So ESPN encourages umpires to become clowns and buffoons, and if the umpires resist they lack a sense of humor?

No.

I like that.

At the Everett Aqua Sox, the sponsor of the announcement of the umpires' names is a local optometrist, who "is not responsible for calls seen or not seen by the umpires"

Rita

Which is why instead of ejecting the music playing DJ the way he did, he should have called over the General Manager and told the GM to get rid of the DJ/Announcer immediately OR he should have used the dugout phone (if available in this particular ballpark) and told the DJ/Announcer to pack it in for the rest of the night. By doing it the way he did, he became a national media story AND will subject himself to unnecessary abuse from fans (and players) for a while.

I personally dealt with this issue once by calling the GM over and telling him that if I heard it one more time the press box would be empty for the rest of the night. Amazingly, we never heard it again for the rest of the series.

Nope - I'm saying don't react to it. Ignore it. That's what you advise new umpires to do if a fan does it. By reacting you have shown you're vunerable to comments from off the field. You are inviting fans to up the ante. Why?

Follow your own advice. Just ignore it.

At one of the local independant team's games the mascot comes out with an eye chart when they announce the umpires before the game. It's entertainment for the fans and we all go along with it. Now, if he were to bring that eye chart out after a close call...:rolleyes:

JJ

The song would only be inappropriate in my games because I most always work two man..............:p

Who knows? It could have been a guy driving an ice cream truck outside the stadium with a huge loud speaker on the top of it.

Exactly, let someone else take care of your dirty work. No different than "Coach I need to go over your lineup here. Please take care of such and such or an assitant."

I was once in a fairly heated discussion with a coach when a parent came up to the fence and told the coach to punch me out. After our discussion I asked the coach to take care of him for me and he said "glady." I have Never seen that person since.

In Indy ball, the teams really, really, and I mean really try to be as fan friendly as possible.

That reminds me. Think I'll go sit out in the heat with my nephews, and watch the Grand Prairie Airhogs host the Laredo Lemurs.

"Alternatives suggested by [announcers]"? Are you kidding?

This is a known felony in baseball from forever. Editorial commentary by organists/ PA announcers is an ejection, period.

In an amateur [HS and below] game I might "reply to a joke with a joke", as suggested: right before I sent word thru the home manager that the offender needed to be gone, forthwith.