Major League Baseball games played Monday, July 30, 2007: A partial slate of 5 games played Monday produced a single ejection.

In St. Petersburg, Florida, where the Tampa Bay Devil Rays were hosting the Toronto Blue Jays, third base umpire Tim Welke ejected Blue Jays manager John Gibbons for arguing from the dugout a check-swing that Welke called a ball while the first batter in the bottom of the 8th inning was at bat. The Devil Rays won the game 5-4 on a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 11th inning. You can access the box score at this link, while wraps from MLB.com are available here and here. Additional coverage is available from The Toronto Star; The St. Petersburg Times; The Tampa Tribune; and The Associated Press. In addition, you can view related photos here and here.

Credit third base umpire Tim Welke with one ejection -- his first of the season -- and adjust your Umpire Fantasy League standings accordingly.

Umpire Fantasy League standings as of the close of play on Sunday, July 29, 2007:

Seven ejections
Mike Everitt

Six ejections
Joe West

Five ejections
Phil Cuzzi
Brian Knight
Alfonso Marquez
Mike Winters

Four ejections
Chad Fairchild
Greg Gibson
Tim Timmons
Larry Vanover
Mark Wegner
Bill Welke

Three ejections
Lance Barksdale
Bob Davidson
Paul Emmel
Marty Foster
Chris Guccione
Tom Hallion
Sam Holbrook
Ron Kulpa
Bill Miller
Ed Rapuano

Two ejections
Mark Carlson
Gerry Davis
Doug Eddings
Angel Hernandez
John Hirschbeck
James Hoye
Jerry Layne
Tim McClelland
Ed Montague
Paul Nauert
Tony Randazzo
Travis Reininger
Hunter Wendelstedt
Larry Young

One ejection
Ted Barrett
Scott Barry
CB Bucknor
Derryl Cousins
Jerry Crawford
Gary Darling
Laz Diaz
Rob Drake
Bruce Dreckman
Bruce Froemming
Ed Hickox
Marvin Hudson
Dan Iassogna
Jerry Meals
Chuck Meriwether
Brian O'Nora
Charlie Reliford
Jim Reynolds
Dale Scott
Tim Tschida
Jim Wolf

Major League Baseball games played Sunday, July 29, 2007: A full slate of 15 games played Sunday produced a single ejection.

In Seattle, where the Mariners hosted the Oakland Athletics, first base umpire Mark Carlson ejected Mariners first baseman Richie Sexson in the top of the 6th inning after Sexson argued just a bit too much over Carlson's call that Sexson's foot lost contact with first base, allowing the first A's batter of that half inning to reach base on an infield single. The Mariners ended up winning the game by a score of 14-10. You can access the box score at this link, while wraps from MLB.com are available here and here. Additional coverage is available from The Seattle Times; The Seattle Post-Intelligencer; The Oakland Tribune; The San Francisco Chronicle; and The Associated Press.

Credit first base umpire Mark Carlson with an ejection -- his second of the season -- and adjust your Umpire Fantasy League standings accordingly.

Major League Baseball games played Saturday, July 28, 2007: A full slate of 15 games plus two doubleheaders in the National League produced a total of 17 games played Saturday, and those games resulted in two ejections.

In the first game of a doubleheader between the Milwaukee Brewers at the St. Louis Cardinals, third base umpire Greg Gibson ejected Cardinals manager Tony La Russa for arguing a called strike on a checked swing in the bottom of the 6th inning. The Cardinals were losing 6-3 at the time, but rallied to defeat the Brewers 7-6. You can access the box score at this link, while wraps from MLB.com can be accessed here and here. Additional coverage is available from The St. Louis Post-Dispatch; The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel; and The Associated Press. And you can view a related photo at this link.

In St. Petersburg, Florida, where the Tampa Bay Devil Rays hosted the Boston Red Sox, home plate umpire Mark Wegner ejected Devil Rays manager Joe Maddon for arguing a checked swing that Wegner ruled was not a strike in the top of the 11th inning. In the top of the 12th inning, the Red Sox scored 6 runs and won the game by a score of 12-6. You can access the box score at this link, while wraps from MLB.com are available here and here. Additional coverage is available from The St. Petersburg Times; The Tampa Tribune; The Boston Globe; The Boston Herald; and The Associated Press. And a related photo can be accessed here.

With one ejection each on Saturday, umpires Greg Gibson and Mark Wegner now both have four on the season.

"Umpires to honor Shag Crawford": Major League Baseball yesterday issued a press release that begins, "Major League Umpires are now allowed to wear patches bearing the initials 'S.C.' on the left sleeve of their uniforms to honor the memory of longtime National League Umpire Henry 'Shag' Crawford, who passed away at the age of 90 in his native Pennsylvania on July 11th. The patches may be worn for a period of 30 days."

Major League Baseball games played Friday, July 27, 2007: A total of 16 games were scheduled for completion on Friday, consisting of a full slate of 15 games plus the conclusion of the game suspended on June 28, 2007 between the New York Yankees at the Baltimore Orioles. However, last night's game between the Los Angeles Dodgers at the Colorado Rockies was rained out and will be rescheduled for September.

The 14 games initiated yesterday failed to produce the ejection of any players, coaches, or managers. The game between the Yankees at the Orioles suspended on June 28, 2007 produced one ejection before the game was suspended on that date. I described that ejection previously in a post that you can access here. That ejection has already been included in this blog's Umpire Fantasy League standings.

Major League Baseball games played Thursday, July 26, 2007: A partial slate of 13 games played Thursday produced two ejections in the very same game resulting from the very same incident.

In Philadelphia, where the Phillies were hosting the Washington Nationals in an afternoon game, home plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt ejected Nationals starting pitcher John Lannan in the bottom of the 5th inning after Lannin had plunked Phillies second baseman Chase Utley and then Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard in consecutive plate appearances. Lannan had retired the first batter in the bottom of hte 5th on a ground ball before Utley stepped to the plate. Nationals manager Manny Acta came onto the field to protest the ejection, and eventually Wendelstedt also ejected Acta. Lannan's pitch caused Utley to sustain a broken finger on his right hand, it was announced after the game. Utley remained in the game to the finish but was placed on the disabled list immediately after the game. Later in the game, the Nationals rallied to win 7-6. You can access the box score at this link, while wraps from MLB.com are available here and here. MLB.com also reports that "Lannan ejected against Phils; Left-hander plunks Utley and Howard in big-league debut" and "Utley breaks hand, lands on DL; Second baseman expected to miss four-to-six weeks." Additional coverage is available from The Washington Post; The Washington Times; The Philadelphia Inquirer (here and here); The Philadelphia Daily News (here and here); and The Associated Press. And you can view related photos here and here.

Credit home plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt with two ejections -- his first ejections of the season -- and adjust your Umpire Fantasy League standings accordingly.

Major League Baseball games played Wednesday, July 25, 2007: A complete slate of 15 games played Wednesday produced two ejections.

In Queens, where the New York Mets hosted the Pittsburgh Pirates, third base umpire Larry Vanover ejected Pirates manager Jim Tracy in the bottom of the 3rd inning for arguing that left fielder Jason Bay had made a shoestring catch on a play that Vanover had erroneously ruled no-catch. The Mets won the game by a score of 6-3. You can access the box score at this link, while wraps from MLB.com are available here and here. Additional coverage is available from The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review; The New York Times; The New York Daily News; The New York Post; and The Associated Press. And you can view related photos here and here.

And in Baltimore, where the Orioles hosted the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, home plate umpire Tom Hallion ejected Devil Rays batting coach Steve Henderson in the top of the 3rd inning for arguing balls and strikes from the top step of the dugout. The Orioles won the game by a score of 6-1. You can access the box score at this link, while wraps from MLB.com are available here and here. Additional coverage is available from The St. Petersburg Times; The Tampa Tribune; The Baltimore Sun; The Washington Post; and The Associated Press.

With one ejection each on Wednesday, umpire Larry Vanover now has four on the season, while umpire Tom Hallion now has three on the season.

Major League Baseball games played Tuesday, July 24, 2007: Two American League doubleheaders on top of an already complete slate of games produced a whopping 17 games played yesterday. Yet despite two extra games and a 13-inning game between the Atlanta Braves at the San Francisco Giants, yesterday's games failed to produce the ejection of any players, coaches, or managers.

As a result, umpire fantasy league standings remain unchanged.

"San Diego's Barrett suspended": Major League Baseball issued this press release late this afternoon.

Major League Baseball games played Monday, July 23, 2007: A partial slate of 11 games played yesterday failed to produce the ejection of any players, coaches, or managers.

As a result, umpire fantasy league standings remain unchanged.

Umpire Fantasy League standings as of the close of play on Sunday, July 22, 2007:

Seven ejections
Mike Everitt

Six ejections
Joe West

Five ejections
Phil Cuzzi
Brian Knight
Alfonso Marquez
Mike Winters

Four ejections
Chad Fairchild
Tim Timmons
Bill Welke

Three ejections
Lance Barksdale
Bob Davidson
Paul Emmel
Marty Foster
Greg Gibson
Chris Guccione
Sam Holbrook
Ron Kulpa
Bill Miller
Ed Rapuano
Larry Vanover
Mark Wegner

Two ejections
Gerry Davis
Doug Eddings
Tom Hallion
Angel Hernandez
John Hirschbeck
James Hoye
Jerry Layne
Tim McClelland
Ed Montague
Paul Nauert
Tony Randazzo
Travis Reininger
Larry Young

One ejection
Ted Barrett
Scott Barry
CB Bucknor
Mark Carlson
Derryl Cousins
Jerry Crawford
Gary Darling
Laz Diaz
Rob Drake
Bruce Dreckman
Bruce Froemming
Ed Hickox
Marvin Hudson
Dan Iassogna
Jerry Meals
Chuck Meriwether
Brian O'Nora
Charlie Reliford
Jim Reynolds
Dale Scott
Tim Tschida
Jim Wolf

Major League Baseball games played Sunday, July 22, 2007: A complete slate of 15 games played Sunday produced a total of three ejections.

As I previously noted here, in yesterday afternoon's game between the Seattle Mariners at the Toronto Blue Jays, home plate umpire Chad Fairchild -- a 2007 minor league call-up umpire -- ejected Mariners manager John McLaren in the bottom of the 5th inning for arguing balls and strikes. The Blue Jays ended up scoring 5 runs in that half-inning and went on to win the game by a score of 8-0. You can access the box score at this link, while wraps from MLB.com are available here and here. MLB.com also provides a report headlined "McLaren receives first ejection; Skipper tossed in fifth inning for arguing balls and strikes." Additional coverage is available from The Seattle Times; The Seattle Post-Intelligencer; The Toronto Globe and Mail; The Toronto Star; and The Associated Press. You can access related photos here and here.

And as I previously noted here, in yesterday afternoon's game between the Philadelphia Phillies at the San Diego Padres, home plate umpire Chris Guccione -- likewise a 2007 minor league call-up umpire -- in the bottom of the 5th inning ejected both Padres catcher Michael Barrett, for arguing a called third strike while batting, and Padres manager Bud Black, for having said the wrong words after having come to Barrett's defense. At the time of the ejections the Phillies were leading 4-0, and the final score was 9-0. You can access the box score at this link, while wraps from MLB.com are available here and here. Additional coverage is available from The San Diego Union-Tribune (here and here); The Philadelphia Inquirer; The Philadelphia Daily News; and The Associated Press. You can view related photos here, here, and here.

Credit umpire Chris Guccione with two ejections (bringing his total for the season to three) and umpire Chad Fairchild with one ejection (giving him a total of four on the season), and adjust your Umpire Fantasy League standings accordingly.

Credit umpire Phil Cuzzi with one more ejection, from July 18, 2007: Last Wednesday evening, the Detroit Tigers were visiting the Minnesota Twins. Apparently Cuzzi ejected Tigers manager Jim Leyland in the bottom of the 9th inning, after the first Twins batter reached base, because Leyland was arguing from the dugout about Cuzzi's failure to call a strike on that batter's check swing earlier in the at-bat. I had been watching the game on ESPN, but the announcers did not state that Leyland had been ejected, nor was the ejection shown on camera. All that was shown was Leyland's argument on the field, apparently after he had already been ejected off-camera. In any event, these Detroit Tigers notes from MLB.com contain Leyland's admission that he had been ejected by umpire Cuzzi in the 9th inning of the July 18, 2008 game (even though the ejection is not shown on the official MLB box score), so I am crediting Cuzzi with the ejection.

With this ejection, umpire Phil Cuzzi has a total of five on the season.

Ejections in San Diego! The San Diego Padres are hosting the Philadelphia Phillies this afternoon, and in the bottom of the 5th inning home plate umpire Chris Guccione -- a 2007 minor league call-up umpire -- ejected both Padres catcher Michael Barrett, for arguing a called third strike while batting, and Padres manager Bud Black, for having said the wrong words after having come to Barrett's defense.

Credit home plate umpire Chris Guccione with two ejections -- bringing his total for the season to three -- and adjust your Umpire Fantasy League standings accordingly.

Ejection in Toronto! The Toronto Blue Jays are hosting the Seattle Mariners this afternoon, and in the midst of a 5-run bottom of the 5th inning, home plate umpire Chad Fairchild -- a 2007 minor league call-up umpire -- ejected Mariners manager John McLaren. As reported here at the "Mariners Blog" of The Seattle Times, "The second decision that turned the inning was a non-strike call by plate umpire Chad Fairchild on a 1-2 pitch by Hernandez that appeared to catch the outside corner and had Rios frozen stiff. Fairchild didn't give Hernandez the call and the pitcher, predictably, as we mentioned earlier in this post, lost his cool on the mound. Kenji Johjima had to go out to settle him down. The dugout kept chirping at Fairchild. When Rios squeezed his single through the infield, McLaren lost it in the dugout, screamed at Fairchild and got tossed. McLaren then came out of the dugout and engaged in one of the better, one-armed verbal dressing downs of an umpire I've ever seen. Thought he was going to accidentally punch Fairchild in the face every time he jabbed his one working arm out."

Credit Chad Fairchild with one ejection -- giving him a total of four on the season -- and adjust your Umpire Fantasy League standings accordingly.

Major League Baseball games played Saturday, July 21, 2007: Thanks to a day-night doubleheader in the Bronx between the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at the New York Yankees, Saturday featured an expanded slate of 16 games. Despite the extra game, yesterday saw no ejections of any players, coaches, or managers.

As a result, umpire fantasy league standings remain unchanged.

Major League Baseball games played Friday, July 20, 2007: A complete slate of 15 games played Friday produced two ejections.

As I previously noted here, in last night's game between the Chicago White Sox at the Boston Red Sox, third base umpire Tim McClelland ejected Red Sox manager Terry Francona in the bottom of the 1st inning for arguing that J.D. Drew's hit had cleared the green monster for a home run instead of having bounced back off the top of the wall for a double on which Manny Ramirez was tagged out at home to record the final out of the inning. The blown call by the umpires cost the Red Sox at least two runs, but it did not cost the Red Sox the victory, as the team beat the Pale Hose by the score of 10-3. You can access the box score at this link, while wraps from MLB.com are available here and here. Additional coverage is available from The Boston Globe (here and here); The Boston Herald (here, here, and here); The Chicago Tribune; The Chicago Sun-Times; and The Associated Press.

And as I previously noted here, in last night's game between the Seattle Mariners at the Toronto Blue Jays, first base umpire Tim Timmons ejected Blue Jays manager John Gibbons in the bottom of the 6th inning for arguing a check-swing that Timmons had called for a strike. The Mariners won the game by a score of 4-2. You can access the box score at this link, while wraps from MLB.com are available here and here. Additional coverage is available from The Toronto Star; The Seattle Post-Intelligencer; and The Associated Press.

Credit umpires Tim McClelland and Tim Timmons with one ejection each, and adjust your Umpire Fantasy League standings accordingly.

Ejection in Toronto! The Toronto Blue Jays are hosting the Seattle Mariners this evening, and in the bottom of the 6th inning first base umpire Tim Timmons ejected Blue Jays manager John Gibbons. I'll update this post once I figure out the reason for the ejection. Update: As Gil notes in his comment to this post, and as this wrap from MLB.com confirms, "Jays manager John Gibbons was ejected for arguing a check-swing call in bottom of the sixth inning by first-base umpire Tim Timmons."

Credit first base umpire Tim Timmons with one ejection -- his fourth of the season -- and adjust your Umpire Fantasy League standings accordingly.

Ejection in Boston! The Boston Red Sox are hosting the Chicago White Sox this evening at Fenway, and in the bottom of the 1st inning third base umpire Tim McClelland ejected Red Sox manager Terry Francona for arguing that J.D. Drew's hit had cleared the green monster for a home run instead of having bounced back off the top of the wall for a double on which Manny Ramirez was tagged out at home to record the final out of the inning.

The umpires met as a group to discuss the play before ruling that the hit did not clear the wall. Televised replays confirmed that the ball had in fact cleared the wall for a home run before dropping back into left field. Francona complained after the umpires announced their decision to adhere to the original (incorrect) call, leading McClelland to eject the Red Sox manager. You can view related photos here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Credit third base umpire Tim McClelland with one ejection -- his second of the season -- and adjust your Umpire Fantasy League standings accordingly.

Major League Baseball games played Thursday, July 19, 2007: A partial slate of twelve games played yesterday produced a single ejection.

As noted in the post immediately below, home plate umpire Rob Drake -- a 2007 minor league call-up umpire -- ejected Washington Nationals first baseman Dmitri Young for arguing a called third strike in the bottom of the 3rd inning. It took 10 innings, but the Nationals ended up defeating the visiting Colorado Rockies by a score of 5-4. You can access the box score at this link, while wraps from MLB.com are available here and here. Other coverage is available from The Washington Post; The Washington Times; The Denver Post; The Rocky Mountain News; and The Associated Press.

Credit home plate umpire Rob Drake with one ejection -- his first of the 2007 season -- and adjust your Umpire Fantasy League standings accordingly.

Ejection in Washington, DC as D'Meat gets D'Hook: This evening in Washington, DC, where the Nationals hosted the Colorado Rockies, home plate umpire Rob Drake -- a 2007 minor league call-up umpire -- ejected Nationals first baseman Dmitri Young for arguing a called third strike in the bottom of the third inning.

The Nationals went on to win the game by a score of 5-4. You can access the box score at this link.

Credit home plate umpire Rob Drake with one ejection -- his first of the 2007 season -- and adjust your Umpire Fantasy League standings accordingly.

Major League Baseball games played Wednesday, July 18, 2007: For the second consecutive day, a complete slate of 15 games played has failed to produce the ejection of any players, coaches, or managers.

As a result, umpire fantasy league standings remain unchanged.

"Lee drops appeal, starts suspension; Sore left ankle, lack of upcoming lefties helps decision": MLB.com provides this report.

The incident giving rise to this suspension -- which helped umpire Mike Everitt achieve first place in the current Umpire Fantasy League standings -- was the subject of my earlier coverage appearing here and here.

"Sheffield fined for umpire comments": Major League Baseball issued this press release this evening.

Major League Baseball games played Tuesday, July 17, 2007: A complete slate of 15 games played yesterday failed to produce the ejection of any players, coaches, or managers.

As a result, umpire fantasy league standings remain unchanged.

Major League Baseball games played Monday, July 16, 2007: Every team in the National League took the field last night, but four American League teams had the day off, producing a partial slate of 13 games played last night. And last night's games produced a single ejection.

Atlanta Braves right fielder Jeff Francoeur has a well-earned reputation as a free swinger at the plate. But just because he rarely sees a pitch he doesn't like ought not give the home plate umpire the right to grow the plate a few sizes larger, like the Grinch's heart on Christmas day.

Last night in Atlanta, where the Braves played host to the Cincinnati Reds, home plate umpire Angel Hernandez ejected Francouer after Francouer took issue with a called third strike in the bottom of the 5th inning and then threw his bat and helmet. The MLB.com Gameday 2007 ball and strike display shows that the pitch that was called strike three was very far inside and was nowhere near to catching any of the plate. At the time of the ejection, the Braves were already losing by a score of 9-2. The final score ended up being 10-2. You can view the box score at this link, while wraps from MLB.com are available here and here. Additional coverage is available from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution; The Cincinnati Enquirer; The Cincinnati Post; and The Associated Press. In addition, you can view a related photo at this link.

Credit home plate umpire Angel Hernandez with one ejection, giving him a total of two ejections on the season, and adjust your Umpire Fantasy League standings accordingly.

Newspaper article invites readers to go see this home-grown minor league umpire in action: The Eagle-Tribune of North Andover, Massachusetts today contains an article headlined "He's in! Andover native and minor league umpire moving up the ladder" that begins, "Compared to last year, life is good for Andover's Tom Clarke, who is steadily making his way up the minor league umpiring ranks."

"Concord National Little League's board of directors has formally apologized for the way parents and board members treated umpires at an all-star game for 11- and 12-year-olds last Wednesday, heckling them during and after the game and hitting one umpire with a piece of pizza." So begins an article headlined "Little League directors apologize; Board hires attorney to recommend action," published today in The Concord (N.H.) Monitor.

My earlier coverage appears at this link.

What this blog needs is more coverage of the Vermont Lake Monsters: The Burlington Free Press today contains an article headlined "Monsters' manager to be fined" that begins, "Vermont Lake Monsters manager Darnell Coles will be fined but not suspended after being ejected for the second time in less than a month by the same umpire."

"Little League to study fracas at game; Parents yelled, threw food at the umpires": This article appeared Saturday in The Concord (N.H.) Monitor.

And MyFox Boston provides a related video report.

Update: In Major League Baseball, throwing food at the umpires is prohibited, although an exception exists for Jerry Meals.

Umpire Fantasy League standings as of the close of play on Sunday, July 15, 2007:

Seven ejections
Mike Everitt

Six ejections
Joe West

Five ejections
Brian Knight
Alfonso Marquez
Mike Winters

Four ejections
Phil Cuzzi
Bill Welke

Three ejections
Lance Barksdale
Bob Davidson
Paul Emmel
Chad Fairchild
Marty Foster
Greg Gibson
Sam Holbrook
Ron Kulpa
Bill Miller
Ed Rapuano
Tim Timmons
Larry Vanover
Mark Wegner

Two ejections
Gerry Davis
Doug Eddings
Tom Hallion
John Hirschbeck
James Hoye
Jerry Layne
Ed Montague
Paul Nauert
Tony Randazzo
Travis Reininger
Larry Young

One ejection
Ted Barrett
Scott Barry
CB Bucknor
Mark Carlson
Derryl Cousins
Jerry Crawford
Gary Darling
Laz Diaz
Bruce Dreckman
Bruce Froemming
Chris Guccione
Angel Hernandez
Ed Hickox
Marvin Hudson
Dan Iassogna
Tim McClelland
Jerry Meals
Chuck Meriwether
Brian O'Nora
Charlie Reliford
Jim Reynolds
Dale Scott
Tim Tschida
Jim Wolf

Major League Baseball games played Sunday, July 15, 2007: A complete slate of 15 games played yesterday failed to produce the ejection of any players, coaches, or managers.

As a result, umpire fantasy league standings remain unchanged.

Major League Baseball games played Saturday, July 14, 2007: A complete slate of 15 games played yesterday produced a single ejection.

In Cleveland, where the Indians were hosting the Kansas City Royals, home plate umpire Mark Carlson ejected Indians first baseman Ryan Garko for comments that Garko shouted from the dugout after having struck out swinging in the bottom of the 8th inning. The ejection represented several firsts, as it was apparently the first ejection of the year for the Indians as a team and also the first ejection of the year for umpire Carlson.

The Royals ended up winning the game 6-5. You can access the box score at this link, while wraps from MLB.com are available here and here. Additional coverage is available from The Cleveland Plain Dealer; The Kansas City Star; and The Associated Press. And you can view a related photo by clicking here.

Credit home plate umpire Mark Carlson with one ejection -- his first of the season -- and adjust your Umpire Fantasy League standings accordingly.

"Wells handed seven-game suspension": Yesterday's edition of The San Diego Union-Tribune contained an article that begins, "David Wells reacted in disbelief yesterday after being hit with a seven-game suspension stemming from Saturday's run-in with plate umpire Ed Hickox during a nationally televised game at Petco Park."

"Tigers' Rodriguez suspended one game; Catcher also fined for contact with umpire in Thursday's game": MLB.com provides this report. And the official press release from Major League Baseball is headlined "Detroit's Rodriguez suspended."

In other coverage, The Detroit Free Press reports that "Pudge suspended for 1 game; He'll appeal; hearing could be weeks away." And The Detroit News reports that "Tigers catcher Rodriguez suspended for one game."

Major League Baseball games played Friday, July 13, 2007: A complete slate of 15 games played on Friday the 13th failed to produce the ejection of any players, coaches, or managers.

As a result, umpire fantasy league standings remain unchanged.

"Shag Crawford, 90, Longtime Baseball Umpire, Dies": This obituary appears today in The New York Times.

And The Philadelphia Inquirer on Friday contained an obituary headlined "Umpire Shag Crawford dies."

Major League Baseball games played Thursday, July 12, 2007: Baseball resumed after the 2007 All Star break with a partial slate of 6 games that produced two ejections.

In Boston, where the Red Sox hosted the Toronto Blue Jays, first base umpire John Hirschbeck ejected Blue Jays manager John Gibbons in the top of the 8th inning. According to this wrap from MLB.com, "Gibbons made an early exit after a lengthy argument on the field with first-base umpire John Hirschbeck, who ruled Boston's Julio Lugo safe on a close play at first base in the seventh inning. Gibbons wanted the Hirschbeck to appeal to home-plate umpire Las Diaz, but Hirschbeck stuck with his decision and then ejected Toronto's manager from the game." All the scoring in the game occurred before the 7th inning, so the call did not affect the outcome of the game, which the Red Sox won by a score of 7-4. You can access the box score at this link, while another wrap from MLB.com is available here. And a related photo can be viewed here. Additional coverage is available from The Toronto Globe and Mail; The Toronto Star; The Boston Globe; The Boston Herald; and The Associated Press.

And in Seattle, where the Mariners hosted the Detroit Tigers, home plate umpire Mike Winters ejected Tigers catcher Ivan Rodriguez for disagreeing with that umpire's failure to call batter interference on Rodriguez's throw to second in an attempt to put out a baserunner who advanced on a steal. An error was charged to Rodriguez on the throw, which allowed the runner to reach third base. According to news reports, Rodriguez may have come into contact with Winters during the argument, which if so would produce a suspension for Rodriguez. Although there was only one out at the time of the ejection, the runner who reached third base failed to score as the next batter was out on a foul pop to the first baseman and the final batter of the inning struck out. The Mariners won the game by a score of 3-2. You can access the box score at this link, while wraps from MLB.com are available here and here. Additional coverage is available from The Detroit News; The Detroit Free Press (here and here); The Seattle Times; The Seattle Post-Intelligencer; and The Associated Press. And you can view related photos here and here.

Credit umpires Mike Winters and John Hirschbeck with one ejection each. Winters now has a total of five ejections on the season, tying him for 3rd place in the standings. Hirschbeck's total increases to two.

"San Diego's Wells suspended": Major League Baseball has issued a press release that begins, "Pitcher David Wells of the San Diego Padres has been suspended for seven games and fined an undisclosed amount for his inappropriate actions during the top of the fourth inning of his Club's game against the Atlanta Braves on Saturday, July 7th." My earlier coverage appears here and here.

"Froemming's storied career winds down; Umpire announces plans to retire after 2007 season": MLB.com provides this report.

Umpire Fantasy League standings at the 2007 All Star break: Thanks to everyone who has made it possible for me to provide these standings.

Seven ejections
Mike Everitt

Six ejections
Joe West

Five ejections
Brian Knight
Alfonso Marquez

Four ejections
Phil Cuzzi
Bill Welke
Mike Winters

Three ejections
Lance Barksdale
Bob Davidson
Paul Emmel
Chad Fairchild
Marty Foster
Greg Gibson
Sam Holbrook
Ron Kulpa
Bill Miller
Ed Rapuano
Tim Timmons
Larry Vanover
Mark Wegner

Two ejections
Gerry Davis
Doug Eddings
Tom Hallion
James Hoye
Jerry Layne
Ed Montague
Paul Nauert
Tony Randazzo
Travis Reininger
Larry Young

One ejection
Ted Barrett
Scott Barry
CB Bucknor
Derryl Cousins
Jerry Crawford
Gary Darling
Laz Diaz
Bruce Dreckman
Bruce Froemming
Chris Guccione
Angel Hernandez
Ed Hickox
John Hirschbeck
Marvin Hudson
Dan Iassogna
Tim McClelland
Jerry Meals
Chuck Meriwether
Brian O'Nora
Charlie Reliford
Jim Reynolds
Dale Scott
Tim Tschida
Jim Wolf

"You're Outta Here!: Why Bobby Cox doesn't deserve baseball's all-time ejection record." Tim Murphy has this essay online at Slate.

"Umpire Celebrates 37 Years with the Major League": This audio segment (RealPlayer required) appeared on yesterday's broadcast of NPR's "Talk of the Nation."

Major League Baseball games played Sunday, July 8, 2007: A complete slate of 15 games played on the day before the 2007 All Star break began produced a total of three ejections.

In Arlington, Texas, where the Rangers were hosting the Baltimore Orioles, Rangers left fielder Frank Catalanotto got a head start on his mini-vacation when home plate umpire Lance Barksdale ejected Catalanotto in the bottom of the 1st inning for arguing a called strike three. Interestingly, Catalanotto was replaced in the lineup by a second baseman, as starting second baseman Jerry Hairston Jr. moved to left field in the top of the 2nd inning. The Rangers went on to win the game by a score of 2-1. You can access the box score at this link, while wraps from MLB.com are available here and here. You can view a related photo at this link. And additional coverage is available from The Dallas Morning News; The Fort Worth Star-Telegram; The Baltimore Sun; The Washington Post; and The Associated Press.

Yesterday's other two ejections occurred in Oakland, where the Athletics hosted the Seattle Mariners. In the top of the 7th inning, with the bases loaded, Mariners left fielder Raul Ibanez hit a base-clearing double that went to the wall in left-center, driving in three runs. On the play, the relay throw to home plate by A's shortstop Bobby Crosby could not be handled on a bounce by the catcher, rolling to a spot adjacent to where Mariners designated hitter Ichiro Suzuki was standing. The errant throw allowed Ibanez to reach third base. While heading over to retrieve the live ball, A's starting pitcher Joe Blanton shoved Ichiro out of the way. That led to an on-field scrum that took a while to sort out. Home plate umpire Travis Reininger -- a 2007 minor league call-up umpire -- ended up ejecting both A's pitcher Blanton and Mariners pitcher Miguel Batista, who was not even in the game at the time of the incident and who does not appear to have done anything objectionable. You can access the box score at this link, while wraps from MLB.com are available here and here. You can view photos of the incident here, here, here, here, here, and here. Additional coverage is available from The Oakland Tribune; The San Francisco Chronicle; The Seattle Times; The Seattle Post-Intelligencer; and The Associated Press.

Credit umpire Travis Reininger with two ejections, umpire Lance Barksdale with one ejection, and adjust your Umpire Fantasy League standings accordingly.

"The Umpire Strikes Back": Former Major League Baseball commissioner Fay Vincent has this op-ed today in The New York Times.

Major League Baseball games played Saturday, July 7, 2007: A full slate of 15 games played Saturday produced two ejections.

As I earlier noted here, in yesterday afternoon's game between the Atlanta Braves at the San Diego Padres, home plate umpire Ed Hickox ejected Padres starting pitcher David Wells in the top of the 4th inning after Wells had walked the first batter and yielded a home run to the second batter. Wells apparently was upset because Hickox was not willing to call strikes on pitches that remained outside of the strike zone. You can access additional coverage from The San Diego Union-Tribune (here and here); The Atlanta Journal-Constitution; and The Associated Press.

And, as I earlier noted here, last night in Cincinnati, where the Reds were hosting the Arizona Diamondbacks, first base umpire Chad Fairchild -- a 2007 minor league call-up umpire -- ejected Reds center fielder Ryan Freel for arguing Fairchild's call that Freel was out at first base on an attempted bunt, thereby recording the third out in the bottom of the 7th inning. The Reds went on to win the game 5-4. You can access the box score at this link, while wraps from MLB.com are available here and here. Additional coverage is available from The Cincinnati Enquirer; The Arizona Republic; and The Associated Press.

Credit umpires Ed Hickox and Chad Fairchild with one ejection each and adjust your Umpire Fantasy League standings accordingly.

Ejection in Cincinnati! The Cincinnati Reds are hosting the Arizona Diamondbacks tonight. In the bottom of the 7th inning with two outs, Reds center fielder Ryan Freel attempted to bunt for a single but was called out at first base by first base umpire Chad Fairchild -- a 2007 minor league call-up umpire.

Freel did not like the call, and before play resumed in the top of the 8th inning Fairchild ejected Freel from the game. At the time of the ejection, the Reds were leading 4-1. Since then, the Diamondbacks have tied the game 4-4.

You can view the box score at this link.

"Umpires visit children's hospital; Barrett, Hernandez take part in the BLUE for Kids program": MLB.com provides this report.

Ejection in San Diego! In this afternoon's game featuring the Atlanta Braves at the San Diego Padres, the strike zone of home plate umpire Ed Hickox was apparently not to the liking of Padres starting pitcher David Wells.

After Wells walked Andruw Jones to lead off the top of the 4th inning and then surrendered a home run to the very next batter, Jeff Francoeur, Wells had words for Hickox. And Hickox had the heave-ho for Wells, who had thrown just 44 pitches to that point in 3-plus innings of work. The home run gave the Braves a 3-1 lead, but the Padres ended up winning by a score of 8-5.

You can access the box score at this link, while wraps from MLB.com are available here and here. You can view related photos here, here, and here.

Credit home plate umpire Ed Hickox with one ejection and adjust your Umpire Fantasy League standings accordingly.

Major League Baseball games played Friday, July 6, 2007: Thanks to a day-night doubleheader in Chicago between the Minnesota Twins at the White Sox, a total of 16 games were played Friday. And those 16 games produced a single ejection.

As I first noted here last night, in Kansas City, where the Royals hosted the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, home plate umpire Tom Hallion ejected Royals manager Buddy Bell in the top of the 9th inning for arguing about the strike zone. The Devil Rays won the game by a score of 6-5, snapping an 11-game losing streak.

The Kansas City Star today contains an article reporting that "Royals manager Buddy Bell was ejected in the ninth inning by home-plate umpire Tom Hallion for arguing a called ball on a pitch from Joakim Soria to Ty Wigginton. Bell already was unhappy about a called third strike on Billy Butler that ended the eighth with a runner at second. It was Bell’s third ejection of the season and 50th of his career. He has been ejected 40 times as a manager, three times as a coach and seven times as a player." Other coverage is available from The St. Petersburg Times; The Tampa Tribune; and The Associated Press.

Credit home plate umpire Tom Hallion with one ejection and adjust your Umpire Fantasy League standings accordingly.

"Rangers' Howe serves one-game suspension; Bench coach also was fined for leaving dugout in dispute with umpire": This article appears today in The Dallas Morning News.

Ejection in Kansas City! The Royals hosted the Tampa Bay Devil Rays tonight, and in the top of the 9th inning home plate umpire Tom Hallion ejected Royals manager Buddy Bell for arguing about the strike zone. The Devil Rays won the game by a score of 6-5, snapping an 11-game losing streak.

You can access the box score at this link, while wraps from MLB.com are available online here and here. A related photo can be viewed by clicking here.

Credit home plate umpire Tom Hallion with one ejection and adjust your Umpire Fantasy League standings accordingly.

Major League Baseball games played Thursday, July 5, 2007: A partial slate of 13 games played yesterday failed to produce the ejection of any players, coaches, or managers.

As a result, for the second day in a row, umpire fantasy league standings remain unchanged.

Umpire Lance Barksdale admits blowing a call that cost the Philadelphia Phillies a win Tuesday night against the Houston Astros: The Philadelphia Inquirer today contains an article headlined "Hamels and Phils bounce back; The hurler won his 10th to avert a sweep, and Charlie Manuel got an apology from an umpire." Additional coverage is available from The Philadelphia Daily News and MLB.com. My earlier coverage appears here and here.

Major League Baseball games played Wednesday, July 4, 2007: Despite a full slate of 15 games played, the only pyrotechnics seen on the field on Independence Day 2007 were left to the true fireworks professionals, as no ejections of any players, coaches, or managers occurred yesterday.

As a result, umpire fantasy league standings remain unchanged.

"Lo Duca hearing on Friday; Mets call up Alomar in case catcher's suspension is upheld": MLB.com provides this report. My earlier coverage of the incident in question can be accessed via this link.

And from San Diego comes news that "Second base umpire Hunter Wendelstedt returned home due to a family emergency, leaving just three umpires to call the game." As a result, the box score of Wednesday night's game between the Florida Marlins at the San Diego Padres lists "no ump" at second base. Apparently the absence arose too late for any of those 2007 minor league call-up umpires to materialize in San Diego.

Major League Baseball games played Tuesday, July 3, 2007: Yesterday featured a full slate of 15 games that produced a total of three ejections.

As I first noted here, last night in the Bronx, where the New York Yankees hosted the Minnesota Twins, home plate umpire Ron Kulpa ejected Twins center fielder Torii Hunter after a called strike three for the first out in the top of the 8th inning. As I wrote in my post from last night, "What makes the ejection unusual is that the batter on whom the called third strike was recorded was Twins third baseman Nick Punto. At the time of the ejection, Hunter wasn't even on deck or in the hole." The Yankees won the game 8-0. You can access the box score at this link. Additional coverage is available from The Minneapolis Star Tribune (here and here); The St. Paul Pioneer Press; The New York Times; The New York Daily News; The New York Post; and The Associated Press.

As I first noted here, last night in Houston, where the Astros were hosting the Philadeplhia Phillies, first base umpire Lance Barksdale ejected Phillies manager Charlie Manuel for arguing Barksdale's blown call at first base that took away what replays showed to be an inning-ending and game-ending 6-4-3 double play. As I wrote in my post from last night, "Replays showed that Astros left fielder Carlos Lee was out by half a step at first base after grounding into what replays showed to be a 6-4-3 double play, but Lee was called safe at first by Barksdale. The Phillies failure to record the double play at least temporarily deprived them of the victory by allowing the tying run to score, thereby sending the game into extra innings with a score of 4-4." The Astros ended up winning the game with a lead-off, walk-off home run in the bottom of the 13th inning. You can access the box score -- which erroneously fails to note the ejection -- at this link, while wraps from MLB.com are available here and here. Additional coverage is available from The Philadelphia Inquirer; The Houston Chronicle; and The Associated Press. And a related photo can be viewed here.

Finally, as I first noted here, last night in Arlington, where the Texas Rangers hosted the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, home plate umpire John Hirschbeck ejected Rangers bench coach Art Howe in the top of the 8th inning with one out for arguing from the dugout. Additional coverage is available from The Dallas Morning News; The Fort Worth Star-Telegram; The Los Angeles Times; The Los Angeles Daily News; and The Orange County Register.

Credit umpires Ron Kulpa, Lance Barksdale, and John Hirschbeck each with one ejection and adjust your Umpire Fantasy League standings accordingly.

Ejection in Arlington, Texas! The Texas Rangers hosted the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on Tuesday night, and in the top of the 8th inning with one out, home plate umpire John Hirschbeck ejected Rangers bench coach Art Howe.

According to a report from The Associated Press, "Rangers bench coach Art Howe was ejected by home plate umpire John Hirschbeck in the eighth inning for arguing from the dugout."

The Rangers won the game by a score of 8-3. You can access the box score at this link, while wraps from MLB.com are here and here.

Credit home plate umpire John Hirschbeck with one ejection and adjust your Umpire Fantasy League standings accordingly.

Ejection in Houston! For arguing a blown call at first base that would have completed the double play and earned a victory for the visiting Philadelphia Phillies over the Houston Astros, first base umpire Lance Barksdale ejected Phillies manager Charlie Manuel. Replays showed that Astros left fielder Carlos Lee was out by half a step at first base after grounding into what replays showed to be a 6-4-3 double play, but Lee was called safe at first by Barksdale. The Phillies failure to record the double play at least temporarily deprived them of the victory by allowing the tying run to score, thereby sending the game into extra innings with a score of 4-4.

You can access the box score at this link.

Credit first base umpire Lance Barksdale with one ejection and adjust your Umpire Fantasy League standings accordingly.

Ejection in the Bronx! The Minnesota Twins were visiting the New York Yankees tonight, and in the top of the eighth inning home plate umpire Ron Kulpa ejected Twins center fielder Torii Hunter after a called strike three. What makes the ejection unusual is that the batter on whom the called third strike was recorded was Twins third baseman Nick Punto. At the time of the ejection, Hunter wasn't even on deck or in the hole.

According to a wrap from MLB.com, "Hunter was ejected in the eighth inning by home-plate umpire Ron Kulpa after coming out to argue a third strike call during Nick Punto's at-bat. It's his first ejection of the season." The other MLB.com wrap, written by the reporter covering the Yankees, states that "Hunter was ejected by home-plate umpire Ron Kulpa in the top of the eighth inning for continuing to argue a called third strike from the previous inning." And, indeed, Hunter himself had been called out on strikes to record the first out in the top of the seventh inning. You can view a related photo by clicking here. The Yankees won the game by a score of 8-0. The box score is at this link.

Credit home plate umpire Ron Kulpa with one ejection and adjust your Umpire Fantasy League standings accordingly.

Major League Baseball games played Monday, July 2, 2007: A partial slate of 13 Major League Baseball games played Monday produced just one ejection.

As I first detailed last night in the post located immediately below, in last night's game in Washington, DC between the Washington Nationals and the Chicago Cubs, home plate umpire Scott Barry -- a 2007 minor league call-up umpire -- ejected Nationals pinch hitter Robert Fick for arguing balls and strikes after a called third strike on Fick for the first out of the bottom of the 8th inning.

The Cubs won the game by a score of 7-2. You can access the box score at this link, while wraps from MLB.com can be accessed here and here. You can access additional coverage from The Washington Post; The Washington Times; The Chicago Tribune; The Chicago Sun-Times; and The Associated Press.

Credit home plate umpire Scott Barry and adjust your Umpire Fantasy League standings accordingly.

Ejection in Washington, DC! In the bottom of the 8th inning, with the Washington Nationals hosting the Chicago Cubs, home plate umpire Scott Barry -- a 2007 minor league call-up umpire -- ejected Nationals pinch hitter Robert Fick for arguing balls and strikes after a called third strike on Fick for the first out of that half inning. The Cubs went on to win the game by a score of 7-2. You can access the box score at this link.

Credit home plate umpire Scott Barry and adjust your Umpire Fantasy League standings accordingly.

Major League Baseball games played Sunday, July 1, 2007: For the second day in a row, a full slate of 15 games has failed to produce any ejections of players, coaches, or managers. As a result, umpire fantasy league standings remain unchanged.

Major League Baseball games played Saturday, June 30, 2007: A full slate of 15 games played Saturday failed to produce any ejections of players, coaches, or managers. As a result, umpire fantasy league standings remain unchanged.