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MLB Umpire Retires With A Polarizing Reputation

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After 44 seasons in MLB, umpire Joe West finally called it quits.

One of the game’s most recognizable umpires, West leaves baseball with an extremely polarizing reputation.

Fans really don’t rate him too highly when it comes to current umpires, and the players are divided in their opinion of him.

Players have been polled several times to see what they think about specific MLB umpires.

Sports Illustrated conducted one poll in 2006, among 470 players.

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Two percent of the players named him the best umpire, and six percent identified him as the worst.

He ranked ninth on the former list and only three were named more frequently than him in the latter.

However, The Hardball Times named him, after reviewing the umpires’ strike zones, as the most consistent one.

His popularity among players got worse in a 2011 poll, in which five percent of them named him the best umpire and 41 percent had him as the worst.

More recent studies have him as one of the umpires with the highest percentage of bad calls.

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In any case, his longevity and resume are impressive.

 

An Impressive Resume

He has participated in three All-Star Games (1987, 2005, 2017), four Wild Card Games (2013, 2014, 2020, 2021), eight Division Series (1995, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2016), ten League Championship Series (1981, 1986, 1988, 1993, 1996, 2003, 2004, 2013, 2014, 2018), and six World Series (1992, 1997, 2005, 2009, 2012, 2016).

He also officiated in the 2009 World Baseball Classic.

No one in the history of MLB has more seasons as an umpire than West, with 44.

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Additionally, nobody has participated in more games than him, 5,460.

He worked in several no-hitters, and one perfect game: the one Felix Hernandez threw with the Seattle Mariners in 2012.

The North Carolina native started as an MLB umpire back in 1976, in the National League, and entered the official staff a couple of years later.

Players and fans may not have him in high esteem, but the reality indicates he is well-respected among fellow umpires.

He was the president of the MLB Umpires Association (MLBUA) until 2018.

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As the leader of the MLBUA, he helped secure the best umpiring contract in history for the men in blue.

 

A New Chapter

44 years is a long time, even for umpiring, and as a result, everybody in the game from fans to players, executives, and media have formed a different opinion of West.

It also needs to be said he left some moments that will be remembered forever, and some funny ones, too.

All things considered, he managed to have his name mentioned a lot in baseball circles, in an industry in which players, for obvious reasons, usually get the headlines.

People will remember his name and all his contributions to baseball.

The former quarterback and baseball player will now live enjoy life without the frequent name-calling and disrespect shown by players and managers.

He enjoys country music (he is not called ‘Cowboy Joe’ for nothing!) and actually sings.

He is a cancer survivor, so he surely had enough strength to cope with the challenges of umpiring.

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He wasn’t perfect by all means, but he will be remembered by the whole baseball community, and everybody wishes him a happy retirement after all those years.

The post MLB Umpire Retires With A Polarizing Reputation appeared first on The Cold Wire.





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Avon’s OT winner lifts Petes to win over Blazers, Memorial Cup semifinal berth

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KAMLOOPS, B.C. — J.R. Avon scored the game-winning goal 10:54 into overtime and the Peterborough Petes beat the Kamloops Blazers 5-4 on Thursday, earning a semifinal berth at the Memorial Cup.

Connor Lockhart, Brennan Othmann, Samuel Mayer and Brian Zanetti had the others for Ontario Hockey League champion Peterborough. Michael Simpson made 43 saves.

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Logan Stankoven, Olen Zellweger, Harrison Brunicke and Logan Bairos replied for host Kamloops. Dylan Ernst stopped 25 shots.

The Petes will next meet the Western Hockey League champion Seattle Thunderbirds in Friday’s semifinal for a chance to face the Quebec Remparts in the final on Sunday.

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League champion Remparts earned a berth into the final after opening the tournament with wins over Kamloops and Seattle.

Quebec later fell to Peterborough — which staved off elimination and forced Thursday’s tiebreaker with the victory — 4-2 on Tuesday in both teams’ final round-robin game.

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Lockhart opened the scoring 7:52 into the first period. Chase Lefebvre sent the puck across the end boards to Jax Dubois, who found Lockhart with a slick pass into the slot and he beat Ernst five-hole.

Stankoven evened it up 11:20 into the frame, sending the Sandman Centre crowd into a frenzy. Connor Levis took a point shot and the rebound came out to the Blazers captain, who scored his second of the tournament.

Zellweger put Kamloops ahead 12:45 into the frame on the power play. The CHL Defenceman of the Year nominee saved the puck from getting out of the Petes’ zone, moved into the slot and wired one past Simpson for his first.

With 2:27 remaining in the first, Brunicke piled it on for the Blazers. Peterborough’s Konnor Smith attempted to clear it from the end boards but the puck ended up with Brunicke at the point, where he got around a defender and beat Simpson just over his right shoulder with little room to spare.

Bairos gave Kamloops a 4-1 edge 4:23 into the middle frame. He fired a point shot that ricocheted off Simpson’s blocker, then over him and in.

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Just over three minutes later, the Petes began to swing the momentum back in their favour.

Othmann stripped Bairos of the puck as the Blazers defenceman tried to skate out of his own zone. Othmann then turned around and roofed it past Ernst as he fell to one knee.

Mayer made it a one-goal game on the power play with 2:23 left in the second. He took a pass from Lockhart and fired in a one-timer from the point.

Zanetti knotted the contest just over a minute later. He tipped in a pass from Tucker Robertson while streaking toward the net and beat Ernst five-hole.

Both sides struggled to capitalize on prime scoring opportunities leading to a scoreless third period and extra time to settle the winner.

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Following a dazzling effort by Zellweger that just missed, Owen Beck took the puck up ice for Peterborough and dropped it off for Avon, who put it past Ernst to seal the win.

WE MEET AGAIN

Kamloops defeated Peterborough 10-2 when the two last met on Sunday. But with 7:05 remaining in that game, Othmann laid a hit on Blazers defenceman Kyle Masters, who fell awkwardly into the boards.

Masters had to be stretchered off the ice and was taken to Royal Inland Hospital. Head coach and general manager Shaun Clouston said Monday that the blue liner was out for the tournament with a lower-body injury.

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