation — about 7000 feet. Sleep wasn’t good, and we drank water water water, but always felt “dry”. And, tired. I think you’re right that the altitude is a real issue with success of an MLB team in Denver…
MLB totally blew it putting a team in Denver. Unlike basketball and football, where the altitude benefits both sports teams (Nuggets and Broncos) significantly, for baseball – it’s at best a wash at home and a big negative for them when they go on the road. Cumulatively, it is a big negative for them physically. The body just can’t take the wear and tear over a full season.
There’s a reason the Nuggets only lost 3 regular season games — they were pretty good, plus the other team that jets in and jets out — can’t breathe. The Dubs got there in advance a few days for the playoffs, got acclimatized a little, and played great…
This is a pretty good book. I enjoyed it. Bouton seemed to like it.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/22/books/review/Bouton-t.html?pagewanted=all
I’ll put it on my queue. My queue is pretty long but it moves along steadily. I’m currently reading a book that I’ve meant to get to for years. Stephen King’s and Stewart O’Nan’s book about the 2004 Red Sox season. By an incredible stroke of fortune, they picked that particular season to journal and chronicle the season together. They’re both very hardcore Red Sox fans. I haven’t read much Stephen King, other than “The Green Mile,” and the collection of novellas that has “The Shawshank Redemption” in it. The baseball book is very entertaining and passionate and at times crazed. It’s a very cool chronicle of the Red Sox journey during that season.
I hadn’t even heard of O’Nan before.
Nice to see the Gyros add on when they already have the lead…
Out of here guys. Unfrickingbelievable – it’s past 12 and I promised myself today that I would get some sleep this evening. Yawn. I better wake up to you guys celebrating another GMen win. Nite 🙂
I don’t think paying more is the answer 100k+ is good money and I’m sure they get some sort of daily stipend with hotels and travel covered. With the money involved these days players are under tremendous pressure to perform. If the umps can’t handle some lip from the players they’re in the wrong business. As far as I am concerned the umps should be seen and not heard and MLB needs to reign in umpires with belligerent attitudes.
Maybe some uniformity in technique would help for umps behind the plate. They all set up In a different spot and the fluctuation of strike zones from ump to ump is ridiculous.
They do get some nice perks, nearly $400 a day food/expense $ + one month paid vacation DURING the season.
My angle with paying them more dough would be contingent on heavily fining them (or firing them) for fuck ups like the last 2 major things
They’re doing the best job they can and there will always be errors so I don’t agree with fining them. What about a strong accountability metric with the bottom 3rd or 10% getting demoted to minors annually with the top 10% in the minors getting promoted?
Yes, that’s a fantastic idea. Unfortunately, the union will never go for it. But if you triple their pay, I bet they would
I did not know they get a MONTH of vacation during the 6 month season. That is craaaaazy, as Rick Barry would say. Now, I REALLY have no luv lost for these putzes. I’ll go at max with upping their salaries by 30% IF as you say, MLB can fire them quickly, in a process, for outrageous behavior and/or poor performance…
The union is the World Umpires Association, and Culbreth is a board member.
My point is that you want leverage on some of the dumber and/or dumbest mistakes. Missing a call is one thing. But not knowing the rules or looking at clear video evidence and still fucking up is unacceptable.
Pay these guys tons of dough, which they will gladly accept, and drop the hammer on the stupid shit. This would work over time
I know your point. My comment was just for info. It’s academic, your idea may be a good one, but it’s never happening.
Culbreth was fined and suspended and his crew was fined. That will be the end of it and that’s about as tough as the league gets or will get, IMO. As far as Hernandez,upon futher review 😉 I agree with Gammons- he and his crew should be interviewed- there is suspicion he intentionally blew the call as an objection to replay- he should definitely be fired if that can be shown. That will be tough to prove, but they have to investigate it.
Hernandez is just a bad and stubborn umpire. The Culbreth incident defies any logical explanation because the crew knows the rule, the situation arises all the time. A better explanation of how that happened is in order.
We’ll never get an explanation. That’s part of the problem; none is required by MLB. As also in MLB admitting Hernandez was blatantly wrong, but no explanation of HOW Hernandez can’t see an HR that EVERYBODY else sees. So, I agree with Gammons, there is no explanation of how he didn’t see it, because he DID, but he employed what I’ll call “umpire nullification” = I don’t like replay in general, so I’m going to ignore what I see. That’s way worse than incompetence…
Wow, Gyros going off on the Braves Pen. Save some for tomorrow and Timmeh, guys… 😉
Wow, Affeldt is a horrible fielding pitcher, but got that one done. Finally, a nice laugher for the home squad. Dot’s nice. Bum appears back on the beam, this kid may go for 18 Ws this year if he gets run support…
A good day at the yard.
A nice dominating win. The D-Back fans and Dodger fans, and the players, get to see that Giants 10-1 win on the out-of-town scoreboards all during their games. (grin)
Doghairs v. Marlins tonite, LA going for 9 losses in a row. The Latrine crowds must be getting there in the 3rd, and leaving in the 5th…
What’s up with Greinke being back so soon? I thought Quentin turned his collarbone into kenneling…
Maybe the bone wasn’t broken that badly, or he’s a fast healer, or LA is desperate to get him going before they fall out of the race by the end of May…
Quiroz blocked a lot of Bum slurve/curves in the dirt today. Nice work. And, got at least one hit and an RBI. Looks like he’s a keeper for this year, better all around than El Presidente or Stewie…
Well, I’d rather have Stewart. He’s been a decent player for the yanks, a rare peripheral trade that worked for both teams.
And Stewart’s fantastic bunting ability is being wasted in the AL.
But I’m down with The Q, especially after that “little league” victory trot around the bases the other day.
I’d be willing to compare at the end of the season. Stewie was very good defensively, but can’t hit a lick, though I just looked and he’s at .241 so far, which is very good, for him. I’ve seen Quiroz sparingly so far, like everybody else, but so far he looks to me like a better all around catcher than Stewie or Whiteside, he doesn’t seem like a damn automatic out like they were …
You know the umpire crews travel together, eat together and have their own locker space. I imagine the four guys get pretty tight and hate overruling one of their own. The crew chiefs do get to request the umps they want, but I imagine it has more to do with hanging with those guys as opposed to how they call a game. MLB included a grading system back when the umps were going to walk and MLB excepted their resignations, what happened to that and what was the penalties for being graded low? If MLB can fine players for infractions, can’t they also fine Blue?
I’m not sure when this ESPN article was written but it does have some information on what the umps life is like. http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3661613
By the way, it says Angel Hernandez eats a tuna fish with peanut butter sandwich before every game. No wonder the guy is in a bad mood.
The MLB deal with the umps is totally separate from the deal with the players. So, MLB’s disciplinary authority over the umps is different. I could look it up, but I don’t really give a crap about the umps, so I’m not going to waste time. I don’t like to be harsh, but I really think the umps are getting way way too much attention beyond what they deserve, which is not much. It is not a difficult job 99% of the time, and when it becomes difficult 1% of the time, they are not that good at it, contrary to popular BS. ESPN documented that for “close calls”, umps miss 1 out of 5 of them. That’s bad, IMO, and a clear reason for replay review. Then when questioned about performance, the umps are friggin’ belligerent. Screw ’em…
OK, fair enough. One rule change that the Union would fight all the way, but would possibly lead to better calls, let the teams show the controversial plays on the scoreboard.
Good umpires should embrace expanded replay. It’s absurd that the fans, announcers, players, writers, *everybody* gets to see the mistakes and yet there’s no way to correct them.. The present system is actually unfair to the umpires.
I don’t really get the “we hang out all the time so we are bound to support all decisions we make regardless of the truth” thing.
I work with 2 other people very closely— we rely on each other, we have each other’s backs, we can’t do our job without each other—yet we are constantly dealing with second-guessing from others (at best) and lawsuits (at worst) –though I’ve only been sued once in the last 15 years (been threatened with them many times).
It’s simple, we tell the truth. We correct each other if we’re wrong. And none of us take it personally and we aren’t unusual, evolved people (as all of you who know me know this :)) I can’t imagine why freaking baseball umpires aren’t allowed to correct each other when it’s blatant and obvious–in fact, we’ve seen it recently in Giants games (within the last year) where umps huddle together and reverse a call–although that wasn’t a major issue as the home run fuck up WAS.
Good point. I’m not sure why, maybe because MLB Umps are not under the threat of lawsuits? Don’t know, but they seem like guys who have a us against the world kind of view. In workplace environments that I’ve been in, I have taken the heat off of a team member so they wouldn’t get fired, but you’re right, ultimately we had to get it right. Again, I don’t know.
The umpires are allowed to correct each other. But it’s left up to the individual umpires to ask for help.
After today I think we’ll be tied for second in the NL in runs scored.
not a big surprise, we’ve got a good offense.
Colorado led the league in runs scored going into this St Louis series, and they didn’t play all their previous games in Colorado….
I didn’t say it was a surprise. The Sherpas? Headed south. They’ll be behind the Pads before long.
Unlikely. And I never said they would be good or make the playoffs, just that they weren’t on my list of teams who had zero chance of making the playoffs.
I get all the splits, the altitude stuff, and i actually found Steve’s earlier post fascinating, I’m going to research it.
But to put them in the same category as the Marlins or Astros or whatever is just idiotic and short sighted. The Rockies have several good players in place around 2 super stars—the “can’t win teams” don’t have that….
I never mentioned those other teams, the Rockheads are not as terrible as them. The Rockies will be last in the West, IMO. And I don’t say idiotic things.
Well, if I find the time later I’ll go find the post you wrote. As I recall it was in context of the thread I wrote about 4 or 5 teams who had zero chance of making the playoffs this year.
But maybe you were discussing them in a different context
And my point with my 7:21 was that in that thread (which I still haven’t gone back and checked, I’m bbqing right now) you did throw the Rox in the same category as the Astros, Marlins, Cubs, etc…
I never discussed your group.
twinfan1 said, on April 3, 2013 at 3:19 pm(Edit)
I have the Pads ahead of the Rockies and not that far off the top three. The Rockies are terrible. If they played anywhere but Nepal they’d lose 110 games.
Ha, ok, so when you reference “Nepal” that seems beneath the group.
But whatever, enjoy
Whatever. I don’t recall the exact context, I do know I said they were terrible, and you got bent. But this business of pulling up others posts should go both ways.. you don”t like it when some of yours are pulled up. But fire away.
BTW, I didn’t say Crawford was a cruddy SS, At the time he was playing cruddy defense- I said he was playing cruddy defense.
Relax, I only brought up looking at the old thread because I thought you didn’t remember the context of the thread I wrote.
Shit, maybe you weren’t making a reference to it at all tonight, just responding to my post.
That’s fine, no need to freak out. I’m happy to move onward…
I’m not freaking out. I’m eationg BBQ, too. Blade was the only one who put the Rockie’s with the other “no chance ” teams. Like,I said, I never mentioned those teams.
I’m sure that Steve knows that that opinion is only idiotic and shortsighted if I had said it 😉
Night all.
Well, that’s not true (and I know from the smiley face at the end of your statement, that you know that too).
🙂
I will also own up to saying that the Rockies have no chance this year to make the playoffs. Actually, I will say every year they have no chance,. Until Rockies management figures out a new paradigm management process to address playing at 5000 plus feet, they are going to finish out of the money, except for “blue moon” seasons where the impossible happens (See Rocktober season). Oh, and any paradigm shift will HAVE TO INVOLVE EXPENDITURE OF SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF MONEY. Insofar as you saying they had no chance – You were a bit more circumspect about their chances, albeit, definitely not enthusiastic about them this season. In short, I have to support your side of the argument (although I love both of you mugs . . . LOL 🙂 ).
twinfan1 said, on May 11, 2013 at 7:47 pm (Edit)
Whatever. I don’t recall the exact context, I do know I said they were terrible, and you got bent.
Bent? Really?
Here’s the “Nepal” exchange:
twinfan1 said, on April 3, 2013 at 3:19 pm (Edit)
I have the Pads ahead of the Rockies and not that far off the top three. The Rockies are terrible. If they played anywhere but Nepal they’d lose 110 games.
Flavor said, on April 3, 2013 at 3:35 pm (Edit)
The Rockies aren’t terrible. They’re not great, but they have some players. Car-Go, Tulo, Fowler’s ok, Cuddyer can hit the ball well if he’s not hurt and Rosario might lead the NL in HR’s for a C. ANd as I said, I’m a big Rutledge fan.
Their pitching sucks, at least their starters, but their bullpen is adequate. I think they’re going to have a better record than the Padres.
Well, maybe the exchange last night proved one thing- how idiotic is to claim someone said something that they never said.