Accountability and Umpires

In reading this title, there is a one word answer that’s resides in a great many of people’s minds: no. If you wish to add a word or even a diatribe, feel free. I choose the latter. MLB umpires aren’t held accountable for their calls or actions. At least not until recently and that was only reflective of their action…or one’s actions.

Similar to a union, the World Umpires Association (WUA) acts as a bargaining agent for MLB umps. Therefore, the WUA collectively bargains all matters between Major League Baseball and its umpires. Whenever a rule change is suggested and baseball would like to see that change implemented, the umps and their union must agree to that change as well. As we speak, there is talk of expanding replay. More on that later. A lot more…

As of late, we’ve seen too much how negotiations can go between sports leagues and their respective players. I wouldn’t think the umpires would go to the recent lengths the athletes have chosen, but you never know.

The issue of accountability. Not working too well. When an umpire obviously blows a call, we all have to live with it provided it’s a play that’s not subject to review. Baseball has many circumstances that do not permit a review. (Again, I’ll get to that later.) I don’t like sounding so terse, but that’s how it is. There is no one to answer to for botched calls. An “oh, well” attitude seemingly emerges.

The only way any call (outside of those that are subject to review along with balls and strikes and very few others) can see the hope of being reversed is if (and we know that can be a huge “if”) there is a gathering among the crew to determine the correct call. I’m sure we all want the call to be correct, and it should not matter if the change in the call benefits our favorite team. I’m a firm believer that the umps want to get every call right.

Even in the case of a review; however, there is a meeting. Then, it might be reviewed. There’s no guarantee.

You could argue that overall level of umpiring has ever so slightly declined. We constantly see, hear and read of bad calls. Especially the obvious ones. They make headlines more so than plays and players themselves. Those headlines could create a bias that the level has decreased, for sure.

Umps are human, They will make mistakes. It’s the ones that are extremely obvious that get us. Close calls will be missed for one reason or another. We do expect them to be right 100% of the time. No less. They won’t…and that’s not a negative. Here’s why.

I don’t feel nearly as enraged with a missed close call, especially those that require x-mo to determine the proper call, as I do when the call was obviously bungled.

**********

A little over a week ago, MLB suspended Balkin’ Bob Davidson for one game due to his “repeated violations” of baseball’s “standards for situation handling”. From that, I get the Davidson wasn’t playing well with others. He wanted both the shovel and pail.

According to Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post, this is the first such case where an umpire received a suspension for a poor job performance. Well, it wasn’t aimed at his calls, but more to his on-field antics conduct.

Kilgore adds that the announcement of Davidson’s suspension as “at the very least, it is the first time the league has announced such a thing”.

That door is now ajar.

There are occasions where umpires inject themselves into a game even when it’s clear no such injecting is needed. Is there ever such a time? This is mainly derived from umpires engaging in arguments with managers, players and even coaches over various issues. More times than not it is a reference to the strike zone and the inability to see it correctly. We’ll see, and if you’re in attendance, hear the screaming and yelling from both parties. Hey, it’s part of the show, isn’t it?

What’s not part of the show is when an umpire baits a player, manager or coach into an argument. When you “create” the show, that’s just not good baseball. I’ve always been a firm believer that the less you notice the officials of any sporting event, the better the officiating is.

This morning on The Dan Patrick Show, their poll question was worded as follows…

“In which sport would you most like to see officials address the media?” The choices were MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL. This poll is the creation of the events during last night’s Game 1 Eastern Conference Final between the Celtics and the Heat. The C’s were assessed three technical fouls in the second quarter. And we’ve seen similar results with baseball’s umps.

Sometimes, sports officials, regardless of the sport, believe they are the show and not the players. Do you honestly look at the crew assignments to see if “Cowboy” Joe West is on the crew and then determine that you will attend a game? Unless you’re a family member of West’s and you’re close by the stadium in which his crew is working, you’d be hard pressed to answer yes.

These days, the umps locker room is equipped with is a setup where they can review the game footage to see if there were calls that could have gone the other way. When a call is blown, they may not always fess up to the media or the teams of their poor call.

The glaring example of the polar opposite (and some would argue the correct way to handle a botched call) is that of Jim Joyce “taking” a perfect game away from Armando Galarraga with one safe call. Joyce fully admitted his folly and showed baseball’s fans that he is human, not with the emotion he displayed, but on how he issued his apology. Joyce won over many a baseball fan with this. It’s rarely, if ever, on that scale, mind you. We usually get these words through local media if we get them at all. The circumstances surrounding the Joyce missed call propelled it to heights I don’t believe anyone thought it would go.

**********

In yesterday’s game between the Detroit Tigers and the Boston Red Sox, there was an event. By now you’re probably pretty familiar with what occurred.

In the second inning, Mike Aviles swung and tipped a pitch that went into catcher Gerald Laird’s glove. With there being two strikes on Aviles, he should have been out…since that’s what the rules say. And seeing as there were two outs, the inning should have been over.

I have read a few accounts about what happened, but none match up. Home plate umpire Jeff Nelson (left) ruled that Laird did catch the ball. First base ump Bill Welke overruled Nelson by stating that Laird did not catch the ball. This telling of the events is according to ESPN’s Jayson Stark. (You’ll hear this and more later.) I’ve read another account that both Nelson and Welke ruled the ball hit the ground. I’ve also read that Nelson was unsure and asked Welke for help and that’s when Welke ruled the ball did hit the ground.

Later, Aviles said he thought the ball hit the ground. A couple of pitches later and Aviles proceeded to single to center, scoring Ryan Sweeney. Daniel Nava followed with a double, Aviles scored. Dustin Pedroia singled which plated Nava. As I’m sure you’ve fashioned, the one bad call cost the Tigers those three runs.

The final score was 7-4. Yes, the Tigers lost.

Danny Knobler of CBS Sports was at Fenway. After hearing Leyland declare the call was bad and to hold the umps responsible for the poor call, Knobler accepted the task. (I’m not sure Leyland went about this in the best way he could have though.) Here’s what happened in Knobler’s words.

"Fine, I held them accountable. I went to talk to them, told them I know they got the call wrong.And they agreed.“It’s conclusive that he caught it cleanly,” crew chief Tim Tschida said after watching the replay.Great. Now what did that accomplish?"

What is accomplished was that the umps saw the call was clearly botched. Nothing can be done and nothing will be done. Oh, the league may issue an “statement” about it to the Tigers, nothing more. We see clear, decisive evidence of a missed call and the first thing we blurt out is “That’s a call that should be reviewed!” We have to be careful in saying this. Baby steps.

But as settings such as this arise, those two words will continually surface the more we see blown calls: instant replay.

And I will note that Tschida was the third base umpire and may have had his view obstructed by the right-handed hitting Aviles.

**********

It’s way too easy to say we have all this technology and all we have to do is implement it and all is good. Good for us baseball fans. Good for the players. Good for the coaches and managers. Good for baseball all the way around, right? Sounds like a no-brainer to many.

Wrong…for now, that is.

The NFL has guidelines, but they are not foolproof. A referee is permitted a certain time limit in which to review a play and render a final decision. The issue? The clock doesn’t start ticking until he puts his head under the hood. Sometimes, you’ll see him having a brief conversation with one of the other game officials.

In college football, there is a replay official in the booth that looks at each and every play. That official has between the end of the current play and the beginning of the next play in which to make a determination of it’s close enough to warrant a review. If it is worthy of a review, we wait.

The NBA permits its on-court officials to view a court side monitor to review certain plays as mandated by the rules. The NHL as the “War Room” in Toronto for its replays. The only thing they review are goal-no goal situations. But that appears to be the direction MLB is heading.

This morning, ESPN’s Jayson Stark was on Mike and Mike. The subject of replay came up in regards to the Tigers-Red Sox game. Stark tells us of something that is in motion in regards to replay in baseball.

Listen (Go to around the 4:30 mark.)

Interesting. Sounds extremely similar to the NHL model to me. I, like Craig Calcaterra of Hardball Talk, would prefer an extra umpire in attendance at each game. I don’t take issue with the logistics set by Stark, er, baseball. Just my preference to have one guy that’s a member of a crew that makes these determinations.

At least the cart is rolling.

While replay would greatly aid in getting calls correct, I’m not sure it would place more accountability on the umpires. This could provide the “something to fall back on” principle should any mistake be made. Bad call? Don’t worry. Replay guy will get it right. Glass half empty?

**********

The following may sound like a radical ramblings. These have a high probability of never making it to the bargaining table, let alone being a thought.

Maybe the umpires should have contracts. Real contracts like the players. Use that as incentive. Set period of time? Three years. Five years. I wouldn’t go beyond that but, I feel there should be a standard on the length. In order to receive a new deal, you have to perform well in order to gain a contract extension. Sound familiar? While that does sound simplistic, I promise you it wouldn’t be, but we’ve got to start somewhere.

And if you’re one that supports the umpires (I would imagine there are some out there that do.) and that baseball should not be in the business of fining and/or suspending umps for performance and/or conduct, think about this. Baseball holds that very practice for its players. In some ways, MLB and its teams goe about it in a different fashion. If a player continually makes mistakes and/or under performs, he’s designated for assignment or demoted depending on options remaining. Also, there’s issues that the league may find itself making a judgment. The league can suspend players for various sins.

Why can’t the same hold true for the umpires? The Davidson suspension shows that conduct is. Do umps get demoted? Once they reach “the bigs”, are they always an MLB umpire? If the answers are “no” and “yes” (and from everything I’ve read, there’s nothing stating the contrary), maybe that should change as well. When you make the major leagues as an ump, you as an umpire decide when it’s time to leave. Call it a “lifetime membership”.

Every MLB player says that all is better in the bigs. Same holds true for the umps. But did you know that in the minors, there’s a “three and out” rule? If you spend three years at any one level, you’re next move must be to the next level or you’re gone. If you elect to do so, you can start all over again…at ump school.

Sidebar. Since crews are set prior to a season starting, once the season is over, let the demotions, if any are to be made, commence. It can take time for a team to come together. An umpiring crew should be afforded that luxury, too. That would be a difference in when moves could take place, again, provided this crazy scenario of mine (maybe it’s more like a fantasy) were to ever take place.

Yes, I’m implementing a yearly review process. Umpires are scrutinized all the way up the ladder. It should be the case for MLB umpires, too. There would be the issue of these “contracts”. Make that a clause. (Right. Like that would ever happen!)

I’m fully aware that proposing demotions, contracts and the lifting of “lifetime membership” will possibly never take root. The players endure such pressures. We all have or feel someone is looking over our shoulders. Why should it be any different for the umpires?

**********

I’ve not noted anything relative to what umpires endure in order to make it as an MLB ump. I will right the wrong because it will make you think.

The road to becoming an MLB umpire is truly a long haul. A hot prospect may make it through the minors in three years, but the time an umpire spends in the minors is greater. More than double. An umpire spends, on average, two years at each level. So, figure four levels (rookie, Single-A, Double-A, Triple-A) at two years a level and that’s roughly eight years.

March of 2011, ESPN’s Jim Caple took on the task of attending umpire school. (This is the link I was referring to about the “three and out” rule. It’s a ways down in the piece, but it’s a worthy read.) Caple was one of 158 students in attendance.

Why Caple chose this path can partially be born out of a quote he took from a column after Game 2 of the 2010 ALDS between the Twins and Yankees. It was a self-admission.

"“Baseball doesn’t need instant replay. Baseball needs the umpires to get their calls right in the first place.”"

Caple thought maybe he could do their job better. What he found was the road had many bumps.

The odds are stacked from the onset. Of the 158 in Caple’s class, only 23 (14.5%) would be selected to “move on” and attend the Professional Baseball Umpires Corporation (PBUC). The PBUC runs an evaluation course and will combine with the grads from Jim Evans’ school. Only the best umpires from this “combination” will be offered a job to ump in rookie ball…for $60 a game. 45 others from the 158 will be sent for “duties” in independent league games. Their road got even longer.

Unlike that hot prospect I spoke of earlier, umpires cannot skip any levels.

And those odds I mentioned? One from that class of 158. As you’ve already read, the pay isn’t great in the minors. Most must seek winter employment to make ends meet.

With the hard work, crappy travel and skimpy pay umpires receive in their minor league careers, you would think umpires would have all the incentive they need. They are all too aware of what life as a minor league umpire entails.

Is age a factor? Determine that for yourself, but I will present this one thing. Consider one person Caple mentions within his piece. At the time of its publication (last March), he was 24. In using my basic math skills, he would be 32 by the time he sees the majors, provided he makes it there. Imagine a baseball player debuting at that age. I know it’s happened before, but it’s a far greater practice for umpires compared to players.

And, on “lifetime membership”. One of the instructors at the academy Caple attended was once a minor league umpire. He was in Triple-A for, you guessed it, three years. As the timing pertains to Caple’s column, that instructor was doing ACC games. In his decade of going through the minor league system, only five MLB umpire positions opened. Five.

There are a total 68 MLB umpire gigs (17 crews with four per crew). So if you make the bigs, you’re stuck, and in a good way. You have a job until you deem the time is right to leave. That’s what I call job security. If only employment across all other vocations contained such a guarantee.

**********

Eventually, the accountability issues must be taken into consideration, both by MLB and the UWA. If there is already something on the books that addresses this situation, then MLB needs to put the matter into action. We are now aware there is a form of discipline regarding conduct. There is still a ways to go. How about we address performance now?

If the current crop of MLB umpires have a feeling their job could be in jeopardy due to poor performance or conduct issues, maybe that will be enough to serve as an incentive for them to perform better. Maybe they will even play better with others. The set-up now provides little incentive outside of becoming a crew chief.

The argument to that? We’re told that being an ump in the majors requires a vast amount of experience. While that may be true, what’s wrong with letting those that are anxious to prove themselves and have high marks in the minors have a fair shot? Why such an arduous path when the chance of succeeding is practically zero? Where’s the incentive in that?

You’ve taken on a task and you know before you even start that the chances of you completing it are practically nil? Sign me up for that potential dead end, but I understand why there are those that pursue the route. It’s chasing a dream. I honestly get it.

The current deal between MLB and the umpires runs through 2014. At the very least, the accountability issue must be addressed. We see none at the present.