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TORONTO - The Toronto Blue Jays' rookie third baseman, Brett Lawrie, apparently has a bit of a temper. Tuesday night Lawrie got ejected from the game with the Tampa Bay Rays and then threw his helmet and hit the umpire. To be totally honest, I'm not sure I blame him for losing his cool.
Being an umpire is a thankless job and I'm usually on the side defending the poor chaps, but I'm afraid I can't defend veteran umpire Bill Miller on this one.
It was the bottom of the ninth and the Jays were down 4-3 and Lawrie was facing a 3-1 count. The next pitch was clearly outside and Lawrie was already headed to first when Miller called the pitch a strike. Lawrie managed to keep his cool and just stopped in his tracks, looked to the sky and headed back to the batter's box.
The next pitch on the full count was clearly high and outside and Lawrie was again in his way to first. He didn't get far before Miller called strike three. That was all Lawrie could take. He started yelling at Miller who then ejected him. Lawrie then threw his helmet to the ground which bounced and hit Miller in the leg. That move will most likely result in a fine for Lawrie.
The next batter hit a slow runner to first and was beat to the bag for out three and the end of the game. The home crowd started to get hostile and someone even threw a cup of beer at Miller.
Lawire apologized for throwing his helmet in a post game interview, but he did not apologize for getting upset at the call, and he shouldn't have. Both of those strikes were bad calls and I'm pretty sure Miller knows it.
While I think Lawrie had a good defense for getting upset I do not condone the tossed beer. That's just mean and I'm pretty sure any beverage at a major league baseball game is about as much as I make in a day. So, it's mean and a waste of money.
Another Ump Doing a Better Job
If umpire Bill Miller is doing it wrong, then this little league ump in Illinois is doing it right.
Little league baseball can be the most fun thing in the world to watch as long as your kid is playing. If you have no kid on the field it can just get boring, and possibly creepy. You better have a good excuse for being there. Anyway, I digress.
This umpire decided to add some fun to his job. This is one of the most epic punchouts ever. While I love his enthusiasm and especially loved the "fixed" version as he calls upon the powers of Asgard, his intensity may be a bit much for fragile little leaguers. Either way, this guy's got swagger.
Ultimate Soccer Trickeration
Now, I'm not a soccer fan. There's nothing wrong with it, I just never got into it. But I have to admit, this is cool.
This Israeli soccer team was lined up for a free kick when one of the greatest ruses in soccer history went down. And no, no one faked an injury to waste time. I'd explain the whole thing but watching it is so much better.
