https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/32338710/record-breaking-umpire-joe-west-retire-postseason
All things considered a very storied career. Angel Hernandez should be next.
Cowboy Joe West Rides Off Into The Sunset
- Thread starter mauidano
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https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/32338710/record-breaking-umpire-joe-west-retire-postseason
All things considered a very storied career. Angel Hernandez should be next.
West is 68 and not in great shape. Angel is 60 and looks 10 years younger. MLB introducing robot umps is the only way we'll be rid of Angel calling balls and strikes anytime soon.
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/32338710/record-breaking-umpire-joe-west-retire-postseason
All things considered a very storied career. Angel Hernandez should be next.
I have him down with three good calls. One was being part of the over-ruling of Belhorn's home run originally called a double. Two was slappy. Three was fan interference against the Astros.
I loved his interview after the Astros call. When asked why he called it, he basically said "The guy jumped to catch the ball and the fan reached into the field and hit his glove, so it's spectator interference." They kept trying to ask him all this shit about whether he's seen the video or whatever and he just was like, yeah, that's what I called and that's what it was.
I know people hated him because he was so itchy to toss guys at time and gave off the vibe that he thought he was more important than the game, but I think all that's bullshit. I think he had the right temperament to make hard calls in big spots in big games, especially in the pre-video era, and truly not give a shit. I saw it, I called it.
I loved his interview after the Astros call. When asked why he called it, he basically said "The guy jumped to catch the ball and the fan reached into the field and hit his glove, so it's spectator interference." They kept trying to ask him all this shit about whether he's seen the video or whatever and he just was like, yeah, that's what I called and that's what it was.
I know people hated him because he was so itchy to toss guys at time and gave off the vibe that he thought he was more important than the game, but I think all that's bullshit. I think he had the right temperament to make hard calls in big spots in big games, especially in the pre-video era, and truly not give a shit. I saw it, I called it.
Tito summed it up perfectly earlier this year (when West called an out on a ball that dropped on the warning track and then decided on his own where the runners should be and how many outs there were):
"Why do these things always happen when you're the umpire?".
"Why do these things always happen when you're the umpire?".
I‘ll say this in any thread where it’s remotely relevant: robo balls/strikes calling needs to be urgently implemented. Whatever kinks might need to be worked out over time to that system, the travesty of watching so many terrible calls in real time on tv is discrediting the game every half inning by half inning.
d'oh… you're absolutely right. I got their stubbornness to admit they're wrong confused.
At the US Open tennis tournament, where they didn’t even have line judges or challenges, no one missed them and the matches just zipped along cuz there’s nothing to argue about. It was so much better for both the players and fans, and the same would be true on balls/strikes where crap like framing pitches, following angles and speeds umps can’t possibly see clearly and just incompetence no longer matter.
Yes, and actually it was funny, sometimes the players wanted to argue but then they quickly realized there was no one to complain to and they just moved on.
He was also the 2b umpire for the Dave Roberts steal. That was an extremely close play in a high pressure situation and he deserves credit for getting it right.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQyY-azd2vk
Fucking Jeter with the fist pump on this. Amazing that guy has skated free as a good sport.
Fucking Jeter with the fist pump on this. Amazing that guy has skated free as a good sport.
Frankly it's absurd how much they let managers argue in the majors, especially after replays. Such a waste of time.
View: https://youtu.be/YkXPxy_e1sI
The amazing thing is, that joe west and his crew got both of the calls right in 2004. Four years before mlb even had an official replay review mechanism (for home runs) and TEN YEARS before the a-rod play would have been reviewable. And MLB was the last of the major US sports to even implement replay.
I dislike Jeter as much as the next guy, but he wouldn't have seen the slap. He was worried about getting to 2nd at the moment
It wasn't controversial at all, but remember that he also made this call:
View: https://youtu.be/EMEylcp7E7s
View: https://youtu.be/EMEylcp7E7s
Man, short of a pitch out you couldn’t have asked for a better pitch to try to catch a runner than that. What an amazing play. With the jump he got it shouldn’t have been close.
I always hear people say that every time they see the replay, they think he's going to be called out. I don't feel that way. But...
Every time I see Mueller's line drive, I think Rivera is going to stab it and turn it into a double play at 2nd.
Every time I see Mueller's line drive, I think Rivera is going to stab it and turn it into a double play at 2nd.
Considering how many times umpires fuck things up to help the MFYs especially at the Toilet (Really how did none of you morons see what that punk Jeffrey Maier did?) Game 6 was remarkable. Joe West could get every call wrong since then and he'd still be a legend.
This, 1000Xs This - and as far as I’m concerned they NEVER overturned calls, either. MLB was asking them to huddle up on close plays when an ump thought he might not have gotten a good view, but the huddles always looked like meetings to figure out how to defend the initial call, since that was what always happened.
In 2004 in a hostile ballpark they huddled and reversed twice. If it only happened once you could say “there goes West making himself part of the story again,” but doing it twice is about integrity. Sure, he was full of himself too, but he was also a good ump.
Angel Hernandez sucks but CV Bucknor should be next if he’s still around. He is actually worse.
West is a loss for the league.
West is a loss for the league.
I will never be convinced that there was not an unofficial use of replay on those calls. Sox Yankees, big stage, and pressure to get it right. I mean I have no recollection of umps huddling and changing any calls before or (until replay) since. Really easy to have a guy in the crowd who gets a text message and gives a signal, especially on the HR. MLB had an interest in fairness, but a game 7 of the Yankees and Sox would be such an even tI doubt they wanted it stopped by a bad call.
Good call on Bucknor—he had that same macho act as Hernandez.
I can remember a game where Crisp I think it was, called out on a terrible strike call - Sox down to last out—Lugo then got a first strike and said something. Bucknor called strikes on the next two pitches, way out of the zone - dramatically punched out Lugo, stuck out his chest, and strutted off the field. Blatantly vindictive at the nerve of the Sox to question his calls.
This happened in the first inning of the 2013 WS when they were gonna call Pedroia out on Ortiz's fielder's choice, but Kozma dropped the ball. Umpires huddled and reversed, no replay in the game that year (though I'm sure it was on the jumbotron).
Joe West is launching a baseball podcast
https://myemail.constantcontact.com/Former-MLB-Umpire--Cowboy--Joe-West-Joins-Podcast-Heat.html?soid=1138003958597&aid=evIW56hcygk
https://myemail.constantcontact.com/Former-MLB-Umpire--Cowboy--Joe-West-Joins-Podcast-Heat.html?soid=1138003958597&aid=evIW56hcygk