Veteran Umpire Engages In Childish Staredown
Has anyone ever bought a ticket to a Major League Baseball game to watch an umpire?
Have you ever gone to a baseball game and thought, "wow, that umpire is having a great night!"?
No, of course not.
So why are there umpires in the league who insist on showing up players on the field?
It happens time and time again. A player or coach argues a call and the umpire stares into the dugout, walks over toward the bench, or yells back for no reason at all.
Joe West has been an umpire for the last 37 years and has become infamous during his career for his antics with players and coaches.
Whether it's his ego getting in the way, or he genuinely thinks the fans care about what he thinks or does on the field, his antics are ridiculous.
Watch this video of San Francisco Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner and West engaging in a stare down.
Let's break this down for a minute.
Bumgarner disagreed with West's strike zone throughout the game.
Big deal, that's always going to happen with any pitcher and any umpire.
Bumgarner consistently showed his frustration through his body language and yelling at himself.
Not once did the pitcher try to show up the umpire.
West decides to stand to the side of the mound and stare at Bumgarner. If you know anything about Bumgarner, you know he wasn't going to back down.
So the staring contest went on, and on, and on, and on for about 20 seconds.
Hey West, not every pitcher is going to like your strike zone. People are going to disagree with you. Get behind the plate, put your mask on, and do your job.
Nobody wants to see you holding up the game because your pride is hurt after a player didn't like your call.
Not a single person in the stadium cares about what you think or do, so just sit behind the plate, make your calls, get booed and then go home for the night.
