Appropriate Ejection?

[insatty]

Last night, Dodgers (5 games behind Arizona in NL West) up 4-0 against Reds in bottom 9th. Their best closer Eric Gagne gives up 2-run homer to Aaron Boone. Up comes Adam Dunn. Head-high pitch hits Dunn in arm. Without warning Dan Iassogna of Gerry Davis's crew ejects Gagne. All hell breaks loose, with Manager Tracy also getting ejected.

Every player involved--L.A. Times: "Even Dunn disputes ump's call"--insists that Gagne would never have intentionally hit Boone to put tying run at plate. Catcher La Duca: "But if you know anything about baseball, you don't make that call. It's a horrible call. We're trying to hit a guy to get to the winning run? It's so ridiculous, it's asinine. [Iassogna] didn't think of the situation." Gagne: "Nobody in the world would have done that. You don't bring the tying run to the plate on purpose. That's baseball, and everyone know's that. . . . Has [Iassogna] been umpiring before?" L.A. Times (in its typically snide tone): "Iassogna [is] one of 23 triple-A umpires assigned to work major-league games this past spring."

Iassogna says, "MLB has put an emphasis on . . . pitchers intentionally throwing at batters . . . after a home run."

Whose right? Eject Gagne as per MLB-umpiring emphasis? Or should the umpire analyze the situation and intricate baseball tactics to determine if ejection is appropriate?

[Umpire_Jeremy]

If he doesn't follow MLB orders enough times he will be out of a job, you make the call.

Do I think Gagne was throwing at him? No, of course not.

[FVB_Ryan]

I agree with Jeremy 100%

[GarthB]

I believe the ump was following the directive to the letter.

Let's see. The rookie's future depends on what the powers to be in the majors think of him. The rookie makes a call in line with his instructions from the powers to be. And we're suprised because of.....?

[robert]

The last time the Dodgers played the Reds Dunn hit a homerun off of Gange, stood in the box, stared at Gange, rounded the bases and just kind of looked at Gange, showing him up. Also, there has been tension between Gange and Dunn, even befor the homerun thing which I have not completley confriemd, I may be remembering wrong, but Im pretty sure that was the sitch. So, the ump, in my oppinion, made an ok call if this is why he was calling it.

[Umpire_Jeremy]

Robert,

As Dunn admitted there was no tension between Dunn & Gagne.

It's clear, as he admitted, he called it because of the MLB letter to umpires highly suggesting ejections in certain situations.

[robert]

I guess i was wrong.

[blarson]

Here is an Excellent AAA fill in getting crap for following a MLB directive. MLB should just let the guys who are the best in the business at doing their job do it.

Without that directive he may have never made that call. How much you want to be that some suit in the front office won't even take responsibility and say, yup he did what we told him to do but to shirk it off and say.....Well, that's not what we meant.

/soapbox_off

Bob

[jicecone]

Having directives and orders from on top is one part of this story. I agree, they sign my check, I call like they want.

There is another side to this story that will creates a good discussion. Here we have an umpire that is surely seasoned enough to be doing a Pro game, or I gotta believe he would not have been there. If he was so sure that this was gonna happen, and I agree the situation was ripe for it to happen, then why did'nt he put out some type of warning to the pitcher. Even at this level, preventive officiating has its place. I would think that after all the games this official had done to get to this game , he surely would have had some insight into how to handle this situation a little smoother.

I stand by the decision he made, but I do belive it probably could have been prevented. The the official could have made the statement, I warned him and he choose his own destiny. Instead of "I was just doing what I was told".

Even at that level, I got to believe a little bit of tact has got to be helpful ????

[brandda]

I don't see how this can be sloughed off to the home office. You are the man on the field and it is your call to make. Take responsibility for it.

I personally think it was a stupid call.

[FVB_Ryan]

While he is a AAA ump doing this game, He has been working the Bigs most, if not all, of the season. He's "filling in" for an injured or disabled ump on a crew that I always notice when they do my team's games (I'm a white sox fan, and when this crew umps us, I always notice it because of this umps name. I always have to do a double take cuz when i look at it i htink it says lasagna :-). While watching him, I have always thought that he does a good job, and deserves to be taking this long temporary position in the bigs, and should probably be close to next in line for a permanent position.
In regards to "he should have warned the pitcher" are you saying that every PU in MLB should warn every pitcher after every homerun? I think he did what he should have done, under the circumstances.

[GarthB]

brandda is quoted as saying: "I don't see how this can be sloughed off to the home office. You are the man on the field and it is your call to make. Take responsibility for it.

I personally think it was a stupid call."


I haven't seen any evidence that the ump is not taking responsibility for making the call. He made it, in accordance with his instructions, and he said it was justified. He has taken responsiblity.

Under the cirmcmstances, e.g. the situation fit one of the those given to him as "ejection time", I think he made the correct call.


[Edited by GarthB on Aug 3rd, 2002 at 03:47 PM]

[jicecone]

"In regards to "he should have warned the pitcher" are you saying that every PU in MLB should warn every pitcher after every homerun? I think he did what he should have done, under the circumstances."

No. What I am saying is that when you officiate enough baseball over the years, you have a good feeling when most bean balls are coming around. From what I heard of the game, it sounded like a knockdown pitch was in the making to me.

Its like doing the dish, after a while you get a felling for what pitch to expect next. It least it is that way with me. Personnaly, I like the guy because his name is close to my favorite dish. But I thought that if he was able to come with a statement like " I warned him, and he choose his own destiny", than "I was just doing what the league told me to", he would have been perceived the man in charge, the one on top of his game, and in control. Rather it sound a little squeakish as, I was only doing what I was told.

I learned a long time ago to TAKE CHARGE of YOUR GAME.

[insatty]

UPDATE: Orange County Register (8/3):

"Ralph Nelson, who supervises umpires for MLB, said that Dan Iassogna erred when he ejected Dodgers closer Eric Gagne . . . . Nelson said, "This was an example where he needs to gain some baseball instincts . . . that he didn't use the best discretion or judgment that he should have on this play."

Nelson's failure to cover Iassogna for following his office's directives is compounded by the Dodgers' piling on the insults: "'This isn't a real sophisticated thing we're talking about; this is something at the high school level would be understood,' [Dodgers' GM] Evans said."

Now for the kicker: Nelson said, "Iassogna was involved in a similar incident May 5 in a game between Boston and Tampa Bay. . . . There had been three hitters hit . . . and then Trot Nixon took matters into his own hands and flung his bat at the pitcher, and nothing was done by [Iassogna]. So we had to talk to Danny . . . about the possibility of getting more involved. Now, he may have gotten too involved."

The moral of this story is?

[GarthB]

"The moral of this story is? "


Uh....Watch your back?