In a win for fans and players everywhere, MLB has finally taken a step, abeit a small one, in curtailing in the increasingly brazen and often outrageous behavior of MLB umpires. After a calculated and deliberate effort to bait Padres outfielder Milton Bradley with profanity on Sunday, the league has come down on Winters and the Umpire union by suspending for the remainder of the season. Is this enough? Not even close. The regular season is over in 5 days and then the playoffs begin, and presumably Winters will be working it. Winters has a past in overstepping his boundry as an umpire, and as fans the umpire should be invisible. Ball or strike, safe or out. That’s it. If an umpire is suddenly not satisfied with his role in baseball and wants more attention, let him find it elsewhere. Baseball is about the players for the fans, and not a platform for disgruntled umpires to take their shots at both.
You have no idea what you’re talking about. Mike Winters obviously made a mistake and he’s going to pay for it. Here’s where you’re wrong: 1) Mike Winters does not have “a past” (work on your grammar) of bad behavior. He has an exemplary history of outstanding behavior and is highly respected by the players and MLB. 2) You’re also wrong about the playoffs–the league has announced he will NOT umpire the playoffs.
If you had a modicum of umpiring experience combined with a touch of reasonableness you would know that mistakes can and are be made…even by the best…particularly when dealing with a bad actor like Bradley. But no, you’ve got to condemn someone you obviously don’t know…it makes you look pretty weak.
Obviously you’re an umpire and you support Winters. But this isn’t about Bradley…everyone knows he’s a hothead and he got what he deserved: a torn ACL and a seat on the bench during the playoffs. It’s about what Winters did and the ‘penalty’ MLB slapped him with, which amounts to a week’s paid vacation. Winters umped last year’s World Series, is a highly rated umpire in that he gets the calls right, and most agree that he’ll be back in uniform next week umpiring an LDS somewhere. The point you are missing is this: Winters, by most accounts, baited Bradley and used profanity, in line with a disturbing trend in MLB umpires in 2007. This season more than any we’ve seen umpires placing themselves above the game (Ted Lilly’s ejection the most obvious example) than any other I can remember. I listened to just about every sport radio host and guest yesterday say essentially the same thing: Bradley was wrong, but why on earth is Mike Winters ratting out Milton Bradley for allegedly flipping his bat, and why is he calling him a POS when he reaches first base? This is not a ‘mistake’, but rather a calulated effort to accomplish something other than calling them as he sees them. An umpire should not be the center of any post-game discussion, period.
By the way, one of Jim Rome’s guests on JRIB on Tuesday said that Winters did the same thing to Charlie Hayes ten years ago…..
re: Rich Parsons’ comments:
1) Mike Winters DOES have a history of bad behavior. Just ask Charlie Hayes. http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/padres/20070925-9999-1s25padnotes.html
2) Mike Winters WAS scheduled to officiate during THIS offseason.
“He umpired during last year’s World Series and would have been in line to work a league championship series this season.”
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3039659
Do you have any idea what you’re talking about?
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