Umpiring: Braves series, Bradley incident, etc. (Latest: game-ending call in NL wild card tiebreaker)

[dvoiss]

There wer a lot of close calls in this series and some bad calls in this series but the thing that got me the most was when they showed the ump laughing at Ned when he got ran today. That was completely unprofessional. I sometimes laugh when a manager gets run but I am a fan not an umpire. It's unlikely he will, but I hope this guy gets disciplined for this.

EDIT: Title. -PF
EDIT: Title. -1992

[jason21nl]

umpiring in all sports has seemed to taken a hit for the worse. I have seen a bunch of bad or blow calls in baseball this year, and just today in the football game, there were several as well.

[kgbaseball]

I hate blaming the umpires because they almost never determine the outcome of a game, but it's hard not to blame them today after blowing at least 2 calls in the game.

[zurch1818]

Some of those calls today were a little ridiculous. Maybe they should consider having some type of instant replay system on close plays, but keep the instant replay out of the strikezone. What are your thoughts on this?

[pretendastronaut]

I said it during the Cubs series, and it applies here too, its just unfortunate that the series hinged so much on blown calls. The Teixeira one I not as livid about because it was a really close one, but the tag as second was beyond ridiculous and should have gotten us out of that inning with the lead still. There's plenty to be said about the guys needing to execute, but at the same time, you can only climb over so many obstacles. You look at yesterday, and Rickie was responsible for making us have to get extra outs with that botched double play that cost the game, the same thing applies when its the umps. We had to get 5 outs that innings, and hurt us bad.

[SoCal Brew Crew Fan]

I hate blaming the umpires because they almost never determine the outcome of a game, but it's hard not to blame them today after blowing at least 2 calls in the game.

 

I agree. Over the course of the season, it probably balances out, but they were flat out horrible today. Even the Braves announcers admitted that. It's just frustrating when so much is at stake.

[TuesdaysWithRillo]

It is clear that the league wants the Cubs in the playoffs over the Brewers because they are a bigger market. I'm only half joking because the umpiring this weekend makes it hard not to think that.

[TuesdaysWithRillo]

Yost, Brewers blame umps for loss (quoted in its entirety)

Manager Ned Yost and his players accused the umpiring crew of blowing calls that cost them a huge game today against Atlanta.

 

The 7-4 loss, combined with Chicago's 8-0 victory over Pittsburgh, put the Brewers 3 1/2 games out with only one week left in the season. Afterward, an agitated Yost said the umpires cost his team the game with two calls in particular in the seventh inning, when the Braves rallied for four runs to erase a 4-1 deficit.

 

The Brewers thought Mark Teixeira was out at first on a close play and Jeff Francoeur out at second, calls that would have got them out of the inning with the lead if they went their way.

 

"That umpiring was a joke," said Yost. "A bad joke. Two times, we were out of that inning with the lead. That changes the game completely.

 

"There's got to be some accountability in the ranks. That was unbelievable right there. Teixeira was out by half a step and (second baseman) Rickie (Weeks) had the other kid (Francoeur) out, too. And then (the umpires) have got the nerve to smile. Let's have a little professionalism involved in the craft.

 

"Games of that importance like this right here and we get that kind of effort. You've got kids out there busting their butt and playing their hearts out and you get that kind of effort. It's a joke. I mean a joke.

 

"We expect them to do their job just like we're doing our job. You're paid to get the calls right. It wasn't even just today. It was the whole series."

 

Umpire crew chief Ed Montague said he had not looked at the replays of the calls but said supervisor Richie Garcia did.

 

"He said we got them right," said Montague, who said Yost should look in the mirror.

(properly cited source --1992)

[watertown28]

TuesdaysWithRillo quoted:

---

Manager Ned Yost and his players accused the umpiring crew of blowing calls that cost them a huge game today against Atlanta. ...

Did you watch the game and see the calls that are in question?

 

Anyways, this game didn't make the season but it sure didnt help. It was one of those must win games and ...well I think the brewers got ...i cant say that word.... It takes alot to get the TV guys to call on it, which both FSN AND from what I hear the guys in Atl did too.... so how can all of them be wrong? They have the privilege of looking at replays too.

 

 

(shortened up quote; removed post content from quote --1992)

[molitor fan]

The umpiring in major league baseball is a complete joke, with such inconsistancy that I have no idea the way a call will be made. Some umps call the "ball beats the runner" no matter if the tag was made or not...as seen today, some do not. Umps like Angel Hernandez think they are bigger than the game. Some umps are fine on the bases, but have no clue how to call a game behind home plate. Montague's statement that Yost should look in the mirror makes no sense. Should Yost give more effort? Calls come and calls go, but it seems that there are several umps that have the Brewers locked in their radar this year, and the game today was just weird....it seriously makes me wonder if these umps are gambling, or have a hidden agenda. In the 80's their were some great books by umpires Gorman and Lusciano, that painted some umps in a very unfavorable light, in terms of going into games openly favoring a specific team.

Also, the fact that Richie Garcia is a supervising umpire after what he did the last several years of his career is a joke, and very telling.

[TuesdaysWithRillo]

Anyone in favor of adding instant replay to baseball? The Umps clearly can't get it right so why not?

[crewcrazy]

With those quotes Ned can probably expect a call from the league office informing him of a fine. He may have had a point, but the league can't have managers publicly criticizing the umps..the league has to at least act like it has its umps' backs.

 

With that said, even though the umpiring was pretty bad all series, they shouldn't have been in the situation to affect the game's outcome in the first place. If the Brewers manage to score more than 3-4 runs per game in this series and stop leaving RISP, it wouldn't be a problem. Cordero coughing up a lead on the road again and Weeks bobbling that easy DP ball the other night didn't help, either.

[TuesdaysWithRillo]

it seriously makes me wonder if these umps are gambling

It happened in the NBA, so it wouldn't surprise me if it happened in baseball.

[molitor fan]

the league has to at least act like it has its umps' backs

 

see, I strongly disagree with this, as I feel the league should not just blithely allow this umpiring crisis to run unabated.

 

I think the league has to look at umpire performance, especially with the unprofessional actions that were out there today. Laughing openly after running a manager? That is bunk. If Joey Crawford can be suspended for his actions with Duncan, so can the umps of this crew for their actions.

[jason21nl]

it seriously makes me wonder if these umps are gambling

It happened in the NBA, so it wouldn't surprise me if it happened in baseball.

 

I would think its a lot easier to "fix" a game in the NBA than in MLB

[TuesdaysWithRillo]

I would think its a lot easier to "fix" a game in the NBA than in MLB

Yeah I agree. The frustration is just taking me over.

[jason21nl]

milton bradley had a run in with an ump today.

Meacham said after the game that Bradley did nothing to warrant the ejection or, in his opinion, the tone and the choice of words that Winters reportedly used.

"In 26 years of baseball, I couldn't believe my ears the way that he spoke to Milton was so disrespectful, so angry, so vindictive," Meacham said. "It was weird. The boiling point is when he called Milton a name. Milton did not saying anything to him to get him to do that."

Bradley said there was no reason why his conversation with Winters needed to escalate to the point where the outfielder was ejected and then subsequently injured.

"All I do is try go out there and play baseball hard. I've done everything in my power to do things the right way," Bradley said. "That guy, Mike Winters, no reason for it. You don't ride people. He kept talking to me, he wouldn't stop. Meach was standing right there. It's terrible, and now because of him my knee's hurt. If he costs me my season because of that he needs to be reprimanded. I'm going to take some action.

milton might be an angry man, and no saint on the field, but if this true. that ump should be suspended

[brewers19]

Can anyone elaborate on how Bradley injured his knee after getting ejected, and how it was somehow the umpire's fault? Aside from the ump taking a bat to his kneecap, I can't fathom how this would possibly work.

[jason21nl]

bud black was pushing him back, and his foot slipped and his leg got really extended. It was just another classic meltdown. I can see how he would get mad at that though.

[wOOgiE22]

Here is a video off ESPN.com showing the Bradley ejection...

 

Bradley Ejection

[Paul77]

Can anyone elaborate on how Bradley injured his knee after getting ejected, and how it was somehow the umpire's fault? Aside from the ump taking a bat to his kneecap, I can't fathom how this would possibly work.

From what I heard of this story it's something like this:

 

• Home plate ump thinks Milton threw a bat in his direction earlier in the game and confronts Bradley before his next at bat.
  
• HP ump tells Bradley he'll be reporting him for the (real or perceived) incident.
  
• (Bradley singles) and asks the first base umpire about it.
  
• First base ump backs up home plate ump (big surprise).
  
• Fan heckles first base ump.
• Bradley acknowledged a fan who was heckling the first base ump
• Ump gets mad, goes off on Bradley and he gets tossed.
  
• Bradley tries to "get at" the first base umpire when his manager grabbed him by the jersey and spun him around when he twisted a knee.
  

He's getting an MRI and could be done for the season. Not really the umps fault, but in Miltons mind I guess it's a cause and effect thing.

 

"Then, a fan heckled Winters."I pointed to the guy in the crowd, affirming it," Bradley said. Bradley said Winters responded with a string of expletives. "That's when I went at him and he kicked me out," Bradley said.Crew chief Bruce Froemming wouldn't allow a reporter to speak with Winters."

[crewcrazy]

Wouldn't it be fun to get Milton into a Brewers uniform next year? Every game would be an adventure. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

[TheBrewer]

Thats crazy, now we do need to consider the source with Bradley being Bradley, but when the 1B Coach backs up Bradley etc etc I gotta believe him.

[brewers19]

Looking at the video, Meacham turns around to confront the ump before Bradley does, which sure makes it seem like ump was saying something disreputable. It'll be interesting to see how this pans out.

[JohnBriggs12]

Anyone out there who thinks the situation with the NBA ref fixing games was an isolated incident is being naive. As does anyone who thinks calls don't affect outcomes of games. They do every day.

 

For every official/umpire that gets caught, I'd bet there are 10 that never get caught. I'm convinced there are officials in the NFL that aren't on the up and up.