Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Ejection 079: Dan Bellino (3)

HP Umpire Dan Bellino ejected Marlins Manager Ozzie Guillen for arguing ball calls in the top of the 7th inning of the Cardinals-Marlins game. With two out and two on, Cardinals batter Allen Craig took a 1-2 fastball from Carlos Zambrano for a called second ball followed by a 3-2 slider for a called fourth ball. Replays indicate both pitches were located off the outer edge of home plate (px values of 0.876 and 0.897, respectively), the call was correct. At the time of the ejection, the Cardinals were leading, 5-2. The Cardinals ultimately won the contest, 5-2.

This is Dan Bellino (2)'s third ejection of 2012.
Dan Bellino now has 6 points in the UEFL (2 Previous + 2 MLB + 2 Correct Call = 6).
Crew Chief Jerry Layne now has 5 points in the UEFL's Crew Division (4 Previous + 1 Correct Call = 5).
ThePeoplesChamp has received two points for a prop prediction wager closest to the date of this ejection.

UEFL Standings Update

This is the 79th ejection of 2012.
This is the 40th Manager ejection of 2012.
This is the Marlins' first ejection of 2012, fourth in the NL East (ATL, NYM, PHI 3; WSH 0).
This is Ozzie Guillen's first ejection since June 20, 2011 (James Hoye; QOC = Correct).
This is Dan Bellino's first ejection since May 17 (Mike Aviles; QOC = Correct).
This ejection comes on the heels of Guillen and Bob Davidson's disagreement over a lineup card issue Monday.

Wrap: Cardinals at Marlins, 6/26/12
Video: Ozzie Guillen Earns First Career Ejection as Marlins Manager Arguing Umpire Bellino's Strike Zone
Audio: Guillen's Big League Tirade Over Bellino's Ball Calls (PG-13)

Pitch f/x courtesy Brooks Baseball

30 comments :

Arik said...

Second if you count the one during spring training (I know its not official but figured it should be mentioned).

Cricket said...

http://miami.marlins.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=22606433&c_id=mlb

Video. Wish we could've seen the actual hook.

Anonymous said...

could jerry have taken a little longer to get in there??? come on- ozzie is literally barking in your guy's face and ear- can't let that happen. good for bellino- hopefully a better feed will come out to show us the hook.

Anonymous said...

Manny Gonzalez just tossed Ike Davis in the Mets-Cubs game on what looks like a blown call at 1st base on a pick off attempt

Mundane said...

Bellino's lack of interest after ejection in what Ozzie is saying is classic. Bellino already in top 1/3 of ML umpires.

Anonymous said...

Ozzie read on this site yesterday where he had not been ejected this year. Thanks for the reminder.

Anonymous said...

You know, for all of Bellino's "connections" or whatever people like to say to discredit the guy, he really looks like a top flight umpire, a young Bruce Froemming or Joe West, key words YOUNG and when they were IN FORM. He's very smart, showing his ability last night when Ozzie Guillen had that lineup issue with Matheny. Notice how Bellino did all the talking while Bob Davidson and Jerry Layne sat there listening. Bellino is clearly more intelligent than your average umpire and he's particularly good at what he does. I like this kid and think he's going to do real well in MLB.

Anonymous said...

Bellino is very smart as evidenced by having graduated from law school.

Anonymous said...

@ Anon 8:59 ^ Everything you said is so true. I think He's gonna be a great ump. Playoffs for him this year idk...

tmac said...

awesome job by Bellino who is really coming into his own as a MLB umpire. He showed great poise and although you couldn't see it hear it appeared he gave a warning then ejected for arguing balls and strikes.

As for Jerry Layne when a manager is screaming into the ear of a partner and you're the CC IMO you should be sprinting, running, jogging, fast walking, something.... Ozzie was due to melt down but that is not the way a MLB crew chief should allow his partner to be treated

Anonymous said...

C'mon now tmac, you know Jerry Layne can't run, much less fast walk.

Anonymous said...

Tim Tchida Lance Barksdale Brian Runge Paul Nauert nice crew maybe do that 2nd half of this season mlb, idk different chemistry. Just sayin

Jimmy Jack said...

That argument was big-time and the audio was great. F-bombs flying everywhere out of Ozzie's mouth, Bellino holding his ground (I mean watch the video to see the stoic Dan fill out his lineup card). Too bad the field mics aren't as close as they were in the old Dolphin Stadium... or maybe there are and Miami just actually has people showing up these days.

Anonymous said...

"We told you that Dan Bellino's been on every borderline call ... and just off the plate."

I actually was listening to this game earlier and the Marlins broadcasters were very kind about that, giving Dan credit where credit was due. Every close call they used fox trax and every single time, they said "and another correct call by Dan Bellino."

tmac said...

@ anon... Froemming would have been there... West would have been there.... Layne was as usual.. ok i won't go there.. but let's just say if he can't fast walk it might be time to go into the MLB heirarchy with the the other Wendlestedt guys

Big Marc said...

Agree, Geez Jerry at least start towards the plate when Ozzie hits the top step. Who ever says this kid got some special chance to get to the bigs is wrong. This kid can umpire. He looked like a vet, standing listening to Ozzie. That's what made Ozzie so mad, the kid kept his bearing.
Ozzie even looked like a rat, face to face with Dan.

Anonymous said...

That is true. Say what you want about West, but when it comes down to it, he's a crew chief through and through. When Francona tried to get at Angel Hernandez in Boston, West was right there, hands out, telling Terry, "thou shalt not pass."

Anonymous said...

Sounds like Ozzie got run when he said, "Bull----. F--- you." Clearly a guy who wanted to get run.

The real news is that it had been more than a calendar year since Ozzie's last hook.

Anonymous said...

The only thing I can hear in the audio is a couple of FU's

Jon Terry said...

MLB Network showed the hook. They also showed a clip of Ozzie after the game. He said that after the ejection, he looked at the video, and the pitch wasn't as close on tape as it looked from the dugout.

Anonymous said...

Was that Jerry Layne who said "Asshole, you gotta make him throw a strike!"? It sure didn't sound like Ozzie or sound like something a manager would say and Bellino is silent at that point of the video. If so then that's awesome.

Anonymous said...

It's nice to finally see Dan get some love on this site. I've been a fan from his since his start, and the way he handles situations is textbook 99 times out of 100. Good young umpire.

Anonymous said...

Let me say this: Dan is a really good umpire. However, on a personal level, I don't respect him too much. You see, a few years ago as a senior guy in the minor leagues he was most instrumental in getting the minor league umpires to end their strike. I suppose he figured he was going to the show (and he did) or since he had his law degree to fall back on that accepting a crappy deal was of no significance to him. Perhaps he got a bit of preferential treatment from baseball for so eloquently advocating their cheap position. To many others though, it was a big deal. Dan is an intelligent and persuasive person/umpire and had he stood for what was right, perhaps things would be different for all the guys that continually slave away in the minor leagues to this day, but he saw his chance and the ideal of being altruistic slipped away. I don't except the vast majority of amateurs on this site to understand or give a crap, but some of us that were there haven't forgotten and don't respect him. With that said, I'm not sure I blame him. I'd like to say I would have done something different and made a principle stand, but for all the talk of the brotherhood of umpiring, it is a very cutthroat business. From little league all the way to the top of the profession. Besides, Dan wasn't even the Pres. of the umpires' union and compared to Dan Iassogna, Andy Roberts, and Shaun Francis, maybe it was wrong to expect more from him than the Sr. elected leadership, but yet I do. He was so adamant in accepting that deal that I believe it swayed many people who were willing to fight for something better...like a living wage! I sincerely wish you luck, Dan, but I'm not sure we'll ever overcome the disappointment. You helped throw a bunch of people under the bus and then climbed right over their backs and I think you knew it all along. Not that you care from the view you got now and, like I said, not that I can blame you for the opportunity you received.

Anonymous said...

I'm not sure how we all of a sudden got on this subject, but I think I need to say something about the last post. I have to put it in two posts because my message is too long. My apologies in advance... cheers!

At the time of the last strike, Dan Bellino was in the Florida State League. He was a member of the union, and he was only one opinion. Just because he didn't share your opinion, that doesn't make him wrong or discredit him. You post a message on here discrediting the guy, and yet you don't even state your name. It may seem a bit hypocritical that I also post without posting my name, but I do that for a reason. I am still in the minor leagues and I don't want my opinion to be held against me and affect my career. You come across to me as a bitter former umpire. I was in those meetings with Dan Bellino, and I was going to the New York Penn League. He was in A ball for crying out loud. I didn't even know who he was. You think he knew then he was going to be in the big leagues? You think he got to the big leagues because he had an opinion about the strike in A ball? Are you kidding me? I had the privilege to work with Dan when I first got to triple A for a few series when he was a rover. The guy can flat out umpire. Walk on a field with him and you will know exactly what I mean. I knew it within ten minutes, it made me want to be a better umpire. And going back to 2006, I seem to recall that the triple A umpires chose to work spring training and the world baseball classic. Was that Dan's fault too? This is so ridiculous. Check your history. In 2006 Dan Bellino wasn't even on the radar. The people that hired Dan were still on the field at the time of that strike. You think that in 2006 they decided he was going to be a big league umpire because of his views during the strike? Do you even listen to yourself? The guy has had a tremendous amount of success, but I also remember walking a picket line with him during the strike. Why don't you come back and write your name down and let Dan know exactly who you are. Not that I would even imagine that he would know you, because if you truly were a senior umpire at the time, HE WAS IN FRICKEN A BALL!!!! I'm sure he is losing sleep tonight knowing that you don't respect him personally, you can now join the long list of Miami Marlin fans that joined the club the other night. Which, by the way, I wonder if Dan got all those close pitches right because he voted in OUR union back in 2006? Man, it's amazing that baseball still made him go through the Arizona Fall League, Winter Ball and MLB spring training before they hired him since they knew it way back in 2006 that he was what they wanted. Wow, an A ball umpire that is on his way to MLB, who is more powerful than the elected union officials in triple A, who is more respected than senior umpires "in the game" (and yes, that must have included you), must have really impressed a lot of people in his first two years in the minor league since he alone swayed our union to vote to end the strike. In spite of our union attorney, who got us maybe the worst deal EVER this past offseason, lets find a way to blame Dan for that too. Maybe you are right, maybe it is all his fault. Thank you for opening my eyes to this problem. I am going to now tell everyone what a bad guy Dan is. One question though, how good do you think that will be for my career? Do you think everyone is secretly sharing the same opinion of him that you have? Maybe everyone is really bitter with him without him even knowing it? Or, and this is just a thought, maybe you are just bitter?

Anonymous said...

Part 2....


And on a side note, from a perspective of someone that does know him, Dan has always been an incredible partner on his crews. I have yet to hear anyone that has worked with him say that he was a bad partner. I can't tell you why Dan didn't ever run for the minor league union, and I would be interested to know why he didn't. But in 2006, when I was working one of my first games, I didn't even know who he was. So again, why don't you say your name if you try to publicly discredit him. I'm guessing that he, or someone he knows, probably comes on this site every now and then. I bet he would be interested in reading why you think he is in the big leagues instead of you.

Anonymous said...

Part 3.... Sorry. I forgot to mention one thing...

HE WAS IN THE FLORIDA STATE LEAGUE AT THE TIME..... How does that qualify him as a "senior guy" in the minor leagues? You have no idea what you are talking about.

Anonymous said...

Ozzie Guillen is a friggin commie. He should be ejected from every Major League game just for that.

Let him manage in Cuba.

Anonymous said...

I re-read my post and could have explained myself better. I should have been a bit more in-depth like you, but I didn't want to do 3 posts. I got a kick out of being called bitter. That's what all you guys in the game say about us that are out. Well, I'm not or at least no more than your average ex-professional umpire. Besides, being out of the game has done wonders for my family life, health and finances. When you are inevitably released maybe you'll have a better description, but most of us aren't bitter so get a new script. The one thing I'd like to correct is that I used the term of not having too much respect for Bellino. That was wrong. I respect any person that's ever umpired from little league to the professional ranks and I definitely respect a guy who made it to the pinnacle of the career. I don't have any hatred for the man and I also said I thought he was a good umpire. I don't remember what level he was in at the time, but you are adamant it was the FSL. Fine and that’s more to my point. This is what I do remember about him: I remember most of the older umpires not wanting to take the deal baseball offered. Hell, it was the same recycled crap over and over; however, most of the younger umpires, who all thought they were going to the show, decided they wanted to take the deal. Now whether you were a AAA crew chief or a rookie in the NY-Penn league you got one vote. Since the concentration of umpires is in the lower minor leagues the younger guys had more votes. In the absence of leadership (sorry Andy Roberts, who was on his way out anyway, and our attorney who was so worthless I can‘t remember his name) it was a challenging time. Guys were freaking out, rumors were flying, people were talking of jumping ship, basically what happens in any strike. I also reference that Bellino wasn't our Pres., but long before he was known to this site as a big leaguer, I remember him getting on those conference calls and making his case for us to go back to work. I remember his posts on our thread on the AMLU site. Yes, he was that vocal to me and left an impression even as a no-name minor leaguer. Now he didn’t change my mind, but I bet he left an impression on a bunch of the younger guys and that‘s why I called him a leader. He was persuasive and, as mentioned, with leadership in the dumps, he made a lot of noise that the younger guys listened to.

Anonymous said...

Now let me be fair. Is it Bellino’s fault we got a crap deal? No. He just always has stuck out in my mind because of that time. He had as much right as anyone to speak up, but telling guys we have to take a crap deal was never something I was keen on. Besides, most guys didn‘t have the same things to fall back on as him and I wanted to see us get something better for the guys that really didn‘t have anything else besides baseball. Does that mean he wasn’t entitled to voice is opinion? Of course not, I just never felt his situation was as difficult as most other guys yet he was the most vocal and made it seem like he was in the same boat. Bellino was going to be all right no matter what happened and I just found it difficult to listen to this guy give advice to guys who were technically his peers but in reality were in a different category. In honesty, I suppose had he been advocating my side my perception of him would be different, but I wanted a better deal for myself and everyone else. I’m sure that’s what Bellino wanted to, but we didn’t agree on how to get there. So, I was disappointed in him and his advice to younger guys. Here was the best chance we ever had to finally get a decent shake and we got screwed over again. In large part because baseball is always going to treat umpires like dirt, but a lot of young guys didn’t do themselves, or the guys who came after them, any favors (as evidenced by the crap contract signed once again last year). Perhaps my disappointment lies with all the younger guys and it’s unfair to heap it all on Bellino, but as he’s the only one with the contract now and the only one whom I remembered even before he became Big League Dan, I’m sure he can handle it. So, you might not agree with me or like what I have to say, but it‘s how I feel. I hope you and all the Bellino lovers will focus on the good things I have said about the guy. Oh, and good job calling me on my comment about getting preferential treatment. If he did, it surely wasn’t from a strike years ago even though baseball would have been hard pressed to find a bigger advocate for their position in negotiations than him. He’s a leader for sure, but that’s probably the real reason he’s where he is now. Although being a good umpire, nice guy and partner, as you say, not so much. I knew plenty of nice guys and great umpires that went no where. Guys go up and down for years before they get their golden ticket (or more likely their pink slip), but one can’t help wonder why his rise was so quick, but for argument sake I’ll put the cynic to rest and believe he deserved it on merit alone. Good for him, but sorry for everyone else that never got that chance. Especially while working under such a shitty contract. So again, good luck, Dan. Enjoy the view from the top. I don’t blame you for your opinion or begrudge you for being where you are. It worked out fine for you in baseball and had it not, I see why you would have made a great lawyer. However, I am interested if the big league guys ever go on strike what his position will be then. Good luck to you as well and to all the other people that grind it out chasing the dream. Just so you know I’m not “bitter,” it was a fun time in my life, but I’m glad it’s over.

Anonymous said...

I am anon that posted the three messages. I am happy to read your most recent posts. I may have taken some things a little too far, but I agree with much of what you said. And believe it or not, I do take the seniority aspect of being in the game to heart, and I believe you have earned your right to your opinion. So if you are upset that Dan voted one way and didn't agree with you, that makes perfect sense. I have come to the realization that baseball will always treat us minor league employees poorly since we are ultimately not interested in working for them. In a way, it makes sense. It's just sad. I spoke with our union attorney last year, his name is Robert Weaver, and he explained that we need to be realistic with our goals. But as the minor leagues continue to prosper and break attendance records, I don't believe that they are struggling. Every night when I look into the stands, I see people paying lots of money to come to a triple A game. These teams have a good thing going, and my time is likely coming to an end. I will be okay with it, despite my honest belief that I could probably do the job. It's a long shot to ever walk on a big league field, let alone get a job. When it happens for someone, we all are both happy and envious. I keep hearing that there are a ton of opening that have to happen in the next five years. I just don't know if I can hang on that long. Only time will tell. I am happy that your life after baseball has been a positive transition for you. I only hope that the umpire in you doesn't ever go away. I don't think it's fair to point fingers at each other when we are all in the same boat and we all want to make more money. The bottom line is that we are paid what we are willing to accept. I know that Dan had a lot to fall back on, and he is so lucky for that. I wish we all had a career to fall back on. But I guess I could have done what he did too, and maybe I would be where he is? Either way, I am grateful for the friends I have made in baseball, and no one could ever take that away from me. That is my severance, or my 401k. Might not make a lot of sense to a lot of people, but something tell me that you probably know exactly what I am talking about. Thanks again for the messages. I can now see that you probably aren't bitter, and I apologize for saying that.

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