Joe West Is A Whiny Old Bastard

Umpire Joe West blasted the Yankees and Red Sox just before Wednesday's game, accusing the two clubs of being "pathetic and embarrassing" in dragging the pace of games and refusing to work with umpires.

"They're the two clubs that don't try to pick up the pace," said West, chief of the umpiring crew that worked the three-game series in Boston. He was the home plate umpire Sunday. "They're two of the best teams in baseball. Why are they playing the slowest?"

"It's pathetic and embarrassing. They take too long to play."

"This is embarrassing, a disgrace to baseball." (courtesy of the Bergen Record)


Jeez! Who pissed in Joe West's coffee? So Yankee-Red Sox games take a long time; BFD. Tell me something I don't know. And then shut the fuck up, put your mask back on, and get behind the plate and call a decent game.  And you might want to refrain from referring to the 2 most popular franchises in Major League Baseball as "disgraces" while you're at it.

Newsflash, Joe. There isn't a big public outcry from the fans to get Yankee-Red Sox games done in under 2:30. Everybody acknowledges that they take a long time, but it ain't like people have stopped showing up at Yankee Stadium and Fenway and it ain't like ESPN and FOX have stopped falling all over each other to get as many of these matchups on TV as possible.

And that's because they ARE 2 of the best, if not the best, teams in baseball and their games are almost always exciting. People WANT to watch the Yankees and Red Sox play. It's a guaranteed sell-out and must see TV whether it's in April, June, or October. It's the premiere rivalry in baseball and all of American sports and each team wants to win every time out. That’s why the games take so long. Because each team is constantly trying to make decisions and plays that will help them win the game. Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but I don't think 2 teams doing everything they can do to win a game is pathetic or embarrassing. It's what professional sports are all about. When people stop watching Yanks-Sox and you and your umpires finally call a perfect game, then come back and talk to me about the time being embarrassing or disgraceful.

No one comes to the park to see you, Joe. And nobody cares that you think the games are taking too long. Just shut up, do your job, and go make another crappy country album. And next time you're behind the plate at a Yanks-Sox game, try not to squeeze the strike zone on CC. Fucking game wouldn't take 3 1/2 hours if you'd give the guy the outside corner once in a while.