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Rozner: Out-of-control umps not helping pace of play

Here's something for Rob Manfred to ponder while he gloats over saving a minute a week with the exciting intentional-walk rule.

How about getting your umpires under control?

Yes, Mr. Commissioner, the recent celebration of Joe West, one of the worst umpires in baseball history, has apparently given license to several refs to stomp all over the national pastime.

There were a dozen examples last week, but we'll offer you just a few as evidence that something has to be done.

You want to cut several minutes off the game? Never mind players charging the mound. You now have umpires charging the mound in true Joe West fashion, though West has usually employed his favorite move of chasing players back to the dugout.

Friday night on the South Side, home-plate ump Bill Welke apparently thought the 20,000 in attendance paid to see him show up a veteran starter.

After all, who doesn't want to see that?

It escalated quickly in the fourth when Derek Holland - one of the most affable guys around - reacted when Welke flinched as if he were about to call a strike on Brandon Guyer.

Professional athletes sometimes get upset. It's part of the business. They get emotional. Umpires would prefer they behave like robots.

Holland gestured at the umpire and Welke flipped. He took off his mask and walked almost to the mound, yelling at Holland the entire time.

That wasted several minutes and it took longer when manager Rick Renteria came out to speak with Welke, hoping to keep his pitcher in the game.

Welke then used every opportunity to squeeze the pitcher on calls and that brought pitching coach Don Copper to the mound, mostly so he could give Welke a piece of his mind.

All of it, of course, delayed the proceedings when no time would have been wasted if Welke had just allowed a player to vent his frustration and let it go.

Not even 10 seconds would have passed, rather than several minutes, but some umpires can't do that. The good ones - and most are very good - simply move on.

Welke felt like he needed to go all the way out and put on a display for the fans to see, and they certainly wanted that.

"The thing that really stands out is the way that I got shown up by the umpire," Holland told the media after the game. "I kept my voice as calm as possible.

"I thought it was unprofessional to basically walk out and tell me he was going to show me up. The only thing I said was, 'Don't flinch like that. You can't do that. It's showing me that's a strike.'

"Those guys aren't accountable for some of those things. We get charged for the wins and losses, the strikeouts, the walks, everything, and we have to face that."

It was completely unnecessary, unless an umpire with an ego feels like he must show the player he is the star of the game.

"I felt it was very disrespectful," Holland said. "You're supposed to be professional about it.

"I get it if I raised my voice or showed him attitude. I definitely did not. I did not deserve that. I've always been nice to him.

"I've always gone up to every single one of them, always asking, 'Where have you got that pitch?' because I have to adjust to them."

Also Friday night, the great Angel Hernandez took off his mask and made a big show of it in front of the plate after Toronto starter J.A. Happ, catcher Russell Martin and manager John Gibbons all questioned a call, and this wasted plenty of time while Hernandez put on his own colorful show.

Look at me. I'm in charge. Isn't this exciting for everyone?

Adrian Beltre was tossed by umpire Gerry Davis for having a little fun with the on-deck circle in an 18-6 game, while on the verge of 3,000 hits.

Fun, remember that?

We keep hearing that baseball needs to have more fun, and no one has more fun than Beltre.

Throwing out a future Hall of Famer chasing a milestone certainly grows the game.

If you want to speed up the game, Rob Manfred, let the players play and tell the umpires to umpire.

They are out of control, and it's far past time for you to do something about it.

brozner@dailyherald.com

• Listen to Barry Rozner from 9 a.m. to noon Sundays on the Score's "Hit and Run" show at WSCR 670-AM and follow him @BarryRozner on Twitter.

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