Should umpires be fined for making horrible calls

Question

I dont mean close calls but calls where the peson is clearly out or safe

Answer 1

Umpires are human, just like the rest of us.  They shouldn't be fined for making horrible calls.  It happens.  Trust me...their job is harder than it looks.  They should be fined however for trying to incite arguments in order to eject players, like last year with Milton Bradley, and this years incident with Jerry Manuel and Carlos Beltran (which in fact the ump was fined and suspended).  

Answer 2

Umpires are judged and whatever punishment they receive is not known as far as I know.

If an umpire has a poor rating number he should be fired like the rest of the world-bad at your job and they warn you and yet still your bad your fired. The umpires who start fights should be fined and suspended and the same should apply to repeated bad calls. The Yankee game with Pudge being called out at home plate was extremely bad.

Answer 3

yes

Answer 4

Umpires should be suspended if they are making too many mistakes. They should definitely be fined if they start a fight. I'm no Met fan, but clearly the manager was pushed a few weeks pass.

Answer 5

they are human. they are getting paid 100 times less as the players on the field who are also human. it is hard to make a call when everything goes by in an instant. they make the calls as they see them, we dont fine players by making a bad call to swing at a ball or take a called strike when they clearly see that it was a low ball outside.

Answer 6

No, they're only human.

But, we should have instant replay.

Answer 7

no you have to allow for human error.

but they should be fined and suspended for stuff like with carlos beltran and the mets manager when the umpire is clearly baiting players and managers.  and even initiating contact in that case.  or how fast they are ejecting players and managers this year.  its rediculous.  

Answer 8

Please name 5 or 6 "horrible" decisions out of about 200 correct calls per team per game this season.

Approximately 40,00 decisions or maybe 80,000.

C,mon. These guys are human beings.

Are you perfect?

Answer 9

No fines, but they should be evaluated by the commonerser's  office on a regular basis to make sure they are doing the best job possible.  

Answer 10

The quesiton suggested that umpires make horrible calls on purpose.

If they don't do it on purpose, they shouldn't get fined for a mistake.

This always reminds me of Alomar with BALT in Toronto.  I watched that game and that call was so far outside.  Then Alomar spits on Hirschbeck and only gets a handful of missed games at the start of the following season.  

I don't think Hirschbeck made this horrible call on purpose, yet it was one of the worst calls--far outside the zone-- that I have ever seen.

Answer 11

Some folks will compare it to a player not playing well and losing his job. And while I agree that the umpires should perhaps be evaluated better, I don't think you can simply fine an umpire for making a bad call - regardless of how bad it is. To me that would be like fining a player for making an error or striking out. Yes, if a player hits .150 or makes 20 errors in 15 games, he'll probably be let go, but you wouldn't fine Ryan Howard every time he strikes out or C.C. Sabathia for every hit or walk he gives up.

Answer 12

Yes.  Do players get a pass on bad performances? No.  If you don't do your job, you lose it.  

Not strike/ball calls, though, unless it's a continuous problem, like every game.  I'm talking about plays that directly affect the outcome of the game.

Answer 13

depending on the call...yes.I am so sick of umpires especially at home plate making bogus calls and every one in the staduim,even the opposing team knows the person is out or safe .

Answer 14

c'mon that is harsh i am a soccer referee and i am only 16 and it is not easy everyone makes mistakes it is human and when you do make a mistake and you find out after you did you feel so stupid so no they shouldnt they are they because they are trusted and have alot of exprience just let them do there job  

Answer 15

Until they have instant replays, yes because they make final call and its bogus sometimes like that slide at home by Matt Holiday to go to play offs or the "dropped third strike" that rallied the white sox to victory.

Answer 16

they do their best and they have to put up with a lot (fans, managers, players) so no they shouldn't be fined.. i mean these guys are trying to do their jobs the best they can.

Answer 17

The answer is plainly and simply: no.  When they s***w up a bad call, umpires rethink the moment over and over, sometimes for years.  Some umpires are ridiculed long after the plays are over.  I think this story about Don Denkinger will help to explain.

The widely discussed play in the 1985 World Series remains one of the most memorable moments in Series history. It was Game 6 (October 26), with the St. Louis Cardinals leading the Kansas City Royals 3 games to 2. The Cardinals had taken a 1-0 lead on an 8th-inning single by little-used backup catcher Brian Harper after Danny Cox (of the Cardinals) and Charlie Leibrandt (of the Royals) had battled t*t-for-tat all game long. Todd Worrell was in the game for the Cardinals in the 9th inning, facing Jorge Orta, the leadoff batter for the Royals. Orta hit a slow roller to first baseman Orta Clarkleadoffossed to Worrell coverinOrtarst base. First-base umpire Denkinger called Orta safe, but instant replays and photographs clearly showed that he was out by Orta a step.

According to Denkinger, he got too close to the play, first looked at Worrell's glove, and then at Orta's foot a second later. Many Cardinals fans blamed the loss on Denkinger's call. In the next at-bat, Clark misplayed a foul pop-up by batter Steve Balboni. Instead of popping out, Balboni singled on the next pitch, and Onix Concepcion came in to pinch-run. With runners on first and second, Jim Sundberg then bunted into a force play at third. (It should be noted that the runner forced out at third was Orta.) Catcher Darrell Porter then allowed a passed ball, allowing the runners to advance to second and third. Pinch-hitter Hal McRae was intentionally walked to load the bases, and Dane Iorg knocked a bloop single to right that scored Concepcion and Sundberg, who avoided Porter's tag at the plate to score the winning run.

Shortly after the game, Denkinger found Commissioner Peter Ueberroth waiting for him in front of the umpires' room. Denkinger asked Ueberroth if he had gotten the call right. Ueberroth shook his head from side to side, and said, "No, you didn't."

In the immediate aftermath of the 1985 World Series debacle, Denkinger received many hateful letters (and even death threats) from Cardinals fans. Two St. Louis disc jockeys went so far as to reveal Denkinger's telephone number and home address. At one point, Denkinger pulled up to his house to find a police car in the driveway of his Waterloo, Iowa, home. Denkinger claimed that the letters continued on through 1987 (before Denkinger got into contact with Major League Baseball Security, who in turn contacted the FBI), when the Cardinals were ramping up for another World Series appearance. The breaking point for Denkinger was when he received a particularly menacing letter (with no return address) in which the writer tells that if he sees Denkinger in person, he would "blow him away" with a .357 Magnum.

So you see, umpires don't need any more stress on their job.

Answer 18

The boos and jeers from the fans after replay should be punishment enough.

Umpires dont make bad calls because they like to be scorned.