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When I found out that Ivan Rodriguez was suspended for a game after bumping Mike Winters, my initial thought was, "No big deal. Just take it on an off day and move on." Apparently, I think quite differently than Jim Leyland and Ivan Rodriguez.

Rodriguez let it be known on Saturday that he thinks the suspension is uncalled for, but he had nowhere near as much to say about it as his manager.

"I'm tired of this," manager Jim Leyland said on Saturday. "We've had it happen a couple of times this year. I had another guy suspended for something he didn't do. Neither one was called for.

"When you rant and rave, you have a chance of probably getting thrown out. But this suspension, which is uncalled for, has nothing to do with the umpires. This is MLB (Major League Baseball), not the umpires. I want to make that perfectly clear.

"I think the suspension is totally out of line. The umpire gave a very fair report that Pudge did not intentionally bump him.

"I don't think it's a matter of him taking a day off so it's OK for him to be suspended," said Leyland. "That's bull. That's just saying they're right, so we'll pick the right day and everybody's happy. That's not the point. The man shouldn't have been suspended. That's ridiculous.

"I don't condone anybody bumping an umpire, but when you're in the heat of it and you turn real quickly and the umpire happens to be there, is that a bump? I don't buy that. I'm tired of that -- every time something happens, they want to suspend somebody.

"I understand that in all sports they're trying to make sure they keep things under control," said Leyland, "I'm perfectly aware of that and totally agree with that. But you have to weigh each circumstance. You can't put a blanket over the top of the whole carnival and say it's the same -- because it's not.

"The umpire was totally honest about it. He told me that Pudge didn't bump him intentionally. I never even considered a suspension.

"I'm not looking for a war with Major League Baseball, but I have a problem that the minute anything happens, suddenly a suspension comes into play. I don't think that's right. There are going to be arguments. When you're playing for big stakes, there are going to be arguments.

"If they want to take that away, let's just go to Sunday school."

Quick, somebody get Leyland a cigarette. The man needs to calm down. It's only a game. A game in which Pudge would be sitting out either way. Why go on a tirade like this and get MLB mad at you for something so pointless?

Should Pudge have been suspended? Debatable. At the same time though, when considering the suspension I'm pretty sure Bob Watson considered the fact that Rodriguez would be taking a day off soon anyway. Hence the 1-game deal.

It was to send a message to the rest of baseball that contact with umps will not be tolerated, yet it was done in a way that the Tigers wouldn't really suffer because of it. Personally, I think Leyland is making the whole thing into a bigger issue than it really is. The Tigers are in the middle of a very close race in the AL Central, they don't need these kinds of distractions. They've already got Gary Sheffield.

Previously at FanHouse:
Pudge Gets A Day Off
Gary Sheffield is Back, Baby!