Piece of sh_t, Mike Winters, suspended for the rest of the season.

On all counts.

That's a pretty huge step forward for MLB.

got involved, or if Winters finally fessed up. That's a nice step forward for baseball. He still should be fired (especially if his comments could have been construed as racist in nature), but this clearly vidicates Bradley somewhat.

Agree with WG, this should be taken as a sign that umps no longer have cart blanche to enforce their egos at the expense of the game and the players. F*** YOU WINTERS, YOU DAMN BASTARD!!!!!!!

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3037237

Here is the ESPN link.

we get a AAA umpire as the replacement in the Padres series?  

I'm glad Winters isn't working (and hoping he doesn't get to work the playoffs, either), but for a series that may have significant implications in two division races, having a AA ump probably isn't gonna make either the Padres or the Brewers happy (although we're better off than with Winters, that's for sure).

I'd really like it if they pulled another umpire off of a meaningless series, but I don't know if they'd do that.

From MLB.com:

"Sandy Alderson, the Padres' chief executive officer who oversaw umpires when he was an MLB executive vice president, said he didn't want to directly speak about the decision.

"We're pleased MLB investigated the matter," Alderson said when reached by telephone in San Diego, "but I have no comment on the decision."

Good. When I read this morning that Helton was being interviewed I thought that would seal it for Winters. I am very glad that Meacham and Bradley have been vindicated.

Of course, the quote by Meacham in the UT also gave me pause: "At some point, the truth is important."

Umm...."at some point"??? Yeah, like ALWAYS!

Glad that in THIS case, the truth did win out.

Winters deserved to be suspended, maybe for a longer period of time, but Bradley still flipped out, still  had to be restrained so much by Black that Black had to yank him around, and effectively caused his own ACL injury. Winters didn't do that, Bradley did. He's had plenty of chances to clean up his act and he hasn't.

I love the dude and hope he re-signs with the Padres, but it would sure be nice if he learned to use a little restraint in the middle of a fucking pennant race.

Whoooooooo!

Ken Rosenthal thinks the suspension given to Mike Winters is a joke.

SELIG AWARDS PLAYOFF SPOT TO PADRES

MILWAUKEE (AP) - In a shocking move that is sure to stir up controversy, Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig awarded the San Diego Padres a guaranteed berth in the 2007 playoffs. Selig made the stunning declaration at a press conference from Miller Park that was originally called to announce the suspension of embattled umpire Mike Winters.

     "It is clear that the unprofessional and inappropriate actions of Mike Winters clearly led to the season-ending injury of Milton Bradley" Selig told the group of reporters. "Unusual circumstances sometimes call for unusual remedies to what was a very unfortunate incident. That's why I have made the decision to automatically award the NL wild card spot to the San Diego Padres in the event that they don't repeat as NL West champions. I know that there will be disappointment in Philadelphia and Colorado over my decision. But, maybe if they didn't play in ballparks that can only be accurately described as a joke...I would have shown them a bit more respect."

     Selig went on to say that "Matt Cain is a little beeotch" and that "field mics in no way shape or form" had any bearing on the decision to suspend Mike Winters.

If this is as similar to the Duncan/Crawford thing as Milton said...Winters'll be reinstated by the MLB well after the World Series has wrapped up. D-bag.

Let's not forget the crew chief, Bruce Froemming, who backed Winters in this matter. Either Winters lied to Froemming in the umpires' locker room or Froemming himself is also lying. Either way, Froemming has to be held liable as to what happened. He has to know that this isn't the first time that a member of his crew has done this. In an effort to keep umpires accountable, the ENITRE crew should be suspended, not just Winters. If Mr. Selig were concerned about the integrity of the game, he should re-evaluate the work of all major league umpires and find a system where they keep their jobs based on merit,instead of an indefinite tenure (someone please correct me if I in wrong in my assessment that umpires are, essentially, umpires for life -- kind of like dictators).

At the very least, Winters, if he keeps his job (and he shouldn't because he clearly cannot keep his head in the game), should never be allowed to work the post-season for the rest of his umpiring career. An umpire with a track record of baiting players should never be placed in a situation where he could change the outcome of a game.

Phils up 1-0 in the 3rd.

Cleveland's decimating the M's 12-3.

muts losing to the nats again!

From ESPN.COM.

Bruce Froemming and John Hirschbeck each were receiving 10-day penalties [in 2003]. Froemming made an anti-Semitic slur about an umpiring administrator and baseball said Hirschbeck threatened a senior official in the commissioner's office.

OH PEN THREAD! OH PEN THREAD!