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| (AP Photo) |
File this one under: "Man Bites Dog". In a stunning turn of events,
Major League Baseball has suspended umpire Joe West (he of the country and western obsession) for "grabbing the jersey of Philadelphia Phillies closer Jonathan Papelbon." This whole mess came about after Papelbon grabbed his crotch to salute booing Philly fans and was then ejected by West. The ensuing confrontation showed West clearly grabbing the closer's jersey—which apparently is a no-no. MLB Executive
Joe Torre said this about West, "
Joe knows that an
umpire cannot initiate physical contact with a player just as a player
cannot initiate physical contact with an umpire." Cinco-Ocho was suspended seven games for the "grab"—West gets
one game off without pay. Oh, the humanity!
