Living in Seattle, being an M's fan and umpire I give a thumbs ump to Shulock. I wouldn't call it the most professional thing an umpire could do, but there are certainly a lot worse actions he could have done.
In a quick review of the book I was unable to find anything regarding sweeping of the plate so by default I would base his actions on 9.01 c) "Each umpire has authority to rule on any point not specifically covered in these rules." Although technically it's not a rule he covered.
Additionally, even thought it appeared Wilson asked for his broom, 9.01(b) states "...Each umpire has authority to order a player, coach, manager or club officer or employee to do or refrain from doing anything which affects the administering of these rules, and to enforce the prescribed penalties.
How many times have we asked players to dust dirt off a base after sliding into a base so it can be seen?
It would certainly been interesting to see what would have happened if the catcher, Dan Wilson, would not have stepped up and swept the plate. How long would it have gone on with the plate being covered? IMO it would have been a disgrace to baseball to have had play resumed with the plate completely covered - and btw - Bud is doing a good job of disgracing MLB on his own!
In Pinella's defense, by not sweeping the plate Shulock does provide some hint of Piniella's argument that he (Shulock) does have "has a chip on his shoulder. He's always had a chip on his shoulder."
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