Umpire Joe West suspended for bad-mouthing Texas Rangers’ Adrian Beltre
Big league umpire Joe West celebrated his 5,000th game this summer but is in the news today for getting suspended for three games for publicly dissing Texas Rangers’ third baseman Adrian Beltre as being the “biggest complainer” in the game, according to an August 8 report from NBC Sports. When West was being interviewed following his 5,000th game by USA Today Sports and was asked to reflect on some of his most memorable MLB players, West wasted no time bringing up Beltre.
“It’s got to be Adrian Beltre. Every pitch you call that’s a strike, he says, “Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!” I had a game with him recently and the pitch was right down the middle. He tells me, “that ball is outside.” I told him, “You may be a great ballplayer, but you’re the worst umpire in the league. You stink.” ~ USA Today Sports
Even though West later came back to say that he and the third baseman are on friendly terms, his public remarks regarding Beltre netted him a three-game suspension. The World Umpires Association, the union representing West and the umpires, came out to decry that suspension stating that “Joe West is the most senior umpire in our ranks, having served MLB since 1976, under six different baseball commissioners. Joe has upheld the rules of fair play for more than 5,000 Major League Baseball games, and is on his way to the record for most career games ever worked by an MLB umpire. He should be on the field today,” according to a twitter quote attributed to writer Evan Grant from the Dallas Morning News.
In support of the 64-year-old umpire, MSN came out to say that West was just speaking his mind and that he simply “told the reporter what he was really thinking. He also found out why pro athletes don’t usually speak their minds.” West began serving his three game suspension on August 8. And even though Beltre may be the game’s “biggest complainer” in West’s estimation, he’s still the all-time hits leader among Dominican-born players playing today in the MLB.
Written by: Ace News Today Staff
