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It's the SCABS fault, It's the SCABS fault
Steinbrenner rails about umpire
BY CHRISTIAN RED
New York Daily News
NEW YORK - Umpire Adam Dowdy may have called his last game behind the plate if George Steinbrenner gets his way.
After ejecting Joe Torre and Toronto skipper John Gibbons in the span of one inning Sunday, Dowdy incurred the wrath of The Boss as the Yankee owner left the Stadium following the Bombers' 4-1 victory.
"I think it's a crime that the league would assign a rookie umpire to a crucial series like this. It's just stupid," Steinbrenner roared. "I'm really P.O.'d at the league for sending those kinds of umpires - a rookie umpire in here to do this series. We're going to see them (Monday)."
In other words, Bud Selig can expect a visit from either The Boss himself or another Yankee official Monday. Dowdy has been called up to the majors before but is not a full-time big-league umpire.
"I have no comment," MLB spokesman Pat Courtney said when told about Steinbrenner's eruption. Courtney added that if Steinbrenner comes to the MLB offices on Monday, he would likely meet with vice president of umpiring Mike Port and Jimmie Lee Solomon, executive VP of baseball operations.
It is well-known that Steinbrenner regularly sends Yankee executives to baseball's Park Avenue offices to complain about umpiring. But Sunday's fireworks were too much for The Boss to stomach without commenting himself.
"He called terrible. Terrible. He was a rookie," Steinbrenner fumed. Asked if a veteran should have been behind the plate, The Boss quickly agreed: "That's right. They should. That's exactly right. You hit it right on the head."
Dowdy tossed Torre after Blue Jays DH Shea Hillenbrand whiffed to end the top of the fifth. Mike Mussina glared and jawed with Dowdy the whole way back to the dugout and then Torre expressed his opinion by holding up three fingers - as if to tell Dowdy he had missed on three crucial pitches during Lyle Overbay's and Hillenbrand's at-bats. Overbay walked to load the bases with two out before Hillenbrand whiffed for the third time, ending the Toronto threat. Gibbons was tossed a half-inning later for arguing balls and strikes.
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