Ejection 050 - John Libka (1; Torey Lovullo)

[Lindsay]

HP Umpire John Libka ejected Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo (ball three call; QOCN) in the top of the 5th inning of the #Braves-#Diamondbacks game. With none out and none on, Braves batter Ronald Acuna took a 2-1 fastball from D-Backs pitcher Zac Gallen for a called third ball before walking...

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[Thunderheads]

yes, they're the best ....but that's bad umpire optics right there ....

[dumbdumb]

18 hours ago, Thunderheads said:

yes, they're the best ....but that's bad umpire optics right there ....

just a question about the different optics situations.

so how do they get good optics when players say your a no good (add anyone of those George Carlin phrases) when they are turned halfway and fully turned by time you can eject them. how can you tell them to man up and say it face to face, rather than cheap shop as they turn to make the umpire look like the aggressor (must be a player, coach school for that, just like the optics of the left hander and the direct step school). and no one on here will talk about what little conniving things they did to umpires or their coaches did when they played and being taught to do that. anyone ever taught, or asked to do, or done on there own to let one go as a catcher???? so let's get those cheap shots players and coaches are taught to do, like the derek jeter, it hit me it hit me situation, and worse things.

so, what are some other things from cheap shot, and conniving school that have we been involved with. like saying something while hiding behind someone else, and other nefarious things done and said, etc.

[Thunderheads]

33 minutes ago, dumbdumb said:

just a question about the different optics situations.

so how do they get good optics when players say your a no good (add anyone of those George Carlin phrases) when they are turned halfway and fully turned by time you can eject them. how can you tell them to man up and say it face to face, rather than cheap shop as they turn to make the umpire look like the aggressor (must be a player, coach school for that, just like the optics of the left hander and the direct step school). and no one on here will talk about what little conniving things they did to umpires or their coaches did when they played and being taught to do that. anyone ever taught, or asked to do, or done on there own to let one go as a catcher???? so let's get those cheap shots players and coaches are taught to do, like the derek jeter, it hit me it hit me situation, and worse things.

so, what are some other things from cheap shot, and conniving school that have we been involved with. like saying something while hiding behind someone else, and other nefarious things done and said, etc.

The better choice here would have been just to dump the F1 instead of "walking out at him" (or starting to do so) ... that was the reason for the 'bad optics' comment.  Nothing else.

[ErichKeane]

1 hour ago, Thunderheads said:

The better choice here would have been just to dump the F1 instead of "walking out at him" (or starting to do so) ... that was the reason for the 'bad optics' comment.  Nothing else.

Yeah, I've seen this a bunch of times.  Pitcher does a quick turn as he says something, ump sends him.  TV announcers always say something like, "Oh, he must have said something there!".  He probably still has to toss the coach in that situation, but at least it doesn't look like he is the aggressor.

[Thunderheads]

1 minute ago, ErichKeane said:

Yeah, I've seen this a bunch of times.  Pitcher does a quick turn as he says something, ump sends him.  TV announcers always say something like, "Oh, he must have said something there!".  He probably still has to toss the coach in that situation, but at least it doesn't look like he is the aggressor.

exactly .... right there ...... ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

[beerguy55]

4 hours ago, Thunderheads said:

exactly .... right there ...... ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Everyone has a bad day, no matter how professional they are, but I'm finding many pro umpires have lost the "art" (or don't try to develop it) for reading the room, understanding game situations (ie. in determining if the pitcher tried to hit the batter), and, in this case, tying a player's reputation to the event.  Unlike Bill Klem in my signature, I get the impression that today's umps don't care how respectful, deferential, skilled or compliant a player has been in the past...and, really, it should factor in...much  like a constant complainer is going to be ignored as noise, and risks actual arguments with merit being ignored, an umpire might want to consider that a player who rarely says a word about balls/strikes might have a legit beef if he actually speaks up...or at least deserves some latitude.   This ump immediately went from zero to 11 and I suspect it was more about being shown up rather than anything really offensive coming out of the pitcher's mouth (which, I assume, if that had happened would have just led to a dumping).

 

Having said that...in today's MLB F2 is less inclined to go discreetly talk to F1 to keep him from showing up Blue...to let F1 know that he (F2) will handle the ump, discreetly -  because it counts as a conference.   After the disputed call, when F1 got heated, F2 and PU spoke...in the past F2 is going to say "let me talk him down".   That doesn't happen, so it escalates after the walk.

I'm a little surprised nobody in the league (let alone right then and there) is coming after F2 - he did technically bump the umpire.