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Tim Welke ejects a fan from WAS-ATL game


MikeSafari
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No video on MLB.com yet so this will have to do: http://tinypic.com/player.php?v=34hxav6&s=8#.VBkM3fldWbY

Just after the first pitch we see in the video, you can hear someone yelling at Harper, "you F*#King suck F*#King piece of SH*#." Then Tim Welke yells over to an usher to "Get rid of that guy. Get rid of him. Now."

 

Good move from Welke. What a douchenozzle.

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I just don't agree with umpires having this authority outside of the field of play. Now if there is someone creating an unsafe environment for play then I think the umpire should have authority to have something done. In my 15 years, I have never once thought about ejecting a fan or someone not coaching or playing for a team. If you have rabbit ears, you're going to hear lots of stuff over your career to get your a little peeved. Unless there was some physical threat or some effect to the game, I think Welke overstepped his bounds here.

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I just don't agree with umpires having this authority outside of the field of play. Now if there is someone creating an unsafe environment for play then I think the umpire should have authority to have something done. In my 15 years, I have never once thought about ejecting a fan or someone not coaching or playing for a team. If you have rabbit ears, you're going to hear lots of stuff over your career to get your a little peeved. Unless there was some physical threat or some effect to the game, I think Welke overstepped his bounds here.

Impressive. 15 years and you never had a vulgar parent/fan that needed to be removed by the TD or stadium staff? In this case, stadium security was slow to do anything about it, and Welke made sure he was removed. I applaud him. How would you like to be sitting in those seats with your 8-9 year old kid and having to be subjected to hearing that? He had to go. Welke expedited the process. 

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Rich I had an umpire turn around on my watching a nieces tournament game when I yelled something as a fan just to the effect of be in position to make that call and was told I was removed from the facility. I didn't cuss. I didn't say anything disparaging. If someone is saying something at a major league game, then it is up to parents or people there to complain and let security handle it. That in no way falls in the authority and job description of an umpire. That is my opinion. I do not agree and will never agree with umpires thinking their authority extends into the stands except in issues of player and crew safety.

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Rich I had an umpire turn around on my watching a nieces tournament game when I yelled something as a fan just to the effect of be in position to make that call and was told I was removed from the facility. I didn't cuss. I didn't say anything disparaging. If someone is saying something at a major league game, then it is up to parents or people there to complain and let security handle it. That in no way falls in the authority and job description of an umpire. That is my opinion. I do not agree and will never agree with umpires thinking their authority extends into the stands except in issues of player and crew safety.

Fair enough. I'm not doing professional level ball, but if I have a fan acting this way I'm calling on field management/TD to remove a vulgar/persistent fan. I'm not "ejecting", but I am alerting the proper authorities that this person needs to be removed before the game continues. If none are there, I'm telling the coach to get his fans under control. If he doesn't, I'll do the ejection myself. Again, not comparing rec/travel/youth tournies to Milb or MLB, but I do think Welke is within his rights to make sure stadium security takes care of the situation.

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Rich I had an umpire turn around on my watching a nieces tournament game when I yelled something as a fan just to the effect of be in position to make that call and was told I was removed from the facility. I didn't cuss. I didn't say anything disparaging. If someone is saying something at a major league game, then it is up to parents or people there to complain and let security handle it. That in no way falls in the authority and job description of an umpire. That is my opinion. I do not agree and will never agree with umpires thinking their authority extends into the stands except in issues of player and crew safety.

Please tell me you are not an umpire showing up at games and yelling at the umpires? Why would you say anything at all?

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Rich I had an umpire turn around on my watching a nieces tournament game when I yelled something as a fan just to the effect of be in position to make that call and was told I was removed from the facility. I didn't cuss. I didn't say anything disparaging. If someone is saying something at a major league game, then it is up to parents or people there to complain and let security handle it. That in no way falls in the authority and job description of an umpire. That is my opinion. I do not agree and will never agree with umpires thinking their authority extends into the stands except in issues of player and crew safety.

Please tell me you are not an umpire showing up at games and yelling at the umpires? Why would you say anything at all?

 

You beat me to it Magic!

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Rich I had an umpire turn around on my watching a nieces tournament game when I yelled something as a fan just to the effect of be in position to make that call and was told I was removed from the facility. I didn't cuss. I didn't say anything disparaging. If someone is saying something at a major league game, then it is up to parents or people there to complain and let security handle it. That in no way falls in the authority and job description of an umpire. That is my opinion. I do not agree and will never agree with umpires thinking their authority extends into the stands except in issues of player and crew safety.

:no:  :shakehead:  :no:  :shakehead:  :no:  :shakehead:  :no:  :shakehead:

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See here is what frustrates me about this umpire forum and I have been on here a long time without ever commenting on anything....a lot of you seem to think you are above reproach and you refuse to admit you can make mistakes and make bad judgments. If you think no fan should ever yell anything about come on blue or anything like that, you are too arrogant to save at this point. Yes, I am an umpire. No I sure as hell don't think umpires are always right because they aren't. They do the best they can but if I were watching a game that my kids are playing in, I absolutely would say something if I think an umpire wasn't hustling or in position to make a call. Maybe you guys wouldn't. Umpires aren't above the law or infallible like I feel some of you think you are sometimes. If you feel like a fan or a coach(even one who is an umpire) can't ever say anything while watching a game when an umpire boots a call or doesn't hustle and is out of position (and I'm not talking about cussing or anything disparaging or showing up the umpire ), then I will just agree to disagree. There are too many hyper sensitive umpires out there including in the major leagues. I have tossed plenty of guys in my years of umpiring but I don't go looking for it. In the last few years, I feel like more and more I see some of these umpires kicking calls and then giving someone a quick hook when they come out to argue. For the love of God, if you kick a call you better be able to take a little bit of heat within reason and make an effort to not toss a guy for your mistake unless they leave you no option but to. Just my two cents......

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See here is what frustrates me about this umpire forum and I have been on here a long time without ever commenting on anything....a lot of you seem to think you are above reproach and you refuse to admit you can make mistakes and make bad judgments. If you think no fan should ever yell anything about come on blue or anything like that, you are too arrogant to save at this point. Yes, I am an umpire. No I sure as hell don't think umpires are always right because they aren't. They do the best they can but if I were watching a game that my kids are playing in, I absolutely would say something if I think an umpire wasn't hustling or in position to make a call. Maybe you guys wouldn't. Umpires aren't above the law or infallible like I feel some of you think you are sometimes. If you feel like a fan or a coach(even one who is an umpire) can't ever say anything while watching a game when an umpire boots a call or doesn't hustle and is out of position (and I'm not talking about cussing or anything disparaging or showing up the umpire ), then I will just agree to disagree. There are too many hyper sensitive umpires out there including in the major leagues. I have tossed plenty of guys in my years of umpiring but I don't go looking for it. In the last few years, I feel like more and more I see some of these umpires kicking calls and then giving someone a quick hook when they come out to argue. For the love of God, if you kick a call you better be able to take a little bit of heat within reason and make an effort to not toss a guy for your mistake unless they leave you no option but to. Just my two cents......

Umpires are a fraternity. Very difficult to be an umpire and throw other umpires under the bus publicly. Do you yell at your partner during a game when he is out of position? I would hope not. That's what you are doing as a 'fan'. You are publicly questioning a partner's call and now acting exactly like the coach that introduces himself by saying "I used to umpire...."

I'll be the first to say that most of those 'quick hook' ejections have nothing to do with an umpire being unable to admit he's wrong. Those ejections stem from coaches not knowing how to argue - and by argue, I mean to have an adult conversation.

'A lot of us' understand these concepts.

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See here is what frustrates me about this umpire forum and I have been on here a long time without ever commenting on anything....a lot of you seem to think you are above reproach and you refuse to admit you can make mistakes and make bad judgments. If you think no fan should ever yell anything about come on blue or anything like that, you are too arrogant to save at this point. Yes, I am an umpire. No I sure as hell don't think umpires are always right because they aren't. They do the best they can but if I were watching a game that my kids are playing in, I absolutely would say something if I think an umpire wasn't hustling or in position to make a call. Maybe you guys wouldn't. Umpires aren't above the law or infallible like I feel some of you think you are sometimes. If you feel like a fan or a coach(even one who is an umpire) can't ever say anything while watching a game when an umpire boots a call or doesn't hustle and is out of position (and I'm not talking about cussing or anything disparaging or showing up the umpire ), then I will just agree to disagree. There are too many hyper sensitive umpires out there including in the major leagues. I have tossed plenty of guys in my years of umpiring but I don't go looking for it. In the last few years, I feel like more and more I see some of these umpires kicking calls and then giving someone a quick hook when they come out to argue. For the love of God, if you kick a call you better be able to take a little bit of heat within reason and make an effort to not toss a guy for your mistake unless they leave you no option but to. Just my two cents......

This is not blind loyalty.  What do you accomplish by yelling at the umpire?  What has been accomplished when you were yelled at?  Did you change your call?  Did you stand up and apologize to the crowd for being in a bad position?

 

Get real!  There are enough morons out there that yell to hear their own voice.  

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At a tournament, there was an intense call at 1B of Safe, based on obstruction. I don't remember the particulars, just remember the fallout – a fan went bonkers. He was seated just behind the backstop on 3BLX. The call in the field was my call. I even checked with PU partner about what he saw, just to make sure the call was right. I even did all the discussion with the coaches, who were questioning, but civil and understanding. All this time, my partner (who is younger and less experienced, which probably fueled this jack@$$'s outburst) is in the vicinity of home plate, trying to ignore this dipsh!t who is going on, and on... and on... and on... and on... 

 

And while _most_ of that ranting should be (and usually is) heard as "blah blah blah blah", much like a Charlie Brown adults-are-speaking-now bit, I'm picking up the following magic words – "I've" "been" "umpire" "I" "know" "the" "rules" – coming from that effusive blowhard. My partner is doing the proper thing, and not engaging him, but by being ignored, he's just escalating his volume and frequency. I can see from B position that my partner is having a difficult time getting the ballgame to recommence, so I walk over to the DT's dugout, and summon the HC. I say exactly this, "Coach, this is not on you, because you and I have an understanding. But this game isn't going to resume until your fan is dealt with. Understood?" He nodded, and went and took care of it.

 

My partner gave me the appreciative "Good call" fist bump, and "Play!"

 

There's something in your post, @kufan1978, that perturbs me. I've been sitting here, staring at the screen, for the past 10 minutes, and I'll do my "best" to address it... 

 

[snip]... Yes, I am an umpire. No I sure as hell don't think umpires are always right because they aren't. They do the best they can but if I were watching a game that my kids are playing in, I absolutely would say something if I think an umpire wasn't hustling or in position to make a call. Maybe you guys wouldn't. Umpires aren't above the law or infallible like I feel some of you think you are sometimes. [snip] There are too many hyper sensitive umpires out there including in the major leagues. [snip] Just my two cents...

 

So if you're a police officer, or a lawyer, or a judge (or any judicial or law-enforcement job... heck, a law clerk), and your kid is in court for a traffic violation, or because they were cited for being at a party with underage drinking (a very interpretive judgement to rule upon), you're going to not only attend the court hearing, but hang on every word and ruling of the lawyers and judge, and say something if you don't agree with it??! If you were to "absolutely say something" (But Judge! You weren't there! My kid didn't drink! That officer didn't administer a breathalyzer! I would have administered one!) in that courtroom, you might find yourself in contempt of court.

 

I grant you, this parallel may be a bit of a reach, but that statement I emboldened in your quote is something that plagues this current culture – we've become helicopter parents, we bubble-wrap our kids, and we convey to them that there is no respect for authority. To a youth baseball player, the umpire is right because he (or she) is the umpire, not because they qualified on an exam, or passed a peer-review board, or they demonstrate hustle and proper positioning on every play of every game for the past six years. Your sitting beyond the fence, griping about that umpire's authority, is not doing anyone – yourself, the umpire, or your kids – any benefit whatsoever.

 

Pardon me, there's more to say on this topic, but I'm pressed for time, and must return to this later.

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LMSANS, see I don't care if a fan yells once in awhile. That's their right. I don't pay attention to it honestly.  I could care less what they say. Now, of course if that is coming out of a dugout or from my field then I will hear it and react appropriately. Now I do agree with MadMax that there could be a time where you need to approach a coach about a disruptive fan or someone who is cursing at a youth game and maybe even get a tournament director involved if necessary. I get it. But ultimately, they're fans. They are going to cheer and yell occasionally and sometimes it's going to be about us. It's not that big of a deal. We need to get off of our high horses sometimes and remember the game is about them. If we do our job, most the time you should hardly know we were there. Anyway, this started as a response to Welke tossing a fan. I still just don't agree in a Major League park that an umpires authority extends to the stands. That is why they hire security and have aisle attendants. I can agree that in youth ball there can be a need for something to be handled outside of the field of play but it is not up to us to address the crowd and throw someone out or anything of that nature. 

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I am an umpire first and always, and a spectator second.  As a spectator I have nothing ever to say to an umpire, apart from 'good hustle', or 'good call'. Any criticism is given in person, in private and with their consent. 

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@kufan1978 - As others have said, you should never publically criticize other officials. In fact, in Texas, under TASO, it is an Ethics violoation: 

 

No official shall criticize any other official or any individual association within TASO in the presence of coaches, players, spectators, or the news media before, during, or after a game/match.

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