Gum Dumpster

Phillies' Manager Charlie Manuel was not present for last night's inter-league series opener against the Boston Red Sox.  He was serving a single game suspension for his actions regarding a disputed foul-tip call, and the ensuing altercation with umpire Bob Davidson.

More notably, Davidson also received a suspension for not only escalating the argument with Manuel, but also  "repeated violations of the Office of the Commissioner's standards for situation handling." On several occasions, this veteran umpire has been warned of his improper actions when addressing an irate player or manager.

Fast forward to last night... Top of the 9th, Sox were trailing the Phils 6-4, when Marlon Byrd was ruled out on a bang-bang play.  Valentine rushed out to dispute the call, and was met with harsh words from first base umpire Ron Darling.  As the two shared an animated argument, Darling called "Bullshit" which caused his chewing gum to project out of his mouth, directly onto Bobby Valentine's jacket.  

The gum spitting was clearly an accident, but it was the attitude and language that crossed the line. Officiating is generally terrible in all professional sports, and it is egomania that drives the problem.  Officiating is about swallowing pride, and making the correct call.

- Kevin Aherne