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| Thursday, August 21 Piniella, Weaver among kings of confrontation By Jim Caple ESPN.com |
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It took 123 games and more than four months but Seattle manager Bob Melvin finally earned his first real ejection last weekend (not counting an earlier automatic tossing when a Mariners pitcher hit a batter following a warning).
Melvin has done an excellent job in his first year managing the Mariners, but this is the one area where Seattle fans really miss Lou Piniella. After a terrible call at first base, Melvin merely yelled at umpire Jerry Meals; Piniella would have put on a performance that would have required a curtain, special lighting and a fat woman in a Viking helmet. For such a glaring, bad call, Piniella would have moved more earth than John Deere to get his point across. But it's unfair to compare Melvin to Piniella in this area. Melvin is a patient rookie learning the ropes. Piniella is a true artist at the peak of his powers. Watching him yell at an umpire is like watching Van Gogh paint sunflowers. Dirt is Piniella's true medium -- last year he completely covered home plate to protest ball and strike calls -- but his strength is that he can use anything available. Caps, bases, balls -- he'll toss them all. Last year he uprooted first base and heaved it down the right field line. Unsatisfied (Lou is a perfectionist in such matters), he picked it up and tossed the base into fair territory. If nothing is available, he'll just scream. He's gotten in the face of the men in blue so many times that the umpires' union once sued him for defamation of character. I hope Melvin can one day approach that level but I doubt it. He's too even-keeled, too polite. And besides, like so many things in today's genteel society, arguing with umpires has become a lost art. Sure, managers still get easily irritated -- Twins manager Ron Gardenhire has already been ejected more times in less than two seasons than his predecessor, Tom Kelly, was in 15 years -- but they lack the artistry of these past masters: John McGraw. The Babe Ruth of Ejections, McGraw holds the major-league record for most career ejections with 131, including 13 in one season. Notorious for his dirty tricks as a player (he used to trip players, hold their belts and run inside the baseline back when there was only one umpire), he continued them as a manager. He once was ejected on Opening Day. He once was ejected and responded by banning the umpire, James Johnstone, from the stadium the next day. A true maestro. Billy Martin. Getting yelled at and cursed loudly for screwing up is never pleasant but imagine if the person doing it was this little tyrant. And if that wasn't humiliation enough, think about it being done in front of thousands of jeering fans. Martin complained so dramatically that he was suspended twice in one season for abusing umpires. And while anyone can kick dirt on an umpire; Martin once picked up two handfuls of dirt and threw it on umpire Terry Cooney. Alvin Dark. A vastly underrated instigator. We all know about Piniella heaving first base into the outfield and Pittsburgh manager Lloyd McLendon picking up first base and taking it with him into the dugout. But Dark once picked up third base and tossed it over the dugout into the stands. Now that's a Hall of Fame move.
And of course, Earl Weaver. Weaver once said that it's the manager's job to argue with the umpire because he doesn't hurt the team by getting ejected -- and he did. He was ejected at least 91 times (one source says 98) and suspended four times in his career. Ron Luciano alone ejected Weaver eight times in the majors and four consecutive games in the minors. Weaver was ejected in the regular season. He was ejected in the playoffs. He was ejected in the World Series. He was ejected from both ends of a doubleheader -- three times. He was ejected before a game started -- twice. And he was creative. He once tore up the rule book and scattered its pages on the field. He once faked a heart attack. He once ripped up second base and carried it into the dugout. He once told an umpire that he could appear on "What's My Line" wearing his mask, chest protector and ball/strike indicator and still nobody would guess he was an umpire. God, baseball misses him.
Boxscore line of the week 5 IP, 13 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 2 K "We're trying to get Maddux's numbers up so we won't have to pay him as much next year," Phil Nevin joked to reporters. "We want him to be in San Diego next year."
Lies, damn lies and statistics
From left field Here are the Canadians currently on big-league rosters:
Player Team Rheal Cormier Philadelphia Ryan Dempster Cincinnati Eric Gagne Los Angeles Aaron Guiel Kansas City Rich Harden Oakland Corey Koskie Minnesota Justin Morneau Minnesota Paul Quantrill Los Angeles Chris Reitsma Cincinnati Matt Stairs Pittsburgh Larry Walker Colorado Jeff Zimmerman Texas
Infield chatter -- Bill Mahre on "Real Time" Jim Caple is a senior writer for ESPN.com. |
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