Coming out to see the umpire

Barking
Originally uploaded by vegacura.

Inarestin coincidence.

WASHINGTON — Judge John G. Roberts Jr., President Bush's choice for chief justice of the United States, said Monday that he aspired to a humble and limited role as leader of the Supreme Court, more akin to an umpire who calls the balls and strikes rather than the star player who is the center of attention.

"Justices and judges are servants of the law, not the other way around," Roberts told the Senate Judiciary Committee. "Judges are like umpires. Umpires don't make the rules; they apply them. Nobody ever went to a ballgame to see the umpire."

I guess Fieldin Culbreth didn't get that memo.

"I called a pitch on Wells and had the ball rather inside, and Randy questioned the pitch and was looking at me and yelling a bit," Culbreth, a 13-year umpire, told reporters. "At that point, he was told that was enough, because he was starting to get pretty animated."

Wells hit a three-run homer, and when Johnson faced Frank Menechino in the second inning, he became irate at Culbreth for calling a ball on a 2-2 pitch inside. Culbreth ripped off his mask and took a few steps toward the mound. Johnson took a few steps toward him. As Flaherty tried to intercede, Culbreth threw out Johnson.

"Randy immediately came off the mound and had some choice words to say," Culbreth said. "I told him to knock it off and get back on the mound. He screamed again, an expletive, and 'just call it a strike,' and at that point he also screamed out, 'and the pitch on Wells was an expletive strike as well.' And at that point, I ejected him."

As Johnson stalked off the mound, tossing the ball behind him, Manager Joe Torre argued with Culbreth, telling him he should have explicitly warned Johnson before ejecting him. Torre made a point of calling Culbreth a fair umpire, but he said he thought Culbreth and Johnson overreacted.

"I just think we have to pay more attention to the time of year it is and the emotions and stuff that goes on this time of year," Torre said. "Randy yelled at him, didn't curse him, but Fieldin just felt enough was enough."

Culbreth said he had simply taken all the abuse he could take from Johnson. Culbreth, who angered Johnson in June by refusing to call strikes on two check-swings by Tampa Bay's Eduardo Perez, said Johnson knew it was risky to confront him Friday.

"I would think that he knows that when he came off the mound and was saying the things he was saying, that he had to be putting himself in a position to be ejected," Culbreth said.

Red Sox win as do the Indians. What a wild September.