Joe West ejection
 

Anybody see where "Country" Joe West tossed Bobby Cox in the first game of the Cubs/Braves doubleheader? Apprantley it was beginning to get overcast. The stadium crew turned the lights on before the beginning of an inning was the reason for the ejection. I could be misinformed as I didn't see nor hear all the discussion.

"Someone" turned the lights on. West ordered them off. Cox argued and got ejected. The lights stayed off until the start of the next inning (as is good practice, but not a rule).

The way the Braves are playing lately Cox probably thanked West. The Braves got 'drilled" both games

Pete Booth

My field, my lights
 

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slu...v=st&type=lgns

Question. Joe is the UIC on this crew. Was he working the plate that game?

Joe West
 

When MLB got rid of Joe West when he resigned several years ago he should of never of been allowed to come back. he is nothing but trouble and thinks fans pay to watch him, it is one controversy after another. His ego gets in the way. Cowboy Joe should ride off in the sunset and never be heard from again!!!!!!!!!!!

No, Rapuano was. West was at 2B.

I guess thats one opinion!!!!!!

And you can do much better I suppose...
 

I've seen Joe West make some of the best calls I've ever seen on some real bangers. He has a keen eye and really exceptional judgment. He just doesn't put up with a bunch of crap, so to some people he appears aloof and egotistical (and since when is that a bad trait for an umpire anyway?). I'll sure take him over some of the newer guys and vacation replacements they're trotting out there lately.

Joe West and Bruce Froehming why are they still working games? No way can they properly cover fly balls. When instant replay comes MLB will never be able to get rid of these guys! MLB seems to be the only major sport where officials can't be fired if they no longer can do the job.

Maybe they will call you up to replace them....NOT!
 

Well, Bruce retired, so what are you talking about? And properly cover fly balls? WTF are you again talking about? How close to the play do you really need the umpire to be? West gets angles, which is the object of the game on fly ball coverage. You don't need to sprint out there and get right on top of the fielders. He can hustle out there when he needs to. I know this because I've actually seen him do it.

Froemming too, he could run his little stubby a$$ off, and would challenge to race and beat guys like you who thought he was slow. Sure he lost a couple of steps, who hasn't? But he still hustled on the field. Just because these older guys don't sprint around like little jackrabbits, don't think they can't get around on the ballfield.

Joe West has only 3 ejections this year, so I guess he must be getting a lot of calls right, like he always does. He sure doesn't blow many. When he starts getting a lot of calls wrong (which he doesn't), then maybe the league will tell him to get out. Until then, he is a Major League Umpire, and guys like Todd Tichenor and Rob Drake, who are still wet behind the ears, have a long way to go to get to his level

Never said they didn't hustle, however I've seen them cover fly balls and they're slower than molasses in January. You do agree (not necessarily referring to Bruce or Joe) it's impossible to get rid of umpires in MLB if there performance deteriorates.

Cox's career ejections: 142

Cox's season ejections: 6

I'm sensing a pattern here. Oh yeah, I see now...Cox is a big fat rat.

MLB did tell Froemming that it was time to go. They have their ways of letting umpires know when it's their time, without just coming out and firing them. After all, they deserve to go out in style after having stellar careers, just like any other long-time employee. They let Doug Harvey hang around a couple of years past retirement age because....well because he was God, that's because why!:)

This is MLB. Players are cut all the time even the great ones are cut or traded when they don't know when to let go. In the NBA and NFL there are guys almost every year whose contracts aren't renewed. When was the last time this happened in MLB? Thank God for the strike otherwise Eric Gregg (may he rest in peace. I'm sure he was a fine person and his family misses him.) would have been calling strikes on balls a foot outside for another 5 or 6 years.

You're assuming he did that every night based on one game?

Who gives a sh!t who the UIC was on that game...Joe was the CC (crew chief) that late afternoon, that's all that matters.

For the record, Cox did not get tossed when West orded the lights off in the fourth. He got tossed in the top of the fifth.

West ordered them off during the bottom of the fourth. Apparently they were turned on without him having called for them to be turned on. He ordered them off. To be fair to Joe...all pro umpires are taught from their days at umpire school not to turn on the lights until the top of an inning if at all possible. Joe wanted to enforce this edict.

After the fourth inning was over, Joe ordered the lights on. Problem was, however, that because they had just been turned off, they had to cool down before they could light back up.

Joe held up the game to wait for them to light up. Bobby got pissed that his pitcher was being delayed...he said a few things from the dugout...and got tossed. Bobby didn't even come out onto the field after being tossed.

I was reading Cox's lips at one time in one shot he called West "an a$$hole" . Now I do not know if this was before or after he tossed him but if it was before easy decision.

Joe West
 

I was sitting in the 5th row behind home plate for that game. Joe West was umpiring 3rd base for the first game of the double-header. I watched him say something to the pitcher as he moved closer to the mound. He then quickly gave Cox the heave-ho. We were all waiting for Bobby to come on to the field, but he never did. We had a good view of Lou laughing in the dugout at the whole mess.

An electrician
 

Ejections such as these are rare.
The lights were on Joe West.

Internal Memo
Attn: Umpires
Once multiple light switches are turned on, leave them on.
Don't go turning stadium lights on, and off, and on again.
If you have any questions or concerns lighting issues, call the front office.
Play ball.

Could you provide some authentication for this "memo"?