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This umpire should be fired immediately and banned from baseball for life.

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AS A FORMER BALLPLAYER THE UMPIRES ARE THE WORST IN BASEBALL THEY MISS A LOT OF CALLS AND IF YOU BREATHE WRONG THEY TOSS YOU THEY GOT TO MUCH POWER AND ONE DAY A PLAYER IS GOING TO KISS ONE OF THERE AS_ ALSO BASEBALL NEEDS TO DO A BETTER JOB DISCLIPINING THE UMPS

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Im not saying the ump did a good thing here, cause he is better than that or at least he should be hes a major league ump bu Milton Bradley is a punk who thinks he can do whatever he wants and shouldnt get into trouble for it he needs to grow up because he is a major league ball player, GROW UP MILTON YOU LITTLE CRY BABY

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baseball umpires are the worst, they have made some very bad calls that cost teams to lose games . The
umpires are very rude and treat the players like stepchild.Sometimes umps should be thrown out of games

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Hey, former ball player sedgrick...shut up. These guys have the worst jobs in the world. Starting salary is $70,000 in order to have the priviledge to travel 6 months in a row (with 4 weeks vacation) and deal with over-paid premadona's like this scumbag Bradley and the rest of your ilk.
meanwhile, their profession requires them to be correct 100% of the time or they get shown-up by punks who are treated like rock stars for the few years they manage to stay in the league. The real pro's rarily act like this maniac.
And don't even get me started on the managers who attempt to prove they are "players managers" by kicking dirt, spitting tobacco juice and cursing these guys every chance they get. the league should always stand up for the only true professionals the game has.

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Little bitter there Mitch?? I'd love a 5 month job that paid 70k, work 3 maybe 4 hours a day.. they should get it right. Also, everyone, EVERYONE, that works with ANYBODY has to deal with a-holes, daily.

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The umpires make bad calls because they are making illegal money from gambling. Bad calls are common in every game now. Fans have been conditioned to accept bad calls. The integrity of the game has been lost. This umpire should be banned from baseball to restore the integrity of the game. Signed, a fan who loves the game.

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I am a die-hard, long-suffering Cubs fan. I was very disturbed after reading that the remainder of this umpiring crew is going to be working the San Diego at Milwaukee season ending series. How can Froemming, Runge and the other guy be expected to be fair when their buddy Winters gets suspended for the rest of the season. I am sure they have a grudge against San Diego now, and Milwaukee will get all of the calls going their way. That means the Cubs will have to win out the rest of the way.

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I know Michael personally and I can tell you that he is a great guy...not a hothead and definitely not a racist. I can almost bet that Bradley has treated him badly in the past and this was the straw that broke the camel's back. Michael was wrong, no doubt but Bradley is a thug...that's all I have to say...

Sandy

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well it's about time these officials in major sports are held accountable for their stupid actions and not taking under the protective wing of the commissioner of the so called sport...many of these officials are drunk with power...but i put all the blame on the commissioners who just sit on their asses and do nothing but collect their paychecks...i'm a big pats fan but it was so refreshing to finally see someone actully earn their pay and do something about the wrong-doing when it happens...i get outraged when bad calls go on both sides of the fence...there's no bias with me...if an offical sucks then replace them

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Hi all you baseball fans,especially the ones that say the umpires are so bad. You people go to work and make mistakes everyday. What happens, you fix it. An umpire behind the plate calls probably around 300 pitches in a game. He makes a few bad calls but cant fix it, now you are ready to kill the umpire. He is human like every body else, no one is perfect. Now the base umpire has to make calls fast, he doesnt have the replay like the anouncers have. You have seen close calls on the bases, and the anouncer looks at maybe 4 replays from different cameras and in slow motion. He then says wow the umpire blew the call you can see it was so close he should have got it right. Well remember the umpire has to make that call right away , he doesnt have the time and replay that the anouncers have. Go volenteer little league some time , try it not as easy as you think. enjoy the game of baseball. Dennis and everyone thinks he should be fired. You dontr have millions of people watching you he does.

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Tim, 2 weeks ago Bradley took a 3rd strike and stood at home plate for 10 seconds , then was ejected, good call. The anouncers after looking at the replays said it was a strike. Baseball players have a job to , not just the umpires. Bradley is a big baby, he has a reputation. Who want to see him on the field all the time crying for nothing. Real ball players strike out and walk away , and dont try to show the umpire up. We have to many guys that want to play and not cry. Also baseball players have these power trips , way to many. They can act like ass holes and its ok ,come on pl;ayers are so bad. Also Mike Winters hasnt had a problem for 9 years, thats pretty good in my book. I can bet you have never umpired, you need to try it and see it isnt easy, make 1 bad call out of 300 and everyone is on you. No one is perfect, not even TIM. I dont know excatly what was said so i cant judge anyone. What you read in the papers . isnt always true. I see the player on 1st base didn have a comment. I wonder why, maybe Bradley was somewhat wrong to. I dont know. Get out on the field at a little league game then write me back ok. Keep writing bye Dennis

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dennis...we also have a cry-baby here his name is kevin youkilis...i get tired of watching this poor sport loser but you must agree that its the same umpires making the same bad calls over and over and thats what gets me going...maybe its a gruge they hold on to with certin teams who knows maybe there should be a review held yearly on their ability to to the job if their not doing a fair job send them down to triple-A to think things over

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Boston rocker, thanks for the comment. I dont know much about kevin, but i agree if the same umpires are always making the same bad calls, then they need to do something about it. Send them to a clinic every year or like you said down to AAA. I like the ball player that if he strikes out, on a called 3rd strike, there is a way to talk to the umpire. Believe me the umpire knows if he made a bad call. Like i said 300 balls and strikes a game you are going to miss one, no one is perfect. Im in san diego , but pulling for Boston. talk again bye Dennis

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Dennis, the issue here isnt between making or not making a call. It is about being a professional. As an umpire, there should be an understanding that they are not the center of the game. They are there to officiate and make sure the rules of the game are followed and to be the final arbiter in all situations (out/safe, ball/strike, etc). They are not there to act like A-holes with a power trip. They should be held to a higher standard because of the role they fulfill. Bradley is a jerk but that doesn't mean an umpire can be too. Winters should have been fired, not suspended. His suspension was too short anyway. For those of you are pro-suspension, his, at a minimum, should be as long as Bradley is recovering. ACL recovery: 9 months to a year. His unprofessional behavior DIRECTLY led to Bradley getting injured. This is undeniable.
As for your work-fix it analogy. It doesnt fit in this situation because this wasnt about missing a call. It was about being an A-hole. Would you expect to keep your job if you cursed and argued with your customers? Simply, the umpires provide a service to Major League Baseball and the players. You can't expect to act that way and keep your job, regardless of your profession.

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Dennis, are you blind?? Deaf?? or just plain dumb?? The first base coach (Meecham) went after Winters FIRST. He didnt change his path until he realized that Bradley was going after him too. Just so you can get off your high horse of rigors of umpiring...I have umpired little league and babe ruth baseball. You are right. Its not fun and I hated it. Parents, coaches, and kids bitching about this or that. But you know what I didn't do? Start a fight with a player, coach, or spectator. AS A HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL PLAYER I UNDERSTOOD THAT. Unlike Winters, I didn't have a choice. I was forced to do it, as were all the players in order to raise money for our HS program.

I am not saying Bradley is a model citizen but in this case Winters IS to blame. You keep saying the same thing over and over and over again and you never really address the fact that umpires HAVE to take the higher ground despite what all these cry baby players are doing. If someone argues-eject them but don't BAIT them, EVER!!. Who cares if it has been nine years since Winters did the same thing. I believe it should NEVER happen. From what I have read, he did just about the same thing in 1998 that he did to Bradley. Except in this case, he ended Bradley's season and the majority of next year season as well. Just because "it has been 9 years" between incidences does that make it OK? No! But for some reason you think it is just fine. Like I said, this isn't about balls and strikes, out or safe, its about being a professional. The Umpire should be the one to SET THE EXAMPLE of professional conduct on the field. Winters wasn't man and that is a fact. If you didn't read all of the separate accounts of what happened or do not believe what everyone has said, then I put you in the category of conspiracy theorist whackos that believe 9/11 was an inside job. Winters is being held accountable (although not to the level I would like) by MLB and THAT should tell you something. How many times has an umpire been suspended for this type of behavior? Exactly. So go ahead and keep up your mantra but by defending this guy you are definitely on the wrong side of the broader issue and you make yourself look like an apologist for bad behavior. You keep defending bad behavior (WINTERS) by giving examples of bad behavior (BRADLEY). Not the best way to attempt to win an argument. What Milton Bradley did 10 days earlier should have no bearing on what happens at first base between him and the umpire.

I suggest getting your facts straight before attempting a debate. You have been crushed. Now go, read, and learn.

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Tim,

When are you going to realize the facts of what happened? If Bradley doesn't throw his bat towards Runge earlier in the game, then none of the incident happens.

Instead, Bradley confronts Winters who aided a fellow umpire. Winters told Bradley that he did mention to Runge that he saw Bradley throw the bat, which Runge didn't see occur.

Bradley takes offense that he got caught acting like a baby and confronts Winters.

You also speak of standards and taking the higher ground. Don't players and managers at some point have to take that higher ground as well? What about other players in the past who made deliberate contact with umpires (spitting, bumping, pushing). Those players were suspended for 3 to 5 days.

Plain and simple, if Bradley doesn't act up in the first place by throwing the bat, none of this happens (i.e. he doesn't get hurt and can continue acting like a rat for the whole 2008 season)

AW

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