Royals/Angels

[MOofficial]

I was watching this game live and was just at awe what was taking place.

In the first inning, a Royals player had one of the most hideous swings I've seen in awhile out of a Major League player and it was almost a running half swing and he fouled it off. Scioscia was asking the home plate umpire about it being a bunt and if that was the case it would of been an out because of the bunt with two strikes. You couldn't clearly hear the conversation but all the sudden the home plate umpire takes off his mask and starts screaming back and forth. I just found it weird that something simple that normally would require a quick retort became such a screaming match. No ejections in the play.

I believe the top of the third, 1-2 count on Torri Hunter. Zach G throws an inside fastball that is very close and get's balled. The Royals catcher never turns around or shakes his head or displays any displeasure but I'm sure was saying something. All the sudden the HP umpire calls time and walks out in front of the catcher, bends over and starts ripping into the catcher. Manager comes out, starts screaming, gets dumped, and then the HP goes back to the catcher and has a few more words.

I have a few questions for the second situation.

Why would he go out and show up a catcher like that? He was a minor league call up, is that something they teach? I've had a few choice words back and forth with a catcher or batter but never called time to go out in front and bend over and rip into someone where everyone in the whole stadium knows whats going on. I would say at least act like you are cleaning off the plate and get your money in that way.

Next when I was watching this live after Yost was dumped I kept thinking when is another umpire going to come break this up, and no on ever did. It seemed almost to me that his partners were going to let him get his way out of this one for doing that to the catcher, because usually after someone gets dumped and a few more words in someone usually comes down the line and no one ever did.

I will post the link to the video for everyone to see. Does the MLB say anything about this to the umpire? Just seems like there is way to much umpire talk going on right now on ESPN.

Baseball Video Highlights & Clips | LAA@KC: Yost is ejected after exchange with Estabrook - Video | MLB.com: Multimedia

Pretty good one liner if you watch the whole video. Something about the "blue" being on his knee's and blowing something

[johnnyg08]

yeah, can't say I've ever seen it at the mlb level...very early in my umpiring career, I stepped around to talk to F2 to try and keep him in the game. I don't think I'd do that today.

[mbyron]

Originally Posted by MOofficial

Why would he go out and show up a catcher like that? He was a minor league call up, is that something they teach?

No, they don't teach it per se. Here's my guess: Kendall was probably saying enough to get himself ejected, and rather than run him Estabrook decided to show him up a little.

MiLB umps have a rough time in MLB when they're called up. Estabrook actually managed the outcome well: the important guy, Kendall, stayed in the game, and only skip got run.

I see the announcer's point about "baiting," and agree that Estabrook's getting in Kendall's face was unusual. But Yost came out with the magic words flooding out of his mouth. If anybody was baited it was Kendall, and he stayed in the game.

I would be very surprised to see any fines handed out for this exchange, and I'd love to hear what Estabrook's supervisor said after the game.

[bob jenkins]

Originally Posted by MOofficial

Next when I was watching this live after Yost was dumped I kept thinking when is another umpire going to come break this up, and no on ever did.

In amateur baseball, we are taught to get in there once there's an EJ. In MLB, the conversation still belongs to the EJing umpire until he turns away. It's just a difference philosophy.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by MOofficial

I was watching this game live and was just at awe what was taking place.

In the first inning, a Royals player had one of the most hideous swings I've seen in awhile out of a Major League player and it was almost a running half swing and he fouled it off. Scioscia was asking the home plate umpire about it being a bunt and if that was the case it would of been an out because of the bunt with two strikes. You couldn't clearly hear the conversation but all the sudden the home plate umpire takes off his mask and starts screaming back and forth. I just found it weird that something simple that normally would require a quick retort became such a screaming match. No ejections in the play.

I believe the top of the third, 1-2 count on Torri Hunter. Zach G throws an inside fastball that is very close and get's balled. The Royals catcher never turns around or shakes his head or displays any displeasure but I'm sure was saying something. All the sudden the HP umpire calls time and walks out in front of the catcher, bends over and starts ripping into the catcher. Manager comes out, starts screaming, gets dumped, and then the HP goes back to the catcher and has a few more words.

I have a few questions for the second situation.

Why would he go out and show up a catcher like that? He was a minor league call up, is that something they teach? I've had a few choice words back and forth with a catcher or batter but never called time to go out in front and bend over and rip into someone where everyone in the whole stadium knows whats going on. I would say at least act like you are cleaning off the plate and get your money in that way.

Next when I was watching this live after Yost was dumped I kept thinking when is another umpire going to come break this up, and no on ever did. It seemed almost to me that his partners were going to let him get his way out of this one for doing that to the catcher, because usually after someone gets dumped and a few more words in someone usually comes down the line and no one ever did.

I will post the link to the video for everyone to see. Does the MLB say anything about this to the umpire? Just seems like there is way to much umpire talk going on right now on ESPN.

Baseball Video Highlights & Clips | LAA@KC: Yost is ejected after exchange with Estabrook - Video | MLB.com: Multimedia

Pretty good one liner if you watch the whole video. Something about the "blue" being on his knee's and blowing something

Damned if he tosses him, damned if he shows him up a little. I guess the umpires should just be doormats and it would make all the idiots in the world happy.

[Kevin Finnerty]

And the smart guys are the ones who just defend the umpire's behavior, no matter how glaring?

[GA Umpire]

We don't know what Kendall said to trigger it. But, I don't think he could have said anything to warrant PU coming out. That looked bad. This truly deserves some kind of penalty. The PU was completely out of line.

If he felt the need to do that, then he should have just ejected F2. Doing that made him look like the aggressor and look like the bad one. Bad move.

Hopefully, he will learn not to do that if he gets a chance to fill in again. He obviously earned the spot to be a fill in and I hope it doesn't hurt his chances. But, I don't think that is acceptable at any level. Minors may accept it but it shouldn't be.

[ozzy6900]

Well it was obvious right from the beginning of this video that there were words between Estabrook & Kendall. That's fine. Kendall never turned around and held the mask so it was not obvious that he was raising his voice. The two should have settled up and let it be or Estabrook should have ejected Kendall.

But to walk around a catcher like this is as off-limits as a catcher turning around, facing the umpire - it just isn't done! I will carry on with a catcher as needed then either tell him to end it or I'll dump him. I would never, ever, walk around a catcher like that and continue a conversation.

Of course, I do not blame Yost for coming out - I'm surprised it took as long as it did! As far as Yost's ejection, well, it was inevitable under the circumstances.

So after the game, do you think Estabrook got an earful from the crew chief? He would have gotten an "up one side and down the other" from me, that's for sure! Very bad show, buckoo!

[Rich]

Originally Posted by Kevin Finnerty

And the smart guys are the ones who just defend the umpire's behavior, no matter how glaring?

The problem is that if Estabrook had ejected Kendall, all the people who blast Estabrook now would say, "He didn't even turn around. How can that umpire eject a catcher who did *nothing* to show him up?"

Estabrook can't win, unless he's willing to take whatever pile of crap Kendall gives him without doing anything.

[mbyron]

Originally Posted by RichMSN

Estabrook can't win, unless he's willing to take whatever pile of crap Kendall gives him without doing anything.

Exactly, which is what Kendall was up to. Somebody had to go for what Kendall said, and Estabrook made sure it would be Yost.

[MOofficial]

Originally Posted by mbyron

Exactly, which is what Kendall was up to. Somebody had to go for what Kendall said, and Estabrook made sure it would be Yost.

I've had it happen a few times and eventually you get your final words in and don't say anything after it and nothing came from it. I was working a summer league for college players and future draft picks and I had called a strike on a batter at the knees and he thought it was low and he told me about that strike and one at his prior at bat so I finally said something to the nature of needing to get the bat off your shoulders and do something with the pitch, batter kind of just smiled and hit the next pitch into right field and that was that. Next time up to bat he apologized for the exchange and we went on.

I know its the MLB and words are probably a bit different that what we are most ust to, but I'm sure they could of each had their last word in and not said another one. Kind of hard to talk back to someone who isn't saying anything back. I just looked really bad the way he called time and bent over right in front of him.

[LeeBallanfant]

Originally Posted by Kevin Finnerty

And the smart guys are the ones who just defend the umpire's behavior, no matter how glaring?

Reminds me of the behaviour of Kevin Causey who was on track to become a ML umpire and is no longer umpiring in OB.

[GA Umpire]

If the bobble heads knew how to shut up, we might have been able to hear part of the conversation between Yost and Estabrook and what Estabrook was saying to Kendall.

[mrm21711]

Originally Posted by LeeBallanfant

Reminds me of the behaviour of Kevin Causey who was on track to become a ML umpire and is no longer umpiring in OB.

What did he do? I dont remember that name.

[LeeBallanfant]

Causey worked 52 games in the ML in 2008 well on his way to becoming one of the "regular" fill ins and then dropped to 24 last year and now has disappeared. He had several incidents in the minors of a confrontational variety and I am thinking this may have been the reason he was dropped as a prospect.