Advertisement

The Ump Show is the dumbest thing in baseball this week

The Ump Show is the dumbest thing in baseball this week

You're outta here.

If you haven't heard, the Tigers' Ian Kinsler laid into umpire Angel Hernandez on Tuesday. His comments were pretty scathing, and if he didn't get his money's worth on the field, he definitely got it in the clubhouse following the game.

Probably the most damning of the second baseman's comments: "No one wants you behind the plate anymore," Kinsler said. "No one in this game wants you behind the plate anymore, none of the players."

Kinsler has a tendency to be outspoken: You may remember his controversial comments during the World Baseball Classic involving the way non-U.S. teams celebrate. But that's an entirely separate issue, and Kinsler is 100 percent correct with his comments this time around.

It doesn't matter if Kinsler and Hernandez shook hands at the start of Wednesday's game. It doesn't matter if Kinsler will earn a hefty fine, either. Kinsler is right.

FOSTER: CB Bucknor proves umps get jobs for life

Umpires are people with feelings, and all that. They should be treated with courtesy and respect, and as professionals. This is irrefutable. There's no gray area. Umpires have a job to do, and most of the time, most umpires make the effort to get it done correctly.

But here's the thing: Umpires shouldn't stand out on the field. Well, they should, literally, because that's their job. But that's it.

If you know an umpire by name, it's usually never for good reason. Sure, umpiring is a thankless, unforgiving career. You get no credit or fame or recognition — aside from having your name announced on TV. You don't get kudos for making the right call, you just get ripped for making the wrong ones.

Umpires are the subject of heavy controversy now. Folks are clamoring to replace as many living, breathing umpires with robots and computerized strike zones. Admittedly, this is probably not a solution.

But …

There is something to be said for the way some umpires invite the spotlight in today's game. Hernandez is just one of many. You know some of the usual suspects: CB Bucknor, Joe West, Laz Diaz. That's where it should end, but unfortunately it doesn't.

MORE: Watch Joe West get boinked in the head with a baseball

It's bad enough that Hernandez is among the worst in baseball over the last five seasons with regard to incorrect ball-and-strike calls made: He has an 85 percent correct call percentage, with 3,806 incorrect calls on balls and strikes. So essentially, per 100 pitches thrown, he's missing 15 balls or strikes. Oh, there are some other names near the top of that list you may recognize: the aforementioned West and Diaz.

Listen, it's not so much about putting umpires on blast. Nobody expects perfection. If an umpire misses a call or two here and there, it happens, you move on. But it's something entirely different if an ump not only misses a call, but welcomes controversy.

Maybe this is callous, but here it goes: I don't care for Joe West's nickname. I don't care for how long an umpire has been in the game. You and I don't pay for tickets to see umpires, or to read about their story online.

Umpires are there for one reason: to officiate. That's it. West calling Adrian Beltre the "biggest complainer" — joke or not, friends or not — discredits him as an official. Umpires are supposed to be unbiased.

When I'm watching a game, whether as a fan or a writer or an analyst, the umpiring crew should be the last thing I notice. I don't even want to see their names on a graphic at the beginning of a game. They should be the last thing on my mind.

MORE: Angel Hernandez sues MLB, citing racial discrimination

But sometimes, obviously, it's hard to avoid "The Ump Show," and there's a long list of episodes.

Just one example: In 2014, Yankees manager Joe Girardi went toe-to-toe with Diaz following an ejection for arguing balls and strikes. It wasn't as much the balls and strikes, though: Girardi was steamed with the way Diaz delivered a Dikembe Mutombo finger wag in his direction late in the game.

The "human element" of baseball is apparent. It's about a group of dudes going out almost every day over the course of nine months of a year spending time with one another, building chemistry. The "human element" shouldn't be used to excuse missed calls or umpires with outward personalities. That seems to be lost on some.

MORE: Cardinals' Matheny says 'It's not your show, man' in argument with ump

I know, this all seems counterproductive, since I'm giving umpires the spotlight I'm saying they don't deserve. But enough is enough already. Will things change? Will umpires get the message?

I guess we can find out on the next episode of "The Ump Show."