Joe West went full ump show on us Sunday afternoon, ejecting Nationals GM Mike Rizzo from the stands
Cowboy Joe is one of the more well-known officials in any sport, in part because of his flare for the dramatic. Unfortunately, in this case we’re not talking about a signature strike or out call, or even the fact that he’s called several important World Series’. Rather, West is among the worst MLB umpires and part of a faction of old-school thinkers who makes the game all about himself, rather than the product on display in front of him. Sunday’s dramatics, while amusing, was no different.
West ejected Rizzo for talking back from the nosebleeds, claiming he could hear the Nats GM’s comments thanks to how quiet Truist Park was without fans.
Did Joe West have a good excuse for his actions?
“I wouldn’t take that from a player. I wouldn’t take that from a manager,” West told The Associated Press. “If it was Donald Trump, I’d eject him, too. But I’d still vote for him.”
Something tells me West wouldn’t eject the President of the United State before shamelessly asking for an autograph of some kind, or making sure to remove his mask as a sign of solidarity. Oh wait, West didn’t have on his mask to begin with!
“He was saying, ‘You’re brutal’ and other things,” West said. “We’re in a pandemic situation, you can hear everything.”
Ah yes, how can one focus on their job while being berated on occasion? I, as an opinionated sports writer, cannot imagine what that feels like. Let’s eject you, you and you from the comments. Goodbye! Call security!
Had West merely gone about removing Rizzo quietly, this story wouldn’t have taken off nearly as much as it did. But, because he’s King Ump Show Joe West (that title belonged to Angel Hernandez until Sunday), he made the entire exchange and game about himself.
Who even won Nats-Braves yesterday? Does it matter? Joe West lost, big time.