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2014's MLB Bonehead of the Year, the 2nd annual "NMA"

1/28/2015

Last year, I put together the list of the biggest boneheads in major league baseball. I named the award after former Pirates, Nationals, Brewers and Indians OF Nyjer Morgan. Morgan, of course, is known for a series of bonehead incidents while playing for the Nationals and Brewers. Not boneheaded in the sense of lackadaisical, but boneheaded in the sense of there is no need for it. The NMA is designed to remind these players and umpires that fans come to see the game, not them. And if you say the fans come to see the players, the obvious truth is fans come to see the players play baseball- not make a mockery of the sport.

LAST YEAR'S NMA 5 FINALIST AND WINNER

In my opinion, there is no doubt that Nyjer Morgan made a mockery of baseball with his actions in the Nationals/ Marlins game and then again during the 2011 Pennant Race between the Brewers and Cardinals. In fact, perhaps it was Morgan that willed the Cardinals to victory by saying so coyly that the Cardinals should enjoy watching the playoffs from TV. Of course, the Cardinals won the World Series that season. It is my intention to call out the biggest boneheads of the 2014 season. Because of that, I only came up with a top 4 as opposed to the top 5 from last year.

4. Yunel Escobar, SS, Tampa Bay Rays- Similar to the situation during the 2013 World Baseball Classic which netted Luis Cruz the NMA for last season, Escobar was involved in taking an extra base when a game had seemed to be already decided. The only difference was the rules in the WBC stated that tiebreakers were based on the total amount of runs scored. In the WBC case, it was a misunderstanding. Escobar was clearly aware of the game and how it was not necessary to take the extra base. However, it probably wasn't the biggest bush league move as the Rays were up 8-3 in the bottom of the 7th inning. That being said, taking that extra base was not necessary and it was understood why the Red Sox dugout was ticked off.
I would have been easier on Escobar if he simply ignored the jawing from the dugout. Once he decided to fight back, he clearly went into the wrong in my opinion. And therefore, he gets a nomination on my NMA Bonehead of the Year.
3. Manny Machado, 3B, Baltimore Orioles- Few players in baseball had as disappointing a season than Machado. Between having a difficult time recovering from knee surgery he had in the off season. His last game was played on August 11 as he missed the rest of the regular season and the entire postseason. Machado was running the bases in a game against the Oakland Athletics and was trying to avoid a tag from Athletics 3B Josh Donaldson. Donaldson applied the tag and Machado confronted the Atheltics 3B for tagging him too hard.
That would be enough to end the situation. Machado's next at bat was against LHP Fernando Abad. Abad threw a pitch inside, followed by a pitch that may have been inside, but Machado was able to get a full swing in. He intentionally let go of his bat, sending it in the direction of Donaldson. Machado was ejected from the game for his actions and later suspended 5 games by MLB. Machado seemed as if he hadn't forgotten his scuffle with Donaldson, but later said he was intending to throw the bat in the direction of Abad.
2. Joe West, umpire- Last year, two umpires were nominated for this award, with Angel Hernandez and Tom Hallion making the list. Year in and year out it is easy to find a couple of incidents not handled professionally by West. Joe West is the prime example of an umpire that thinks the fans pay money to see him. He is not the star of the show, yet he really thinks he is.
West's actions that made the 2014 list happened in a game where a player was in the process of making a fool of himself. The Marlins were in Philadelphia and the Phillies had brought in closer Jonathan Papelbon to close a 4-1 game. Things did not go right and Papelbon had already given up the lead, taken out with the Marlins ahead 5-4. As expected, the Phillies fans let their closer have it as he came off the field. Papelbon did cross the line with his obscene gesture to the fans. This was enough for Papelbon to have to face the music for what he did. At this point, what was done had been done. Not in the eyes of the game's biggest narcissist.
West once again made the game about him, deciding to throw Papelbon out of the game. It may have had some credence had Papelbon not already been taken out of the game. The prime example of a redundant act. It wasn't as if Papelbon was not headed to the clubhouse anyways. You think he was going to stay in the dugout after such a performance?
1. Carlos Gomez, OF, Milwaukee Brewers- Gomez could have very well made the list last season. I held him off because there were bigger boneheads than him last season plus the fact that the award is named after a fellow former Brewers OF Nyjer Morgan. His actions in the game against the Braves and pitcher Paul Maholm were unacceptable, but he was taken off the hook because it was the second time Braves C Brian McCann had gotten in the face of a runner jogging home after hitting a HR.
Gomez admits he is prone to getting into fights because his androgen level gets quite high (wikipedia.org). Standing at the plate and admiring a home run is something we commonly see in the game today. However, if the ball does not leave the yard it has to be an embarrassing feeling. In addition, you showed up the other team and they have the right to say something to you as you stop at the base you ended up at. In this case, Gomez made it to third and apparently did not like what Pirates RHP Garrett Cole had to say as Cole walked back to the mound. Gomez would end up in a rage, flipping out trying to take on anybody that was in his way. Add in his actions in 2013 and Carlos Gomez is your 2014 recipient of the Nyjer Morgan Award. If this award was actually handed out, I would have Morgan hand it out to his former teammate. Gomez would probably feel it was an honor.

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Will there ever be another Hall of Fame umpire?

7/15/2014

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Imagine a time where the level of play on a MLB field has become mediocre. I can see it now in light of the amount of injuries both position players and pitchers are suffering in the game today. Perhaps it is an overstatement that players are suffering more serious injuries in the game than ever before. Even though we do not want to discuss this aspect of what has happened to the game, two things have contributed to some of the injuries the game has had. It has been a proven fact that players who are on performance enhancing drugs have a bigger chance of getting injured. Also, the fact that MLB has banned amphetamines has led to more players getting injured as well. Because of that, there will never be another player who will be considered an ironman. And what happens if that is just the beginning? Could we get to a time where star players are held back to just 8-10 year careers? Then 7-9? If that happens, there would exist a chance that there will be no Hall of Fame players from this generation and beyond.
What I just said sounds a little crazy, but it has already happened in the world of umpires. The fact that the quality of umpires has been so watered down added to the fact that their jobs are being taken away by instant replay has made it very difficult for the best of the umpires to stand out. Some umpires, such as Bob Davidson, Tom Hallion and Joe West, think the way to be known as a great umpire is to get your name in the newspapers (or internet). Even though most people familiar with MLB know who the three mentioned are, none of the above are considered good at what they do.
Looking back at the days of yesteryear, umpires were known for the great work they did. Hank O'Day was recently selected into the Hall and in 2011, the more contemporary Doug Harvey entered. I have talked about some of the best over the last several years on both my show and through my blog, including Bill Klem and Jocko Conlan. But to me, there was not a better and more impact-full umpire in the history of the game than Tom Connolly. He umpired in the NL from 1898-1900 and in the AL from 1901-1931. He saw the game go from a single umpire, to two, to three to four. Four was considered too many, according to Connolly. He was the single umpire of the first ever AL game on April 24, 1901. Connolly also umpired the first ever games at Commiskey Park, Shibe Park (later known as Connie Mack Stadium), Yankee Stadium as well as Fenway Park. Connie Mack was influential in Connolly getting the job in the new AL. Umpires were treated as subhumans, often having to deal with violence and in some cases, having to fear for there own lives. Where Connolly came from in the NL forced him to have to live with the same fear. A fear that would have to exist because Major League Baseball and the National League often sided with the players and the managers as opposed to the umpires.
What Connolly had looked for was a league that had his back and that would be willing to enforce his (and the other umpires) decisions. That was the reason Connolly quit being an NL umpire in 1900. American League President Ban Johnson assured Connolly he would be respected for the job he had to do and his decisions would be back by Johnson's office. That started Connolly's 31 year run as an umpire in the American League.
Exactly 100 years ago today, during a complete game shutout thrown by Boston's Dutch Leonard, Connolly threw eight players out of the game, all from the Boston Red Sox bench, as he grew tired of the steady jockeying from the bench. This was not a common occurrence for Connolly, who unlike West and Davidson, never made the game about himself. Though in his first season as an AL umpire he ejected more players and managers than other umpire (10), he once made it through a stretch of 10 seasons without ejecting anybody. He changed the perception of umpires as whipping boys and commanded and earned respect of most everybody among players and managers.
Due to the mass resignation of umpires in 1999 and its acceptance by MLB, the game has seen a watered down version of overseers of its game. With the emergence of instant replay and its recent expanded version, umpires have less to do with its outcome. It is difficult to name the top umpires in the game today. Perhaps they are the ones who don't get their names in the postgame reports. I find it very difficult to see any of the umpires in the game today getting consideration for Baseball's Hall of Fame. Partially because their impact has been taken away. For all the reasons I have mentioned, unless the Veterans Committee elects another umpire from the past generations, we have seen the last set of umpires enshrined in the Hall.

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2013's MLB Bonehead of the Year, the 1st annual "NMA"

12/21/2013

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There have been few MLB players who I have been more critical of than former Pirates, Nationals and Brewers OF Nyjer Morgan. And perhaps it is something I should back off soon. As it has been announced that Morgan will not return to the Japanese Yokohama team next season, there is a good chance he will land a job back in major league baseball as a 4th OF or even a platoon starting situation in the right spot. In that regard, I wish him the best. He is still a very serviceable player who put up decent to good numbers at Yokohama. I am presented my own award, which goes to the biggest bonehead of the MLB season, and I am calling it the "Nyjer Morgan Award", presented by www.johnpielli.com.
I guess my disdain for @theRealTPlush comes from a series of incidents that happened within a little more than a year from each other. There was his barreling over of a defenseless catcher who was nowhere near the plate against the Marlins. While playing for the Nationals, his hit on Brett Hayes was uncalled for. What was worse was his reaction after being hit in retaliation for it, which escalated the situation. I am not saying he should have taken it, but to show up the team by stealing bases in a meaningless time of the game added to the fact that he was already wrong by hitting the catcher for no reason. If that was the one time he brought the negative vibes to himself, I could deal with it. Then there was him sticking his head into the Brewers/ Cardinals rivalry of 2011. His unprovoked shouting match with Cardinals RHP Chris Carpenter seemed like a cry for attention, and maybe an attempt to prove himself as a "Brewer". With the fact that Carpenter has a reputation for antagonizing opposing players, that was another situation where if it was isolated, it would have been forgotten. Then there was the bold statements regarding the Cardinals playoff chances, which in itself simply made him look foolish. The Cardinals defeated the Brewers to win the NL Pennant and eventually the 2011 World Series. Add in the fact that he intentionally yelled "fuck yeah" knowing it was going to be heard on air on TBS, I have found it very difficult to endear myself to this man. Perhaps if he signed with my favorite baseball team, the New York Mets, I would give it one last chance.
But Nyjer Morgan is not the only associated with MLB that stands out as being a bonehead. 2013 was full of moments like that, from Mets SS Ruben Tejada's overall cocky attitude almost costing him a job to some of the umpires either doing a terrible job at what they get paid to do or going on a world tour with the hopes that the general public knows their name. I came up with the five biggest boneheads in MLB for the 2013 season. But, before I get into them, here are some honorable mentions:
Brewers OF Carlos Gomez was clearly in the wrong when he took his grudge with Braves LHP Paul Maholm too far in a game in Milwaukee. Starting a fight with the entire Atlanta Braves team did not make Gomez look good, but to this point, this is the only time I have seen Carlos Gomez act that way.
Dodgers OF Yasiel Puig burst onto the scene and pretty much saved the Los Angeles Dodgers 2013 season. He did not do it without some questionable hick-ups though. The fact that he became enraged during an altercation with the Arizona Diamondbacks is justified as he was hit in the face. His lack of hustle and overstated bravado have made him as many enemies as fans.
Mets infielder Jordany Valdespin has hopefully learned his lesson after running himself off the New York Mets. He has not proven himself to be an MLB player, let alone one who can spout off at veteran teammates and then his manager after being sent down to AAA. Getting popped for a 50 game PED suspension did not help.
However, the Mets players and perhaps management decided to isolate Valdespin, which put them in the fire. They deserved some criticism for allowing Jordany to get hit by Pirates RHP Bryan Morris in a game after Valdespin admired a HR in a game that had been decided already. Valdespin should not have done what he did, but to let the Pirates discipline him made the Mets look small.
Marlins RHP Jose Fernandez showed up the Braves a little bit in a game this past season. I did not look at this as a serious bonehead move, but one that should be stated. Braves 3B Chris Johnson looked just as silly when he involved himself, then intentionally took a scared route around all the players. (It was clear he wanted to speak but wanted to nothing to do with backing up what he had to say.)
I am sure many others can be mentioned in regards to incidents that happened this season, so feel free to let me know. Before I get into my top five, I need to mention the consistent bad performance of umpire CB Bucknor, a man who I am sure tries very hard, but he is among the worst at what he does. Without further due, here are my top five boneheads of 2013 in MLB.
5. Carlos Quentin, OF, San Diego Padres: I would have ranked him a little higher as my initial reaction to his actions in the LA game had me more upset than I currently am. But, Carlos Quentin had no reason to rush the mound after he was hit by the Zack Greinke. While stating he was hit by Greinke twice before, he failed to acknowledge the fact that he stands closer to the plate than any other MLB hitter and is frequently among the most hit batters in all of MLB. If he has such a problem getting hit, maybe it is time to back off the plate.
4. Umpire Tom Hallion: Hallion has had enough of a reputation for being a hothead. Maybe he simply needs some anger management. However, his actions during a Rays game in Chicago simply make Hallion look silly. After what arguably seemed like a small strike zone by Rays LHP David Price, it seemed like Price composed himself professionally walking off the field after the 7th and final inning of his outing. Was he happy? No, but he did nothing to show up Hallion. Hallion took his mask and said, "Throw the fucking ball over the plate!", enraging the Rays bench and leading to his subsequent ejection of Rays RHP Jeremy Hellickson. Hallion then called Price and the Rays bench a "liar" when asked about it after the game. My two cents: The Rays bench would not have reacted the way it did had Hallion not made that statement. Fans come out to see the players play baseball, not Tom Hallion.
3. Umpire Angel Hernandez: This will be my final time I cite a MLB umpire in this piece (#HoldUmpiresAccountable). Similar to Bucknor, there is no doubt that Angel Hernandez is one of the worst at doing his job. This was something known prior to his actions in a game between the Oakland Athletics and Cleveland Indians when he was named temporary crew chief when Gerry Davis was unable to participate in Oakland. A ball hit by Athletics infielder Adam Rosales was ruled a double on the field when there was uncertainty over whether it went over the HR line or not. The umpires went to watch the video replay of it, which should have shown inconclusively that the ball hit the railing above the yellow line over the fence in right center field. As the crew chief, Hernandez refused to overturn the improper call. After ejecting Athletics manager Bob Melvin, MLB determined that Hernandez made the incorrect call, even though instant replay was used.
2. Brian McCann, catcher, Atlanta Braves: I, personally, like the fact that Brian McCann defends his teammates and has the reputation for being a very good leader. That should translate well to his new team, the New York Yankees. And the two particular incidents were provoked by Jose Fernandez and Carlos Gomez, respectively. But, McCann does look like a bonehead after taking it upon himself to be the police on the diamond. Many players show up the opposition by admiring home runs, and in my opinion, Fernandez did nothing more than what guys like Yasiel Puig and David Ortiz do on a nightly basis. If the first instance does not happen, the second is not blown up as much as it was. I thought McCann overreacted with the Fernandez situation, though he was correct with the way he handled the Gomez one. And while I admire McCann for defending his teammates, there is no one MLB player in charge of morality.
1. Luis Cruz, 3B, team Mexico in WBC, Dodgers, Yankees: I find it amazing that the biggest bonehead in 2013 happened to be over an incident during MLB's spring training. I figured somebody would have topped it during the long MLB season, and subsequent postseason. But Cruz, who currently is not playing for a MLB team and was let go twice during the season, still owns the prize. Not only did Cruz provoke a nasty brawl between team Mexico and team Canada, but the fact that he did not understand the rules of the tournament made him look even more foolish. After Canada OF Shane Robinson laid down a bunt to reach via a hit while Canada held a decisive lead, Cruz openly signaled to his pitcher to hit the next batter. The rules of the tournament stated that if teams finished with the same records, one of the ways of determining which team moved on was total runs scored. Cruz' voice was heard, which led to three pitches being thrown inside to the next batter, the last which incited the aggressive brawl between the two teams. Cruz recently signed a contract with the Chiba Lotte Marines of the Japanese Professional League.
Perhaps I missed some other boneheads in MLB in 2013. Feel free to comment if there are any that strike your ire. Just remember, bitter feelings towards a manager for a team not doing well really dont count. Neither do underachieving players. Congratulations to Luis Cruz on winning the first annual "Nyjer Morgan Award", presented by www.johnpielli.com.

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Umpire's suspension step in right direction for MLB

5/13/2013

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     The performance of MLB umpires this seasons has hit a point where it may be considered an all time low. While short fuses and umpires baiting players have been serious issues for years now, the simple not understanding of a rule was put to the forefront of the Angels/ Astros game on Thursday. Astros manager Bo Porter went out to make a pitching change and Angels manager Mike Scioscia countered with a pinch hitter. After the pinch hitter was announced, Porter made a pitching change, something that is against the rules.
Rule 3.05 (b) states a pitcher inserted into the game must face at least one batter, unless unless injury or illness prevents him from doing so.
    Fieldin Culbreth, in his first year as a MLB crew chief, allowed the second change to take place. He was suspended for two games for failing to enforce the rule. While Culbreth has a reputation for being one of the leagues' better umpires, I applaud MLB for taking action. He has umpired two World Series, something given as a reward to umpires for good work. Yes, I would have rather seen an umpire who has been known to have a history of poor job performance get the suspended, but the fact that the suspension was made public is a sign umpires are being held accountable for their mistakes.
    The error in the Angels/ Astros game comes less than a week after Angel Hernandez and his crew made the incorrect call on an instant replay. A ball that Adam Rosales hit went over the fence but was ruled a double. The crew looked at the replay and though video evidence showed the ball went over the fence, the call was not reversed.
    I have always been more in favor of umpire accountability than expanded instant replay. However, the umpires have the responsibility of at least knowing the rules. The fact that this part has been lacking is baffling. While judgement calls can be disputed, there is no excuse for non-interpretation of rules and failing to over-rule an obvious call with instant replay. These actions have almost changed my opinion on instant replay.
   My philosophy has always been to treat the umpires like players and managers. If an umpire does not get the job done, they should replaced. Bad players eventually lose their jobs. Bad managers always lose their jobs. Why don't bad umpires? Since that will probably never happen, I now agree more responsibility should be taken away from them.
     Just a recap of some of the umpires worst performances in 2013 in addition to the two before mentioned. Tom Hallion decided to bait Rays pitcher David Price, chasing him to the dugout using profanities. John Hirschbeck, with an unhappy Bryce Harper disgusted after a call third strike, chose to get in his face before ejecting him. Marty Foster helped Joe Nathan get his 300th save by calling strike three on a pitch way off the plate.
   As much as MLB needs to see a better job out of its umpiring, I am compassionate towards guys like Culbreth and Jim Joyce, who made an honest mistake in the Armando Galarraga perfect game. Hopefully MLB takes care of a prima donna like Bob Davidson, who to my delight, was suspended last season for reoccurring improper conduct. Nobody comes to the ballpark to see the umpires. It is time to eliminate the ones who cannot get that through their thick skulls. Hopefully publicly announced suspensions will begin the progressive discipline these umpires deserve.

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2014's MLB Bonehead of the Year, the 2nd annual "NMA"

Will there ever be another Hall of Fame umpire?

2013's MLB Bonehead of the Year, the 1st annual "NMA"

Umpire's suspension step in right direction for MLB

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