Worthy of the thumb?

[Altor]

Trying to get the thread back on track before it derails completely...

Originally Posted by Groupthink

I think it's sad that most people today think that umpires should stand there, mute, while managers use the foulest of language and a maximum amount of disrespect.

Originally Posted by JRutledge

You have an umpire that has someone in his face and it is his fault that he ejected someone.

You both seem to be describing the second ejection. What about the 1st ejection, where the starting pitcher was behind the umpire, not looking at him, and walking away from him?

The spike (and probable expletive) certainly could have been construed as showing up the umpire. I'd probably eject a high school kid from one of my competitions, especially if he said what I suspect he said.