Major League Baseball will not have to worry about Joe West for much longer. The long time umpire will be retiring after this season, riding off into the sunset and, in the process, removing one of the worst umpires in the game. If only he could take Angel Hernandez with him…
But West is not quite done just yet. He has at least one more game as he will be behind home plate for the National League Wild Card Game on Wednesday.
He has at least one more game: Behind the plate in L.A. on Wed. Story here: Record-breaking ump West to retire after playoffs https://t.co/VLd2VcG2uu
— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) October 4, 2021
Joe West has at least one more game to make about himself
In theory, this is the right way to send West off. He has umpired for 44 years, having been a part of six World Series. MLB should have their best, and most experienced, umpires involved in the postseason.
But West is clearly not one of the best in the game. His strike zone is nebulous at best, leading to unfounded reports that pitchers could get him to call strikes if they did favors for him. There are times when it seems that West is watching a completely different game than the one being played in front of him.
He is also under the impression that the fans are there to see him call a game. His antics, and continued desire to make the game about himself, have been old for a long time. West willingly initiates conflict, but since there is no real way to discipline the umpires, continually gets away with his nonsense.
In the end, no one should be surprised at the way West calls a game. He was part of the umpiring crew in the first Naked Gun movie after all, as he clearly learned everything he knows about how to call a game from Frank Dreben. However, Dreben may be more trustworthy behind the plate.
Joe West is getting at least one more game before riding off into the sunset. It is one game more than he should have.