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Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Ejections: Bill Welke (2, 3)

HP Umpire Bill Welke ejected Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw and Manager Don Mattingly for throwing at Diamondbacks left fielder Gerardo Parra in the top of the 6th inning of the Diamondbacks-Dodgers game. With none out and none on, Parra took a 0-1 pitch for a hit by pitch from Kershaw. Replays indicate the pitch was thrown inside, the call was correct.* In yesterday's Diamondbacks-Dodgers game, Parra took a high and inside pitch for a ball from Dodgers pitcher Hong-Chih Kuo. Later in the at bat, Parra homered and "admired" his home run leading to Kershaw shouting at Parra from the Dodgers dugout. At the time of the ejection, the Dodgers were leading, 2-0. The Dodgers ultimately won the contest, 3-2.

These are Bill Welke (52)'s second and third ejections of 2011.
Bill Welke now has 12 points in the Umpire Ejection Fantasy League (4 Previous + 2*[2 MLB + 2 Correct Call] = 12).
Bill Welke is owned as a Primary Umpire by josh7377, who is now tied for 25th place in the UEFL with 10 points.
*This call is correct under UEFL Rule 6.b.ii.e.

These are the 189th and 190th ejections of 2011.
This is the 85th player ejection of 2011.
This is the 92nd Manager ejection of 2011.
This is Clayton Kershaw's first ejection of 2011.

21 comments:

  1. How Could I join this league next spring?

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  2. Greg, we will announce sign ups and all the information (a few weeks) before the beginning of next season. But, you would be able to join then.

    We are going to have a rules summit at the conclusion of this season to talk about suggestions and possible changes for next year, such as UEFL scoring rules, and possibly selection of umpires, among other things.

    Thanks for your interest!

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  3. Add another piece of evidence to the pile of how bean ball ejections should be considered neither correct nor incorrect.

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  4. Broadcasting 101.... a CY Young candidate pitcher is ejected...

    Vin Scully: "Uh oh, by hitting Parra, they're going to throw Kershaw out of the game. Holy Mackerel. The plate umpire is Bill Welke. "He hit him in the elbow," says [catcher] Barajas. We wondered what would happened tonight, Kershaw going for his 19th and Parra, the hitter who doubled. And now Clayton nails him, and he is kicked out of the game... Welke interpreted and said it was intentional... Bill Welke is a veteran umpire, been in the big leagues over 12 years, so that is amazing. What a twist. And there's one consolation. Kershaw went the required five innings, so he could still win his 19th."

    Hawk Harrelson: "Dad gummit. What are you doing Bill. Come on Welke. That's a joke. The umpiring in this league is a joke and Joe West has been telling all his cronies to screw over the White Sox. And I defy you to show me any umpire who cares about doing the job. About getting it right. They don't care. And WHAT? COME ON NOW. He done went and threw the manager out of the game too. Go get your money's worth, Ozzie. Go get in his face. Spit on him too. He deserves it. He's a joke. The whole system is a joke. They don't care who they hurt. That's pitiful. Awful. My wife's name is Janet..."

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  5. I've watched the video 4 times in the last five minutes and I can't see that being intentional. That being said, I have no idea if anything had been going on earlier. Bill Welke is one of the better umpires but I don't understand this one.

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  6. Some over umpiring of the Joe West variety, pitch was belt high & slightly in, if you intend to drill a guy, you want to leave a mark w/ the message sent. That was just backing the guy off the plate. He barely moved & the ball grazed him. Time for the Bill Welkes & Joe Wests to be put out to pasture & bring on the young bloods who do the job & leave the ego @ the door.

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  7. Considering everyone here seems to have it out for Welke, I'll take the umpire's side on this one.
    After what happened last night, and after Parra got the only hit of the game so far off Kershaw, he though he could hit him and get away with warnings leading off an inning like that. But, in this case, Welke looks bad because he was too smart...he though about the situation, and made the right call after this: http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=19234003. Good Job by Bill Welke handling the situation along with one of the best crews in the bigs. Kershaw thought he could sneak it past, but not with Bill behind the dish. Big League Call.

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  8. http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=19234003
    Larry Bowa decided to chime in...

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  9. Any real umpire knows this was definitely "intentional"! Just b/c it didn't nail him in the head I think is throwing people off. Kershaw was pinpoint all game. He went 5 innings. He had a lead. Think there was 2 outs and nobody on base at the time. The night before.... No doubt, intentional! Question is, "Could" warnings have been issued....maybe. Also, to all the doubters, do you know the "direction" MLB is advising their umpire staff? Don't be so quick to judge. The guys know what they are doing out there!!! Best in the world!

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  10. This might explain the ejection. This is from the night before. I still don't really agree with Welke's decision, but I understand it.

    http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2011_09_13_arimlb_lanmlb_1&mode=wrap

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  11. I wrote an article for Bleacher Report regarding this incident & Kershaw's ejection. Click here for my unabridged thoughts.

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  12. @4:28am & 5:46am- You both had a chance to see the same thing Mr. Welke was seeing. Your opinion is Mr. Welke was incorrect. While I will not suggest your opinions are wrong (how could they be, there opinions?), I will state your opinions carry very little to no weight in my book. Mr. Welke is a professional, your not. His qualifications and experience are only exceeded by his commitment to his profession. The only thing that I can take away from your posts is the fact that you have no knowledge of a subject you have an opinion on.
    I'm going to get an X-ray on my knee 2mrw. If you were to look at it, you would be seeing the same thing the doctor was seeing. However, I would listen to my doctor and not your opinion, as you don't have the qualifications, nor the experience he has.
    Thanks for you input.

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  13. Some random thoughts:

    1. After watching the clip from the night before, I support Welke's decision. Good situational awareness by Bill, and good job taking out the trash, as it were. You guys dumpping on him now would be the first to blame him for doing nothing, and then having a brawl break out;

    2. I snicker every time I hear the name J.J. Putz;

    3. Bic Marc rocks.

    4. Regarding the Broadcasting 101 post, what you cite is the difference between Vin Scully, (Baseball HOF-1982, Radio HOF-19friggin55, CA Broadcaster HOF-1991, American Sportcaster HOF-1992, and a lifetime Emmy award) and everyone else.

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  14. Another example of an umpire having no feel for the game.

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  15. If kershaw was really trying to hit Parra, he would have made it obvious. (Parra actually moved into the pitch by dropping his elbow trying to get out of the way) Kershaw only wanted to give parra something to think about. If you see Parra after he reaches first base he smiles. He knew what happened the night before, or what kershaw thought he did, and if all the punishment he received from kershaw is a glance off the elbow, he accepts it and quietly takes his base. Nothing would would happen as a result of this. Worse case, its even now, and warn the benches to prevent anything from happening later.

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  16. @Gil- Great insight in your article. It was fair and unbiased without attacking the players involved or the umpires. Kudos!
    I would like to read more from you, and suggest that you chime in more when Joe is being attacked unfairly. Your ability to explain the facts, without emotion, would at the very least be a voice of reason, amidst the 50 plus posts that are generated when Joe has an ejection. Thanks again.

    @Bill- Thanks, your too kind.

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  17. We know what happened the night before but who was the bigger *ss, kershaw or the the guy that grabbed his crotch on home plate? This situation escalated by Parra's actions. Kershaw did the right thing by hitting him, below the head. The proper reaction should have been a warning, to "even the score". The game would have proceeded without further incident. This is what people in the game refer to having a "feel" for the game. Welke is an excellent umpire, even though he continually misses the playoffs. He had it right that Kershaw hit the guy but you have to allow the game to police itself. This is the big leagues.

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  18. this is Major League Baseball, pitchers don't miss. Curt Schilling said a while back, of the 50 some batters he hit, he can only think of 2 that we ACCIDENTAL.

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  19. @Gil - I enjoyed the article as well, thanks for that.

    Admittedly, I don't like the immediate hook here, primarily because I want the game to police itself. Yes, I recognize all the trappings of that and as an umpire for 30 years (most in amateur ball, H.S. and below), I have a direct understanding of the example this can set for those kids as well as the general dangers associated with allowing retaliatory behavior on the baseball field.

    However, this is the big leagues, and these are paid professionals who accept certain levels of risk (and more levels of reward) at this level. If you're going to do something stupid and/or show up another player who happens to throw a ball 90+ mph and has the capability to throw it at you pretty much anywhere they want, then you accept certain consequences. Or, if you show up another player and their teammate has this capacity, then perhaps you will think twice the next time you get a show-up opportunity.

    Again, obviously, unless we were there and know all the ins and outs of the whole situation on the field, all we have is conjecture. I would have preferred warnings in this specific situation because, IMHO, you're rewarding Parra at the end of this for being an idiot one way or the other. This, to me, reinforces the idea that players can get away with stupid/disrepectful behavior without real consequences.

    To me, getting plunked with a 95 mph fastball anywhere on my body is a real and painful consequence.

    If Kershaw gets warned and goes after Parra again, then you get Kershaw and Mattingly anyway. If someone goes after the Dodgers after the warning, you get them and the manager anyway. I don't see how a warning couldn't have been effective in this case.

    The other side of this is - there seems to me to be an increasing stance of aggressive umpiring on pitchers pitching on the inside. Again, this is what it appears to me - it obviously doesn't mean it actually is. Part of me wishes (and I concede that it's a pipe dream) that we would revert back to some of the old school days when pitchers really challenged batters at the plate and created whole sub-texts throughout the season. It's that story and color that make professional baseball interesting and, frankly, more fun to watch. Baseball has become very sanitary, and while I suppose that's good for the kids at home, it's becoming a game of legislation and not a game of character(s).

    My $.02, your mileage may vary.

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  20. MLB wants the umpires to police pitchers throwing batters very aggressively. If you think that is wrong, talk to MLB.
    I thought it was a good toss. So you know I have 36 yrs umpiring up to MiLB.

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  21. The problem isn't necessarily with the call as much as it is the arbitrariness of the way MLB handles HPB's, directs umpires to handle HBP's & the subjective way in which umpires do handle it. Case in point Indians - White Sox split DH today, Tschida's crew, of which Welke is a member, doing the games. 4 batters hit, all White Sox, all arguably better ballplayers than the AZ of that was grazed by the Kershaw pitch, and 2 of those players were hit back to back in the top of the 9th, no warning issued, nothing said & one of those players was drilled in both games. MLB needs to come up w/ a way of handling this part of the game & taking away the pitcher's ability to pitch inside is not the answer.

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