Cubs vs. blue
“This is benevolent, mild, a walk in the park.” — Joe Maddon on whether all of the arguments of late are getting out of hand
The Cubs have had their share of high-profile umpiring disputes of late, though one reason may be they have more high-profile players than they used to.
Several confrontations have forced manager Joe Maddon to insert himself to defend his player, a task he seems to relish if the gleam in his eye while yelling at umps is any indication.
A typically animated contretemps between Maddon and an umpire plays well on “SportsCenter” and is always good for a tweet or two.
The latest beef occurred Monday afternoon when umpire Gabe Morales ejected Maddon while he was defending reliever Carl Edwards Jr. during the Cubs-Brewers game at Miller Park. Edwards was upset after walking Ryan Braun on a 3-2 curve to load the bases in the eighth inning of a 4-3 loss. Maddon was caught on video yelling, “Do your (bleeping) job,” at Morales. After the previous week’s incident between Javier Baez and Joe West, I asked Maddon if umpires were provoking players more than they did back in the day.
“Not even close,” Maddon replied. “It used to be much worse. This is benevolent, mild, a walk in the park. The old boys, there was much more of that method, as opposed to today.
“When it happens today, it really stands out because there’s not as much of it. It’s (because) of replay, and it’s just the personalities of the umpires. There are a lot of younger umpires. It’s normally the old guard you’re going to get that repartee with, the guys that have been around for a while.”
Today’s disputes also get seen more. Social media has increased viewings of the most flagrant confrontations, so you don’t have to wait for ESPN to see them.
I can’t imagine how many times I’ve written about someone complaining about an umpire, but I know this year has a ways to go to break the unofficial franchise record the 2004 Cubs set. Manager Dusty Baker and pitchers Kerry Wood, LaTroy Hawkins, Carlos Zambrano and Kent Mercker were all suspended that season for various incidents, most involving umpires.
After one suspension, Baker nicknamed MLB disciplinarian Bob Watson “Judge Roy Bean,” known as the “hanging judge” in the old West. Mercker was suspended for a confrontation with C.B. Bucknor in the tunnel leading to the clubhouse. It turned out Mercker was berating Bucknor because he saw the ump laughing while breaking up a mound visit between Kyle Farnsworth and a trainer.
Things got so bad, MLB sent umpiring supervisors Rich Garcia and Marty Springstead to monitor the team in September. Springstead could often be found in the third row of the Wrigley Field press box, making notes whenever Baker, Moises Alou, Sammy Sosa or someone else allegedly disrespected an umpire. The season ended with a Cubs collapse amid a festering feud between broadcaster Steve Stone and players. The umpire issue was just another sidelight in one of the most contentious environments imaginable.
The 2018 Cubs aren’t close to their predecessors in umpire disagreements. But they’ve had some high-profile arguments over the last month, including these four beefs: