Ump rips Sox & Yanks for slow pace

[JakeYonkel]

Stolen from the LoHud Yankees Blog...

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The pace of play in Yankees-Red Sox games is, to put it nicely, typically slow. Three-plus hour games are the norm in the rivalry and most games are usually closer to four. Everyone knows it and, most of the time, everyone jokes about it – over the past three days, I heard quips or comments on the pace of play from players, coaches, fans, broadcasters and writers. Scan through Twitter and you’ll see plenty of examples.

Umpire Joe West, who is one of MLB’s crew chiefs, apparently doesn’t think there’s anything funny about it at all. West ripped the Yankees and Red Sox in a story in the Bergen Record today, calling it “embarrassing, a disgrace to baseball.” He also called the Yanks and Sox, “pathetic and embarrassing. They take too long to play.”

The first two games of this series took 3 hours, 46 minutes and 3 hours, 48 minutes, respectively, and West made his comments before last night’s game, which was actually something of an anomaly: The teams only needed 3 hours, 21 minutes to play 10 innings. Not surprisingly, the Yankees and Red Sox hold the record for longest nine-inning game ever, having taken 4 hours, 45 minutes to play back on Aug. 18, 2006.

(That game was actually part of a doubleheader, which was also the longest timed doubleheader in MLB history, with both games taking a combined 8 hours, 40 minutes. I vaguely remember my legs going numb somewhere in the middle.)

My initial reaction to West’s comments is that this is a reasonable message delivered incredibly poorly. Do the Yankees and Red Sox have players that take a lot of pitches and foul off a lot of pitches and otherwise make the game go longer through the natural course of play? Absolutely. That’s just the way it goes. But there are also plenty of guys on both teams who aren’t exactly efficient when it comes to getting in the box or taking the rubber, and that all adds up, too. If baseball wants to get serious about pace of play and start enforcing some legitimate rules on what guys can and can’t do, I’m all for it.

Unfortunately, that message gets lost when you have an umpire using words like “disgrace” and “pathetic” about the teams he’s supposed to be officiating. West has been around a long time, but that doesn’t mean he can (or should) use inflammatory language like that; for lack of a better reason, name-calling is never nice. Even more, it doesn’t exactly help the notion if impartiality.

Joe Girardi was asked yesterday if he felt MLB had stressed pace of play this year, and he shrugged. “That issue is made every spring training … so it’s not anything new. Are they trying to enforce it a little more? Right now it appears [they are]. The jury will be out on that at the end of the year.”

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I agree with Sam Borden (the guy that authored this post). You've got guys like Swisher, Jeter, Nick Johnson, Youkilis, and Drew that have high OBP and take & foul off a ton of pitches. It's part of what makes these teams so tough.

I do agree that the adjusting the gloves between every pitch Nomar-style is a bit excessive. Otherwise this guy can go F himself.

[Machado]

Kill might be able to back me up on this.
On Tues night I noticed at least 3-4 times the batter wanted to call time and the umpire did not grant time.
It happened to both teams.
Once Jeter asked for time and did not get it. After the pitch was thrown, he walked towards the ump for a conversation.
Another occasion someone from the sox asked for time and did not get time called. He rushed back into the box, then walked out of the box and time was eventually called because Posada raised his arms up.
Another occasion I believe when time was not called by the ump, the home plate umpire pointed to the plate, as if to say, "let's go. get in the box. we are playing a game here", etc...

I don't have a problem with any of it. Far too often time is called while the pitcher has already begun his pitching motion.
I remember lester was already in his leg kick when time was called.

What is the unspoken rule-Time is only granted when the umpire says time, not the batter.

[SkyDog112046]

It's nobody's place to force hitters to be less selective at the plate and just start swinging away. That's stupid. A good hitter is able to differentiate between a ball, a strike that isn't what he wants, and a preferred pitch to hit and then take the strikes he doesn't want to swing away at and foul them off.

But it would be great if they forced guys to get right into the batter's box and made pitchers work at a reasonable pace.

[Machado]

Here is the article in question:

BOSTON — Umpire Joe West blasted the Yankees and Red Sox just before Wednesday's game, accusing the two clubs of being "pathetic and embarrassing" in dragging the pace of games and refusing to work with umpires.

The two teams, notorious for the slow tempo of their games, were denied some timeouts in the batter's box by home plate umpire Angel Hernandez during Tuesday night's 6-4 Yankees victory.

"They're the two clubs that don't try to pick up the pace," said West, chief of the umpiring crew that worked the three-game series in Boston. He was the home plate umpire Sunday. "They're two of the best teams in baseball. Why are they playing the slowest?

"It's pathetic and embarrassing. They take too long to play."

West would not allow Hernandez to comment. Hernandez denied at least three timeouts Tuesday night called by Derek Jeter, Marcus Thames and Boston's David Ortiz.

The two Yankees-Red Sox games this season lasted 3 hours and 46 minutes and 3 hours and 48 minutes, respectively.

"The commissioner of baseball says he wants the pace picked up," West said. "We try. And [Tuesday night's game] still almost went four hours."

West and the players agreed that the initiative to speed up games is not new, dating back five years. And it is a regular topic before the season begins broached by Bob Watson, vice president of rules and on-field operations for Major League Baseball, and a representative for the umpires.

"That issue is made every spring training … so it's not anything new," manager Joe Girardi said. "Are they trying to enforce it a little more? Right now it appears [they are]. The jury will be out on that at the end of the year."

West said special emphasis has not been placed on speeding up games this season. But umpires are evaluated on how quickly the games move, he said.

"All of baseball looks to these two clubs to pick up the pace," West said. "Angel did everything he could. The players aren't working with us.

"This is embarrassing, a disgrace to baseball."

West conceded that the Yankees and Red Sox often play high-scoring games and that both teams employ a strategic approach that involves hitters taking pitches. He also said pitchers attempt to be too fine.

"I understand it's strategy," West said. "I understand they're trying to set up the count and take so many pitches."

But he said that still does not explain the length of games between the archrivals.

The Yankees involved in Tuesday's incidents would not comment.

Jeter called timeout in the second inning and did not get it, but stepped out of the box completely and eventually time was called. He would not reveal what was said between him and Hernandez.

"There's really no need to get into it," Jeter said. "I'm not really one to say much about umpires."

Thames also tried to call timeout in the second and was denied. Posada, who got crossed up with pitcher A.J. Burnett when Ortiz asked and did not receive time, equally was non-committal.

"Ask Angel. I have no idea what that was all about," Posada said.

[thejuggernaut]

Awww, the poor fat slobs.

Their jobs are so tough, interpreting the rules as they see fit.

[killeverything]

Joe West's fat ass can't even see the fucking strike zone. Mariano said "what does he want us to do, start swinging at bad pitches?"

The fallout from this is going to be pretty huge IMO. With the Umpire's Union looking for more bargaining power on their new agreement. The COMPLETELY MISSED CALLS in the fucking Playoffs, CB Bucknor having a job, videos showing how off they are, Pitch f/x showing how completely biased they are. This is not going to end well for them.

You want the teams to speed it up? Why don't you call the same fucking strikes for both teams and their players? Alot of things about the game of Baseball are changing. In the blog I linked in the Baseball thread, Endburg talks about it a little bit.

Good teams wear down good pitchers. It's a fucking brilliant strategy. Micheal Lewis had a best-seller about Billy Beane using it. Casey Stengel pioneered using OBP en route to five World Championships in a row. It's common logic really. Do you want to face King Felix for 8IP/complete game? Or do you want to face him for 4-5IP?

With Joe West's reputation as a sub-par ump. This is not going to be good for their Union.

Oh and Machado, the Ump has to call time for a batter to be able to step out of the batter's box. The pitcher can be in mid-windup ( which is a shitty time to do it really ), and still finish the pitch and it wouldn't count.

[JakeYonkel]

At this point, umps are unnecessary with the amount of cameras and technology at our disposal. Essentially an "ump" could sit in a booth and watch a monitor and make calls. It takes the human element out of it, but I'd rather have the results of the game be because of the plays on the field, and not the subjective calls of the official.

[Machado]

Joe West's fat ass can't even see the fucking strike zone. Mariano said "what does he want us to do, start swinging at bad pitches?"

The fallout from this is going to be pretty huge IMO. With the Umpire's Union looking for more bargaining power on their new agreement. The COMPLETELY MISSED CALLS in the fucking Playoffs, CB Bucknor having a job, videos showing how off they are, Pitch f/x showing how completely biased they are. This is not going to end well for them.

You want the teams to speed it up? Why don't you call the same fucking strikes for both teams and their players? Alot of things about the game of Baseball are changing. In the blog I linked in the Baseball thread, Endburg talks about it a little bit.

Good teams wear down good pitchers. It's a fucking brilliant strategy. Micheal Lewis had a best-seller about Billy Beane using it. Casey Stengel pioneered using OBP en route to five World Championships in a row. It's common logic really. Do you want to face King Felix for 8IP/complete game? Or do you want to face him for 4-5IP?

With Joe West's reputation as a sub-par ump. This is not going to be good for their Union.

Oh and Machado, the Ump has to call time for a batter to be able to step out of the batter's box. The pitcher can be in mid-windup ( which is a shitty time to do it really ), and still finish the pitch and it wouldn't count.

Kill-I know the rule very well. I see the problem as, the umpire is very quick to grant timeout, even if he observes the pitcher has already began his motion. How many times have we seen the pitcher in motion to throw the pitch, a batter asks for time and is granted time by the HP umpire.
If the umpires want to speed up the game, they are in a position to make that happen.
It has to be done by every single umpire. If only some practice this, that does not get the task completed.
Same goes for calling balls/strikes. Why can't each and every umpire have th same zone?
Is it a coincidence that players know ahead of time if Joe West is behind the plate, the strike zone is going to be very small.
While another umpire, Joe Schmo, will have a much larger or higher strike zone.
Consistency!!!

[killeverything]

Hey! I found some fucking quotes.

Ellsbury: "The biggest thing is the TV. I'll go up for an at-bat, and I'll have to wait a minute and a half. ... Leading off a game, I don't know how many times I've had to wait. The pitcher is ready, I'm ready."

Youkilis: "It seems every time we're ready to play the game, there's an umpire at second base holding a stop watch waiting for TV."


Twins manager Ron Gardenhire: "Over three hours is pretty much normal in baseball. You want to cut it out? Cut out the 2:25 between innings for TV. See if that's going to happen. Ain't going to happen, right? That's where they make their money."



Hmmmmm......

[thejuggernaut]

Hey! I found some fucking quotes.

Ellsbury: "The biggest thing is the TV. I'll go up for an at-bat, and I'll have to wait a minute and a half. ... Leading off a game, I don't know how many times I've had to wait. The pitcher is ready, I'm ready."

Youkilis: "It seems every time we're ready to play the game, there's an umpire at second base holding a stop watch waiting for TV."


Twins manager Ron Gardenhire: "Over three hours is pretty much normal in baseball. You want to cut it out? Cut out the 2:25 between innings for TV. See if that's going to happen. Ain't going to happen, right? That's where they make their money."



Hmmmmm......

So, in short, the ump is just another multi-chinned fat slob who doesn't know how to keep his mouth shut and is also under the delusion that the average person wants to hear what a fat pig has to say about anything.

Edit - double typed.

[killeverything]

Hey! I found some fucking quotes.

Ellsbury: "The biggest thing is the TV. I'll go up for an at-bat, and I'll have to wait a minute and a half. ... Leading off a game, I don't know how many times I've had to wait. The pitcher is ready, I'm ready."

Youkilis: "It seems every time we're ready to play the game, there's an umpire at second base holding a stop watch waiting for TV."


Twins manager Ron Gardenhire: "Over three hours is pretty much normal in baseball. You want to cut it out? Cut out the 2:25 between innings for TV. See if that's going to happen. Ain't going to happen, right? That's where they make their money."



Hmmmmm......

So, in short, the ump is just another multi-chinned fat slob who doesn't know how to keep his keep his mouth shut and is also under the delusion that the average person wants to hear what a fat pig has to say about anything.

I blame the movie 'Babe' for that delusion.

[Heenan Snuka]

So, in short, the ump is just another multi-chinned fat slob who doesn't know how to keep his keep his mouth shut and is also under the delusion that the average person wants to hear what a fat pig has to say about anything.

[whammybar]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GIEHPGj9sI

[Machado]

ESPN & baseball tonight were all over the story again last night.

The problem is, they are missing the point.

In the 2000's the avg running time was approx 2:57.

These days the running time is approx 3:25
(don't quote me on each)

The problem is network tv.
Fox wants to pay the bills, so in between innings there are
2 1/2 minutes worth of commercials.
Cut that down to 2 minutes and over the course of 9 innings(18 commercial breaks), 9 innings is cut right there.
But no, that would be uncalled for to have less commercials.

[thejuggernaut]

So, in short, the ump is just another multi-chinned fat slob who doesn't know how to keep his keep his mouth shut and is also under the delusion that the average person wants to hear what a fat pig has to say about anything.

It's true.

Nobody in their right mind should want to hear anything that comes out of a prime aged fat person's mouth. The only possibly valid information that could come from a slob's mouth is what "foods" will make a person fat. Even then, there's no need for them to speak - they simply need to type out their complete diet and we'll have all the info we need by simply looking at them and the list.

Oh, and toss them a chocolate eclair to occupy their mouth so you won't have to listen to them while you're trying to read the list.

[JakeYonkel]

The only thing I'll say in an umpire's defense is that they're the only people on the field that need to stand there for the duration of the game. Everyone else spends an inning in the dugout every few minutes. But the ump has to stand out there whether it's cold, hot, raining, etc. for these marathon games.

Now granted I'm sure they're paid handsomely. But West was probably a tad cranky about this when asked. And being in poor physical shape certainly doesn't help his case.

[Machado]

Now granted I'm sure they're paid handsomely. But West was probably a tad cranky about this when asked. And being in poor physical shape certainly doesn't help his case.

The umps only have themselves to blame for being the MLB Front Office scapegoat.
I want to believe the umps are in favor of calling strikes from the letters to the knees.
Why they won't/don't can probably be explained, if they were given the chance to speak truthfully.