West should be punished fo balk calls

There is no question that umpire Joe West is the best at what he does. There is also no question that he should be seriously punished for his behavior last week in a Chicago White Sox game. He made the greatest sin of any sports official, he got himself noticed.
West called a balk and was challenged by White Sox Manager Ozzie Guillen. He retaliated with a balk call on the very next pitch.
The number one rule of umpiring is to act behind the scenes. The crowd should never notice the official. When West called what I will call a retaliation balk call he became the most noticed part of the game.
West is not the only one at fault. Ozzie Guillen had no business on the field and he certainly had no right using profanity in his references to West. West should not have reacted by calling a balk on the next pitch, but Guillen got what he earned which was a trip to the showers.
I don't know how you punish umpires but the major leagues need to find a way. Joe West is one of the best but he needs to realize he is there to call the game not be a part of it.

Lessons from recent days

WOERNER’S CORNER
Things I’ve Learned

I’ve once again come to the point where I’m reflecting on some of the things I have learned about current trends in the sports world in recent days.
For example, I have learned it may be time for Ken Griffey Jr. to have a little talk with Muhamad Ali about hanging on too long. Like Ali in the days when he was getting the face he bragged on so much mashed in by opponents, Griffey is starting to embarrass himself. He has now crossed the 40-year-old barrier. That seems to be the beginning of the end for most players.
Griffey has four hits in his last ten games. He has a .212 average and has yet to hit one of his famous, towering homeruns. The Mariners recognized this as they are paying him “only” $2 million this season. That is a pretty big slap in the face when he made $12 million in 2002. Griffey is far from the player who may well be in the Hall of Fame someday.
I have learned that the only thing Dale Earnhardt Jr. has in common with his father is his name. When his car had the No. 8, at least he looked a little like the No. 3 his dad ran. Now with 88 on his Chevrolet he just blends in with the pack. For the most part it has been with most of the other drivers in the field in front of him. “Little E,” as fans like to call him, was winless last year.
Fans got some hope this year with a near-miss second place at Daytona to start the season. Since then the best finish was a seventh place. There was also an eighthplace finish but he came in at No. 32 in another event and had a No. 16 finish. Daddy would not exactly be proud.
I have learned Tiger Woods must have something awful big to hide from his time off the course. He wants his wife to sign a contract saying she will not comment about their private lives in public. The two are reportedly filing for divorce in Sweden in an attempt to keep details of the split secret from the American press.
That is too bad, Elin should let the world know what she is doing to the man who humiliated her and her two beautiful children in front of the world.
I learned I need to pay more attention to baseball this season, particularly in the National League. When the Cincinnati Reds are in first place it is time to take a second look at the standings. It is even more intriguing to see the Pirates in the middle of the pack, still with hope for the fans of Pittsburgh for something interesting before the Steelers take the field.
The American League is still difficult to get into as it has been as long as I can remember because it is the same old thing. The Royals and Orioles are in last place. The Yankees and Red Sox are still fighting hard with each other and a bunch of other teams are fighting to get their name recognized.
The Rays may be the best team in the league this year so that does give American League fans something to cheer for. I will keep watching the National League pulling for the Braves and Cubs thank you very much.

News from The Corner

For all you sports fans who have missed me, The Corner is back open for business.
Here are a few observations from the week.


I think I saw one of the weirdest things in a long time recently. That was the case of a 22 year old who posed as a 17 year old basketball player. The little ploy cost the team he was playing for a state championship. I have to believe there is something wrong with a grown man who still wants to be a teenager. None of us like getting older, as I am this month, but you have to draw the line somewhere, maybe where you think about literally going back to high school!
Just one of those things you have to chalk up as really weird I suppose.

I have never been a big fan of the National Basketball Association but I couldn’t help but notice all the press and uproar over Lebron James. Because he is going through a slump he is being blamed for his team’s playoff problems.
Even though he is one of the best players in NBA history not named Michael Jordan, believe or not James is a human. He is going to make mistakes. He is not the problem if his team loses. Until the Cavaliers put four other quality players on the court they will still fall short.
Even Jordan had Scottie s to take some of the defensive pressure of him. I am not sure James has that kind of player to join him on the court. That means the Cavaliers will continue to lose until they get him some support. The press should get off James’s back about it.
James is going to ask for big money this summer and he should get it. He is the best , despite his playoff performance this year, and he deserves to be paid for.

And, Lawrence Taylor, let it speak for itself. The details are disgusting but the story is sad. The fact he did anything sexual in nature with a teenager should put him in jail.
Chalk it up to another athlete who fame went to his head and destroyed his image.