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Video: Langley's Brett Lawrie goes berserk over umpire's calls
The pride of Langley, Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Brett Lawrie, is likely to be suspended after a temper tantrum in the ninth inning of yesterday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Doing his best impersonation of former New York Yankee player and manager Billy Martin, Lawrie fired his helmet after home-plate umpire Bill Miller called strikes on two pitches that Lawrie believed were out of the zone.
Unfortunately for Lawrie, his helmet bounced off the ground and hit Miller on the hip. Later, a fan threw a cup of beer at Miller, and the Jays lost 4-3.
Brett Lawrie has a hissy fit over umpire's calls.
Lawrie, 22, later apologized for letting his emotions get the best of him.
Sadly, the umpire club is a closed shop and individual officials are rarely suspended or fired for incompetence. They are essentially immune to criticism and have the unfettered authority to eject any player or coach who has the gall to even raise an eyebrow. Failed players judging real players.
Lawrie was wrong to lose his temper and throw his helmet, but it is clear that he did not intend for the helmet to bounce against the umpire. The umpire's reaction, however, was pure theatrics - akin to a soccer "dive". So, not only is he incompetent (clearly incapable of calling balls and strikes), but he's also a cowardly shit head who should be sent back to the minors to re-learn his trade.
Improvement could start with video replay, with each manager given a limited number of replay opportunities during a game. But that will never happen because it would reveal too many instances of umpire incompetence.
Or, hey, how about sticking to the definition of the "strike zone" ... instead of making it up as you go along??