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 “Baseball Manager-Umpire Arguments” Photo Gallery
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From the Lighter Side!

The Long-Lost Manager-Umpire Heated Argument!

Let’s face it…One of the better innovations to come along in recent years is allowing managers to appeal umpires’ calls. It’s added a lot to the game, including the dimension of actually getting calls correct! No longer does the umpire’s first call have to stand – even if everyone else in the stadium knows it was a blown call. Now managers have some recourse.

Plus, I’ve heard the umpires love it, too. They’re human. No umpire wants to be remembered for blowing an important call, especially on the national stage. The umpire has a thankless job as it is. He has to make a definitive call in a split second without the benefit of replay. Even the best of the “Men in Blue” are going to blow one occasionally.

A good umpire can have a fine 30-year career, and one blown call in the World Series can tarnish his reputation forever. I’m sure we could all come up with a couple “beauts” we remember from the past.  Don Denkinger in the 1985 World Series anyone? Or Drew Coble in 1991? How about Jim Joyce and Armando Galarraga’s near-perfect game? 

Who would argue getting calls right isn’t a good thing? But not everything about it is a plus. On the downside, it’s added length to games that are already too long. As we know, each appeal takes at least a couple minutes.  

There’s one aspect of the game that managerial appeals greatly diminish: the human element. Now we see much fewer of the heated baseball arguments between managers and umpires which usually resulted in a dramatic, animated ejection. The arguments were sort of entertaining to watch and actually added some fun to the in-person game experience. They also added a lot to the baseball lexicon we all grew up with: “He got the old heave-ho!” “He got the thumb!” “Go take a shower!” “You’re outta’ here!””He got tossed!”

I admit it. I sort of miss the old days of the heated altercation. Don’t you miss things like: Dirt being kicked at the umpire’s shoes, follow by kicking him in the shins, ala Leo Durocher? Lou Piniella pulling up third base and tossing it in the air in utter frustration? Earl Weaver’s cap spinning cockeyed on his head while he goes nose-to-nose with the umpire? Billy Martin’s neck veins about to pop as he turns purple with rage? Bobby Cox pleading his case with a reddened face ready to burst? A good-old-fashioned Tommy LaSorta bleeped-out tirade?

I don’t mean to imply that all is tranquil on the ball field. There’s still the occasional on-field dispute between managers and umpires, even with the appeals, but they’re just not of the same quality as in the old, pre-appeal days. Maybe that’s a good thing. After all, it’s had to argue with a call made hundreds of miles away in a New York office after viewing replays from 15 different angles!

So to bring back some of the excitement of the time-honored manager-umpire argument, I’ve put together a nice photo gallery showing some of the best I can remember. Click on the link to see it [check out the gallery above]. If you’d care to add some of your own, please do so in the comments section.

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Gary Livacari 

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