The Bryce Harper Compendium (2015)

[HalfSmokes]

My guess is Jim Joyce probably handled it internally but umpires have been suspended before for being jerks in games.

wouldn't the complaint be about Joyce too (as crew chief)?

[PebbleBall]

Did anyone else catch Basball Tonight after that game? Jim Joyce is in the foreground as Hudson ejected Matty, and they freezeframe on Joyce as he rolls his eyes.

I saw that, but didn't the baseball tonight crew say he was rolling his eyes at Williams?  It hadn't even occurred to me that it might be anything else.

[mimontero88]

wouldn't the complaint be about Joyce too (as crew chief)?

No.  You don't have to complain about an entire crew.  You can complain about individual umpires.

[HalfSmokes]

I'm not saying the entire crew, I'm saying the five year old having a tantrum and his boss (i.e. the guy whose job is to keep supervise the five year old)

[Minty Fresh]

I'm not saying the entire crew, I'm saying the five year old having a tantrum and his boss (i.e. the guy whose job is to keep supervise the five year old)

How about the league?

9.01

(b) Each umpire is the representative of the league and of professional baseball,

[HalfSmokes]

? isn't the league the entity you're complaining too because the ump is failing to live up to the rules

[Baseball is Life]

Considering umpires can evidently toss you for little to nothing on a whim with no repercussions, I'm not sure that is a viable long-term strategy.  I think Harper needs to realize that, at least as far as Marvin Hudson goes, he is a target.  In that context, he really just needs to be extra careful to do everything right when Hudson is behind the plate whether that's fair or not.

You know what, I think it's Hudson who needs to be extra careful. A lot of people in baseball didn't like his antics and are now watching his every move. Let me put it this way, Harper would have to do something really bad for this guy to throw him out again or people will think he's just out to get Harper.

[HalfSmokes]

the sad thing is there are dozens of qualified umps sitting in the minors who could probably perform just as well is not better, but because he's here, he's almost impossible to get rid of

[NJ Ave]

I don't think we're living in the era of "umpire repercussions" anymore. First of all, their strike zone calls are tracked and reviewed with them periodically, so the Nationals would have a legitimate grievance if there started being retaliatory strike zone calls against Bryce. It just won't happen. Second of all, this is the ESPN age. If Hudson or any other umpire throws Bryce out against for some ridiculous reason, it's the easiest way to get the entire umpiring system under the microscope.

Nobody wants Outside The Lines combing through the umpire business.

[NJ Ave]

I mean, does any umpire really want an ESPN intern creating a montage from the old videos of every one of their ejections, with the Baseball Tonight crew debating whether he holds grudges and tosses guys too quickly?

[HalfSmokes]

I mean, does any umpire really want an ESPN intern creating a montage from the old videos of every one of their ejections, with the Baseball Tonight crew debating whether he holds grudges and tosses guys too quickly?

deadspin has a know your umpire page for a lot of guys and no problem running compilations of their stupidity- mlb probably wouldn't like it, but I don't like the idea of media backing off of refs and umps because somehow that goes too far

[mimontero88]

http://wtop.com/washington-nationals/2015/05/column-marvin-hudson-is-a-stooge/

Glad I'm not the only one who put together the Hudson was born outside of Atlanta and seems to have it out for the Nats specifically connection.  Most interesting part:

Consider this: Hudson has ejected just eight players or managers since September of 2012, a number that is quite reasonable and fewer than a good number of his peers. But of those eight, six have been Washington Nationals.

That is insane.  Bad look, Marvin.  Really bad look.

[HalfSmokes]

http://wtop.com/washington-nationals/2015/05/column-marvin-hudson-is-a-stooge/

Glad I'm not the only one who put together the Hudson was born outside of Atlanta and seems to have it out for the Nats specifically connection.  Most interesting part:

That is insane.  Bad look, Marvin.  Really bad look.

he's ejected Riggleman, Davey and now Williams - the trifecta

[WashingtonWizards23]

hey matt williams. Bryce is not the best player in the world. He is not even a superstar.only 2 player of the week award and you think he cant be ejected? 

[Baseball is Life]

I mean, does any umpire really want an ESPN intern creating a montage from the old videos of every one of their ejections, with the Baseball Tonight crew debating whether he holds grudges and tosses guys too quickly?

This. I think the repercussions for Hudson and other umps have been a lot worse than for Harper this week. He and his umpiring ilk will be on their best behavior for a little while, anyway. And especially with regards to the Nats because baseball people will think they are just out to get the team.

So in the long term this whole thing has been good for the Nats. This message brought to you by the Sunshine Squad.

[Minty Fresh]

? isn't the league the entity you're complaining too because the ump is failing to live up to the rules

Yes.  So my point is, why stop at Joyce when the real boss is MLB?

[HalfSmokes]

Yes.  So my point is, why stop at Joyce when the real boss is MLB?

because joyce was standing 100 feet away at the time

[Minty Fresh]

because joyce was standing 100 feet away at the time

The commissioner's office has a feed to every game. 

[mimontero88]

because joyce was standing 100 feet away at the time

Exactly, this isn't Joyce's fault.  It's Marvin Hudson being a contemptible prick (a sentence I feel like I've written multiple times over the years).  I read an article talking about how most Nationals fans probably didn't even know Marvin Hudson's name before this but I don't think that's true.  We've had multiple problems with him over the years.  I certainly knew who he was and that's part of why him ringing up Bryce wasn't even a surprise to me.

[HalfSmokes]

Exactly, this isn't Joyce's fault.  It's Marvin Hudson being a contemptible prick (a sentence I feel like I've written multiple times over the years).  I read an article talking about how most Nationals fans probably didn't even know Marvin Hudson's name before this but I don't think that's true.  We've had multiple problems with him over the years.  I certainly knew who he was and that's part of why him ringing up Bryce wasn't even a surprise to me.

his supervisor could have easily have walked over and told him to calm down, but he just sat back and let him have his little show

[Mr Clean]

He should be banned from umping our games.  He's thrown out 8 players, 6 were Nationals.

[HalfSmokes]

The commissioner's office has a feed to every game. 

you're right, totally, the same thing

[mimontero88]

his supervisor could have easily have walked over and told him to calm down, but he just sat back and let him have his little show

You don't show up your crew.  Ever... It would be like Matt Williams yelling at a player for getting ejected instead of having his back.  You don't do that.  You have their back publicly (or don't say anything about it at all, as Joyce has elected to do) and talk to them about it privately.  You're expecting Joyce to do something he should never do as a professional.  That's not fair.

[Minty Fresh]

you're right, totally, the same thing

At least my example is written in the official rules of baseball.  Yours is some concept you believe in and only if you're lucky does it appear in some handbook that may or may not be handed out by the umpires union.   

[HalfSmokes]

going into the game 70% of his ejections were Nats going into the game- maybe it's a little much to except his crew chief to be aware of that and to talk to him before the game. and god forbid anyone ever show up an ump, worlds would end, just yes sir, no sir, eyes down cast, that's the way to go