Upton in center of another controversy

Update 11:15 CF B.J. Upton was in the middle of another controversy Tuesday night.

Upton was called out and manager Joe Maddon, following a vociferous argument, ejected after a very questionable call by 1B umpire Jerry Meals.

With runners on first and third, Upton grounded a ball between the mound and first base. He was called safe by Meals when he beat 1B Mark Teixeira's errant toss to pitcher Ervin Santana, who was covering the base. But Upton took a slight step to his right and then to his left - almost more like a wiggle, possibly to avoid the ball - but it was apparently enough for Meals to consider it an "attempt to run to second," and when 2B Howie Kendrick tagged Upton, Meals called him out.

Maddon raced from the dugout and argued aggressively with Meals, pointing a finger at him several times. After he was ejected he continued his protest with crew chief Gary Darling.

It was the third time Maddon was ejected this season, ninth in his career with the Rays.

Here is what crew chief Gary Darling said:

"He made an attempt to run to second base. Little jab step and a shoulder. I've called out guys for less."

Maddon minced no words post-game on what he thought of the call.

"It's unconscionable - It can't happen," Maddon said. "It's wrong. On every level it's wrong. And furthermore, to have the crew chief come over and tell me it  was the right call really got me upset. There's no room for that...That is a fabricated call, I don't know what he saw. The rulebook is very plain on it. There was nowhere near the rulebook interperation of it being an attempt to go to second base. It's in the cruicial part of the game. You have a pennant in the balance. To make that call at that point,a fabricated call for me, cannot happen.

Comments

[James]

Who listens?

Schit, who hates him?

I don't hate Duemig, the only thing I was wondering and was if Magrane pulled a DUImig.

I got my point across and thank the guys who answered my question.

You however, are a brownhole.

[Duemig Haters]

Duemig haters, why do you listen to his show if you hate him so much? You are wasting hours of your life helping him out. Radio stations don't care whether you like the host, they only care if you are listening. For some reason, you still listen. How smart is that?

[Franklin]

Why doesn't MLB use a sky cam?

[Ray F]

Magrane is doing the Olympic baseball broadcasts

[Brian]

Magrane is doing work for the Olympics baseball coverage and will be back in the booth after the games.

[James]

Magrane? Where are you? Please tell us you didn't pull a Steve DUImig.

[James]

where the hell has Joe McGrane been lately?

[Dom]

And how does a third base umpire decide if a batter swung? With mirrors? He's a hundred feet away from the plate! There are several thousand fans closer.

[zeke]

Re Craig 11:27 entry--I heard the same crap out of Duemeg yesterday and not only does he mumble/stumble/struggle/mispronounce most every word when he get excited, he now advocates violence, as you pointed out. Speaking of a.. kicking, as duemeg says, wouldn't it be great to see duemeg vs Scott Brantley (again) and let BJ ump? Do you think Duemeg says that to BJ's face or for that matter, to anyone on the team?

[Ray F]

to Bronx Bomber:

Maybe you haven't noticed, but the Stankees should be more concerned with staying in 3rd place than going for 1st (or even 2nd for that matter).

You are obviously the guy who only wears the Yankees hat in public tto let the world know you are on the wagon. You have no clue about the current state of the Yankees.

The New York AL team is in danger of dropping to 4th place in the next 24 hours. You are 1 game ahead of the Jays and you play them twice in the next 2 days.

Shipdit!

Typical yank fan.

[Craig]

That was an exciting game last night - very encouraging to see Maddon jump to BJ's defense. He fell on his sword to keep him in the game. Nice work.

I'm sure Steve DUImig will find a way to blame BJ for everything this afternoon, though. Pretty harsh yesterday, Steve. Advocating physical violence? classy.

See y'all at the Trop tonight!

[Bronx Bomber Bobby's Doctor]

Bobby - your perscrription renewal is ready. You need to come to my office as soon as possible, before you start making silly comments again.......oh...too late.

[Bronx Bomber Bobby]

Don't fall asleep at the wheel Devil Ray fans ... Yankees are still in striking distance!
We'll take care of business the rest of the way and be back in the playoffs AGAIN

[PHIL]

MLB to umpire what where you thinking. Umpire judgement call . MLB oh ok. MLB to Joe you know no free speech in MLB $10,000. and RAYS that will be $25,000.

[Helene]

I think it was crew chief Gary Darling that made the "I've called guys out for less" comment, actually.

Either way, I call bullcrap. I've been watching baseball since I was six and I've never seen that call made unless the move to 2nd was blatant. Doesn't mean it's never happened, of course, but I'll have to see video evidence of players "getting called for less" before I'm convinced that Darling isn't just talking out of his a** to defend his colleague.

[Ray F]

The best part about the whole chain of events is that it was Maddon defending Upton.

Even after Upton defied Joe the day before, Maddon runs out to argue the call. BJ would've gotten tossed if he was allowed to sit out there. Joe showed what an excellent manager he is by getting out there and defending his boys. That 2 minute spat garnered more respect from the rest of the team than a year of locker room pep talks.

Great to see. Terrible call. Didn't cost us the game. The ump needs to be tossed. He was wearing those sport-goggle glasses too. For what? Who is he Eric Gagne???

[Scott]

"I've called guys out for less". What an arrogant thing to say. This Meals guy needs to watch the replay then be a man and admit he made a mistake.

I'm just happy the Rays still ended up winning and this didn't cost us the game.

[Dom]

President Bush and Condy Rice should tell the umpires that this can't happen in the 21st century. We have witnesses!

[harold]

While it is true that the runner must immedialtly return to first base, it seemed to me that BJ was simply avoiding any contact with the fielder so taht he wouldnt be called for interference. this is not the first time that the umps have victimized BJ.
I have seen enough game s to know that when the Umps get somebody in there sight's they find ways to screw with them thru the season .emeber earlier in the year when BJ got into it with the Homeplate ump {don't know which}?.
tonight will tell the tale with the
Butt munch Jerry Meals behind the plate. i expect Maddon to get thrown out again arguing on some phantom strike calls around the ankles.
maybe I'm wrong. But the problem is
The Umps are thinking that they are bigger than the game. They dont want replay, even when its obvious that the game has speeded up so much that they need help. they forget that MLB got rid of the union before an is set to do it again. keith Law wrote the following blog after the Milton Bradley/ Mike winters incident and I think it make for good review.
ESPN
Keith Law
The right call on Winters
Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

The really sad thing is that the umpire was quoted as saying "I've called them out for less....". How bad must that guy be if he has?

[Carl]

I always thought a runner had to cross the 1st base line to be considered trying to advance. Looking at the rule, my thinking was wrong. From the replay, it looked like Upton was trying to avoid the ball.

While Maddon was correct to argue the call, and it was a horrible call, I can't help but think it was a blessing in disguise. While the play was random, Maddon was able to demonstrate to Upton he still has his back and it seemed to have a "circle the wagon" type of effect on the team. We have had a few of those this year, like the brawl in Boston and other crappy calls. I am glad it didn't cost the Rays a game. How about Aybar? He is lights out! Go Rays!

[Mark]

This was the worst call I've seen the Rays get since that time Carl beat out a throw to first base, and even with the first baseman clearly not being on first base, he was called out.

Carl went insane, almost jumped over George Hendrick to get to the umpire, and the next day was suspended and fine. He appealed, and only got $250 docked from the fine.

They said he was suspended for "inappropriate actions" where I would say it was the most appropriate actions in franchise history.

Anyway, I think BJ handled himself very well under the circumstances because I've seen him get more heated over a called strikeout. He kept his cool and Joe was great. I always love to see him argue like that.

[Dom]

Now you know why the umpires are vehemently opposed to instant replay. Why jeapordize a cushy $300,000 a year job with incompetence?

[Jason]

If Maddon is fined he should appeal. Billy Martin's ridiculous "pine tar" ploy was eventually overturned by baseball and that was actually a measureable violation of the rules. This was not. It was just bad judgement by the ump of an imaginary infraction of the rules. As for the crew chief, everyone knows umps are consistent co-conspirators who always watch each other's backs (i.e., egos). They not only care less, they don't care at all about actually doing their job (accurately caling games, including correcting their mistakes) if it threatens their presumed divinity. The umpires union and MLB are responsible for umpires' petty abuses of power and God-complexes. With today's technology one person with the right equipment could call a more accurate game than four stoneage umps on the field AND prevent the over 90% of all expulsions from games. Football and Hockey are already in the 21st century. But, inorder to curve the petty abuses of umpires MLB will need one additional stipulation. In order to curve abuses managers should be limited to calling for a couple of instant replay reviews per game ONLY IF THE MANAGERS ARE WRONG! Any calls by the umps that are actually shown to be incorrect should not count against a manager's total alotted challenges. This would help curve potential retalitory abuses by the umpires after their mistakes are caught, as happens now.

[Mitch]

It was great seeing Joe fired up. I've always wished he'd go at it with the umps like Earl Weaver and finally saw it. He was too laid back last year, but he was right on the money last night!

GO RAYS!

[Superman]

You could see Upton for a split second very slightly make a move toward second. Very slightly. That was a horrible call.

The crew chief said he's called guys out for less. If that's true, he's the worst ump in baseball.

One thing though. I didn't realize in the rulebook it says "immediately return to first". The umps didn't do it but they might have had a better argument if they said Upton didn't "immediately return to first". He actually stopped walking back to first and stood there before he was tagged. It still would have been a horrible call, but at least it would have been a call based on a technicality that actually happened. As it was, they were just way off with no justification at all.

[Superman]

Shane, I saw it too. Upton wasn't really dogging it, but his last 5-10 steps were faster than the rest. When he saw he had a chance, he sped up a little. I'd say he went from about 90% to 100%.

[Pete]

Bottom line, if Upton had simply beat out the throw and Teixera had held on to the ball, the ump would have never interpretted what BJ did as a move towards second. The ump saw that the ball was loose, assumed that Upton would make an attempt towards second and because of that he interpreted BJ's stutter step as a move to second. The umps are just kidding themselves.

[calmer than you are]

if BJ doesn't make his "little jab step" he kicks the ball into the bullpen. 100% awful call.

[Andy]

I disagree. It looked like BJ was speeding up, but nobody comes out of the box at full gait. He WAS hustling, and I think that's why the fans got behind him.

[Tom]

These umpires should get fined and suspended. The First Base Umpire and the Crew Chief for backing his guy on an outright lie. There was no jab step to first base. What a horrible call. Suspend these guys MLB! Send a message that you can't just make crap up.

[Shane]

I saw the hesitation in what Meals saw, but in NO WAY was that a move towards second in regards how the rule book reads. On a more concerning note...did I not see BJ slow his run to 1st only to pick it back up again when he realized he had a chance?! I hope I saw that wrong but watch the replay right before the tag.

[9equals8.com]

Mark - I am glad to hear that the fans backed up BJ on that one. He's far from perfect, but we are going to need BJ's offense and defense to win this thing.

[Mark]

joe mcgrane would have been just as hot as maddon!!!!!!!! just without the cuss words lol

Ive sure dwayne texted him or something lol

[Mark]

WORST CALL I'VE EVER SEEN!!!!!!!!!!!

but! in the 8th inning when he was up again every single rays fan there chanted BJ.

It was absolutely amazing!

[Skip]

Even the Umps don't believe the Rays are for real. When they finally do, maybe then the Rays will get the benefits of some of the calls.

[Skip]

A very bad call that could have cost the Rays the game. Why would the Chief Umpire agree with the 1st base ump when it was so obvious the call was wrong. They back each other up no matter if wrong or not. Both should be fined, and suspended without pay. Maybe then we would get the calls correct or overruled if wrong.

[YanksFan]

The Rays are doing everything right. What a great year and they will win the division. Maddon should win Manager of the Year, he should be given plenty of credit for a turnaround of this magnitude. The Yanks just don't have it this year, so do us a favor and keep Boston out of the postseason.

[Marc]

I loved the quotes from Dwayne Staats. He was rather less than pleased: "That is not just a terrible call; it's unconscionable!" And then this . . . "That's the worst call I have seen in my 32 years of covering baseball." Um, gee Dwayne, tell us how you REALLY feel, will ya? Wouldn't you just have LOVED to get Joe McGrane's take on that call?

I hope this ump gets called to the league office for a review of the rules. What a dumb chump.

[Jeff]

Being an umpire we have certain rules... Don't argue with me unless you have a point. Well Madden had a point, and the umpires failed completely at every aspect. This Meals guy should lose his job, no questions asked.

[Clark]

Bad call, Joe does exactly the right thing, Rays win.
The fix isn't in. This ain't the NBA.

[Ray Baseball News]

Joe Maddon did the right thing and BJ got to hear it all, it was great.

[9equals8.com]

I speculated (somewhat lightly, but I'm beginning to think I was on to something) that there are some that are getting really nervous at the prospect of the Rays in the World Series (bad for baseball revenue with possibility of two small market teams in the WS). I don't want to say I am convinced yet, but this adds fuel to that fire. That has to be one of the worst calls I have ever seen in a critical series at a critical time in the game. Worst of all, it was totally reversable and the crew chief backed up the base ump!!! Really sad and shocking how bad it was.

[Bill]

I NEVER called for the release of those players.........so you are an idiot. When Pena was batting .200 and not hitting a thing I asked for him to be DROPPED in the order.....moron.

[Meals is a dumbass]

He had pigeonshit in his eyes if he though that was a deliberate move toward second base. Nothing from the neck down moved toward second base. He turned his head to look for the ball as he wasn't able to locate it but he never made a move toward second. MLB shouldn't fine Maddon for being ejected or should fine both umps and equal amount for being dumb and dumber.

[carl]

Just a horrible call. As I watched the play I thought he was going to step on the ball and was attempting to avoid doing just that.

[Bill]

Joe was great.......you could read his lips......he was really going off on both of those guys..........but he was smart enough to stop when he did so he doesn't get suspended. You know that first base umpire is glad the Rays won so it isn't as big of a deal......but keep in mind, he will be behind the plate tomorrow :(

[Really?]

Mark - Hopefully you do not sensationalize the headline in the sports section tomorrow by using 'Bj' and 'Controversy'. That would really take away from a great game. That may work on this reactionary blog, but please leave it here. You're a better writer than that. Mostly reactionaries read this blog and get excited at the idea of releasing players after a bad beginning of the season (Pena, Aybar, etc. - Bill, this is directed at you buddy). So this writing appeals to them and gets the site hits. Understood. But please do not denigrate the paper in the same way. And by the way – Bj is 24 freaking years old. Relax.

[Stab]

Joe did his part. Now Sternberg should take this forward and take it to the league. To make a bush league call this late in the season only shows inept the umpires are. Both of these jerks don't know the rule book.

[Frank]

Good for Joe. That's what a good manager needs to do in the thick of a pennant race. Everyone has to keep the intensity.