I just got an email from a friend in the Bay Area who said “Paul Lo Duca”:http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?statsId=6032 is telling the truth in his claim he didn’t curse the umpire Saturday night.
My friend said the Oakland broadcast had a microphone close to the plate and everything could be heard and there was no cursing.
Lo Duca was tossed when he walked back to the plate and said: “Let’s go.
Let’s friggin’ go.”
Personally, I have always thought the four umpires should all be miked up so we could know who is telling the truth when this stuff happens.
When Lo Duca gets called on the carpet his agent should have a copy of the Oakland broadcast.
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Good work John! Of course I thought Lo Duca went overboard, but the umpire did come out from behind the plate to confront him, then kept arguing with him when he tried to walk away. The same exact thing happened with McCann in Atlanta last night. I never feel bad for Braves who get the heave-ho, but too many of these umps think they’re the show these days…
Anyway, if he does get suspended he could just appeal until after the Philly series right? The schedule falls off a cliff after next weekend, and we can do without a lot easier in Colorado and Houston…
Actually on the Mets broadcast, it was rather easy to hear Lo Duca directing some very angry words toward the ump right after the call was made while Lo Duca was walking out of the box. I’m a big Mets fan but I thought Lo Duca was way out of line and that the ump showed restraint for not tossing him sooner. The rules specifically state players, coaches, and managers are not allowed to argue balls and strikes. And that pitch was indeed a strike.
This was actually pointed out on the Yankee radiocast on Saturday afternoon but the quality of umpiring has appeared to drastically decline this year. What are your thoughts on the matter since you see a lot more of the umps in action in person than I do? Obviously a team can’t and should never use the umpires as an excuse but it does seem the quality has decreased.
Hi John – I thought that Lo Duca was just putting on a little ‘performance’ to shake the guys up. He may have gone a bit far, but in the end, his absence and the presence of Ramon Castro in the game contributed to a very exciting 9th inning win for the team. I am curious though as to who is/would be the emergency catcher if Lo Duca is given days and Castro has to fill in for him – do you know?
I don’t think Lo Duca was putting on a performance at all. He was clearly infuriated and wasn’t thinking straight…it was all emotion and reaction.
If he gets suspended 1 or 2 games it’s no big deal. He can rest a bit and Castro can get some at bats. More than that it becomes an inconvenience and they may have to call someone up to backup. They may have to anyway just to be safe. I guess Ledee could go for a little while to make room for a catcher.
I believe that the 3rd catcher is Delgado, as he came up as a catcher. But that would only be in the case of an EMERGENCY, and they have no real intention of ever using him at that position.
If Lo Duca was putting on a performance, I nominate him for an Oscar for Best Actor in a leading role.
Annie: According to the SNY guys yesterday, Valentin is the emergency catcher.
As for LoDuca, he should have been tossed sooner. Since the ump waited, he shouldn’t have been tossed when he was. He should have been tossed when he was pointing. That’s when the ump was being shown up. Too bad the call was correct, it weakens LoDuca’s case.