| Joe West | |
|---|---|
.jpg) West in 2011 | |
| Umpire | |
| Born: (1952-10-31)October 31, 1952 (age 73) Asheville, North Carolina, U.S. | |
| MLB (NL) debut | |
| September 14, 1976 | |
| Last appearance | |
| October 6, 2021 | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Special Assignments
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Joseph Henry West (born October 31, 1952), nicknamed "Cowboy Joe" or "Country Joe", is an American formerbaseballumpire. He worked inMajor League Baseball (MLB) from 1976 to 2021, umpiring an MLB-record 43 seasons and 5,460 games.
Born inAsheville, North Carolina, he grew up inGreenville and played football atEast Carolina University (ECU) andElon College. West entered theNational League (NL) as an umpire in 1976; he joined the NL staff full-time in 1978. As a young umpire, he workedNolan Ryan's fifth careerno-hitter, was on the field forWillie McCovey's 500thhome run, and was involved in a 1983 pushing incident with managerJoe Torre. West resigned during the1999 Major League Umpires Association mass resignation but was rehired in 2002. He served as crew chief for the2005 World Series and officiated in the2009 World Baseball Classic. On May 25, 2021, West brokeBill Klem's all-time record by umpiring his 5,376th game.
West worked several no-hitters, including a 2012perfect game by Félix Hernández. He officiated sixWorld Series, threeAll-Star Games, tenLeague Championship Series (LCS), eightLeague Division Series (LDS) and fourWild Card Games. West was president of theMajor League Baseball Umpires Association through 2018. As the organization's president, he helped negotiate the largest umpiring contract in baseball history. He works with a sporting goods company to design and patent umpiring equipment endorsed by MLB.
West was born inAsheville, North Carolina, in 1952. He grew up inGreenville, North Carolina, where he played youth baseball andfootball. He graduated fromJH Rose High School in Greenville.[2] West playedsafety on the first-year football team atEast Carolina University (ECU) in 1970 and he was aquarterback forElon College (now Elon University) from 1971 to 1973.[3][4] He intended to play hiscollege football career at ECU, but head coachMike McGee resigned after his first year, prompting West's transfer.[5]
While in college, West hoped to play both baseball and football. However, spring practice for football interfered with West's ability to be on the baseball team. He concentrated on football and umpired high school baseball games on the side.[5] In his three seasons at Elon, West was the starting quarterback and the team won three conference championships. He was namedMost Valuable Player (MVP) on the 1973 team that lost theNAIA Division I title game toAbilene Christian; the Abilene Christian team was led by future professional football playersClint Longley andWilbert Montgomery. West left Elon holding three passing records that were not broken for 20 years and was inducted into the Elon Sports Hall of Fame in 1986.[3]
While umpiring locally as a college student, West metCarolina League umpire supervisor Malcolm Sykes, who recommended that West attend an umpire training school. West went to umpire school and graduated at the top of his class. He worked in several minor-league circuits (theWestern Carolinas League,Puerto Rican League,Florida Instructional League,Southern League andAmerican Association) before he was promoted to the major leagues.[5] West made his firstNational League (NL) appearance in 1976 and joined the full-time NL staff in 1978.[3]
In his first season as a full-time MLB umpire, West umpired the game in whichWillie McCovey hit his 500th career home run.[6] In the same year, he was at first base when Pete Rose tied the modern NL record for most consecutive games with a hit (37, set byTommy Holmes of the1945 Boston Braves), and he was the home plate umpire when Rose broke it the following day.[7][8][9] In 1981, West worked first base for Nolan Ryan's fifth career no-hitter.[10] On October 13, 1981, West was 28 when he became the youngest NL umpire to call aLeague Championship Series.[3]
In July 1983, West was suspended for three days and fined $500 for shovingAtlanta Braves manager Joe Torre.[11] The manager was angry at the end of a game and had followed West into the walkway outside the umpires' dressing room to argue with him.[11] On appeal, NL PresidentChub Feeney reduced West's fine to $300. Torre also received a fine stemming from the incident.[12] This was believed to be the first incident of an umpire being suspended during a baseball season in decades.[13][14]
During a game between theNew York Mets andAtlanta Braves atShea Stadium on May 9, 1984, West ejected two cameramen withSportsChannel after they allowed coachBobby Valentine and pitcherMike Torrez of the Mets to watch the replay of a close call that had ended the fourth inning.[15][16]
West made his second NLCS appearance in 1986. He umpired his first All-Star Game in 1987.[3] On September 28, 1988, West was on the field whenOrel Hershiser set the MLB record for consecutive scoreless innings pitched.[17] West returned to the NLCS in 1988 and was the plate umpire whenDodgers pitcherJay Howell was ejected for having pine tar on his glove.[18]
During a 1990 on-field brawl between the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets, West attempted to break up the fight by throwing Phillies pitcherDennis Cook to the ground. The matter ultimately was handled among West, NL PresidentBill White,then-CommissionerFay Vincent, and the umpires' union.[19] West said White supported his actions in the brawl, but White quickly issued a statement saying he had prohibited West from making further physical contact with players. White was reported to have nearly resigned due to a lack of support from Vincent, but the NL president remained in his post after receiving approval from league owners.[20] West met more controversy the following year whenChicago Cubs outfielderAndre Dawson bumped him after a called third strike during a game atWrigley Field. After Dawson was ejected from the game, he walked back to the dugout and tossed 14bats onto the field. Chicago fans threw debris onto the field, causing a delay in the game. Dawson received a one-game suspension and a $1,000 fine.[21] On his check to the league, Dawson wrote "donation for the blind".[22]
In 1992, West made his first World Series appearance when the Atlanta Braves faced theToronto Blue Jays. West was behind the plate in the first World Series game played in Canada and ejected Braves managerBobby Cox for throwing a helmet onto the field.[23] In 1993, he appeared in the NLCS. He worked another no-hitter on April 8, 1994, when Kent Mercker shut down the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 1995 NLDS was West's first League Division Series. The following year West worked in the NLCS. He returned to the World Series in 1997 when theCleveland Indians faced theFlorida Marlins.[3]
In 1999, West was among 22 MLB umpires who engaged inmass resignations during a labor dispute.[24] The strategy backfired when MLB accepted the resignations instead of entering into further negotiations with the umpiring union.[25] The union filed charges against MLB with theNational Labor Relations Board, saying the mass resignation was "a concerted action protected by law".[25] After arbitration and appeals, MLB settled with the union. A few umpires received severance pay and were allowed to retire under the settlement, but MLB rehired West and several other umpires in 2002.[24]
In the same year he returned to the field, West worked in the ALDS. He also umpired in the 2003 and 2004 ALCS. In game six of the latter series, West's crew ruled Yankees batterAlex Rodriguez out forinterference after Rodriguez appeared to swat the ball out of the glove of opposing pitcherBronson Arroyo on his way to first base. Fans threw debris on the field, Red Sox manager Terry Francona pulled his team off the field, andNYPD officers in riot gear took to the field to calm the crowd. West said fans actually applauded the umpires for the correct call when they came onto the field the following day.[26] West's first All-Star Game and World Series appearances after his rehire came in 2005; that year he umpired in his second ALDS and his third World Series, serving as World Series crew chief.[3]
West was the home plate umpire when rookie pitcherClay Buchholz threw a no-hitter against theBaltimore Orioles on September 1, 2007, atFenway Park; West called acurveball strike three for the final out.[27] He worked his 4,000th career game on July 30, 2009, atMiller Park inMilwaukee, Wisconsin; he ejectedWashington Nationals managerJim Riggleman from the contest.[10] That same year he appeared in the American League Division Series and the World Series. He was also elected president of theWorld Umpires Association (WUA).[28] West and the union's governing board negotiated the largest umpiring contract in the history of MLB. The contract ran from 2010 through the 2014 season. West designed the chest protector sold commercially as the West Vest, now marketed byWilson Sporting Goods.[29] He held patents on the West Vest in the US, Australia, Canada, and Japan. He also designed Wilson's high-end umpiring gear, the only umpiring equipment endorsed by MLB.[3][30]
In 2010, West sparked controversy by criticizing the slow pace of a recently completed series between theNew York Yankees andBoston Red Sox, which he called "pathetic and embarrassing".[31] Red Sox managerTerry Francona referred to the remarks as "troubling," while Yankees closerMariano Rivera remarked, "If he has places to go, let him do something else."[32] Columnist Wallace Matthews defended West, saying the umpire was simply expressing what people had been thinking for a long time.[33] West was not fined by MLB for his comments but was "admonished firmly," according to press reports.[34] On May 26, 2010, West made two controversialbalk calls onMark Buehrle and consequently ejectedWhite Sox managerOzzie Guillén for arguing and Buehrle for throwing his glove which led to theChicago announcer asserting that West was becoming a "joke to the umpiring profession" and was "in need of a suspension."[35] On August 26, 2010, West was the plate umpire forAlbert Pujols' 400th career home run.[36]
On September 14, 2014, West ejectedJonathan Papelbon for the lewd act of adjusting his groin, resulting in a confrontation where West grabbed Papelbon's jersey.[37] MLB subsequently suspended Papelbon for seven games for his lewd act and West for one game for initiating contact with Papelbon. West later claimed Papelbon had initiated first contact,[37] but Major League Baseball determined that the video replay showed West was not correct, and that the contact was initiated by West.[38]
West umpired in his second NLDS (and fifth LDS) in 2011. The next year West was the first base umpire forFélix Hernández's August 15perfect game against theTampa Bay Rays.[39] He umpired another NLDS that year, then appeared in his fifth World Series. His career has spanned the tenure of baseball commissionersBowie Kuhn,Peter Ueberroth,Bart Giamatti,Fay Vincent,Bud Selig, andRob Manfred.[3] The 2015 season was West's 38th in MLB, making him MLB's most senior umpire.[3] UmpireBruce Froemming, who was previously the most senior umpire, spent 37 seasons in MLB, retiring at the end of the 2007 season.[40]
On August 9, 2017, West was suspended for three games after making inappropriate comments aboutAdrián Beltré. Beltre defended West, stating that he thought the suspension was unnecessary and that West had made the comments in jest.[41]
In the bottom of the first inning of Game 4 of the2018 ALCS, a deep drive and potential two-run homer to right field by Houston'sJose Altuve, which Boston'sMookie Betts nearly caught with a leaping grab at the wall, was ruled by West to be an out due tofan interference. West, the crew chief for the series, made the call from his right field position; the call stood after review by video replay.[42] The call was widely discussed in coverage of the game and on social media such asTwitter.[43][44]
On August 14, 2019, West umpired his 5,164th Major League Baseball game to move past Bruce Froemming for the second-most number of major league games officiated.[45] OnlyBill Klem, who umpired from 1905 to 1941, had called more games than West.[46]
On October 22, 2019, West filed adefamation lawsuit in New York againstPaul Lo Duca andAction Network over comments that the formerNew York Mets catcher made on a podcast in April 2019. On the podcast, Lo Duca recalled his teammateBilly Wagner telling him in 2006–2007, "Joe loves antique cars so every time he comes into town I lend him my'57 Chevy so he can drive it around so then he opens up the strike zone for me." In the complaint, West denied this and said he suffered unspecified damages as a result of Lo Duca's comments.[46][47] West was later awarded $500,000 in damages.[48]
On July 30, 2020, while umpiring theWashington Nationals–Toronto Blue Jays game, West was hit on the side of the head whenBo Bichette lost his bat. He left the game in the bottom of the first inning but returned in the top of the third as the third base umpire.[49]
On May 25, 2021, West surpassed Bill Klem's major league record by umpiring his 5,376th career game, in a contest between the White Sox and Cardinals atGuaranteed Rate Field.[50][51] West announced he would retire after the 2021 postseason;[52] his final assignment was the2021 National League Wild Card Game, where he was the home plate umpire.[53]
On February 4, 2022, West officially retired.[54]
West has been mentioned in several polls of MLB players. In 2006, the spring after he was crew chief in the World Series, aSports Illustrated survey asked 470 MLB players to identify the best and worst umpires. West was identified as the best MLB umpire by 2 percent of those players, ranking him ninth on that list. With respect to the worst umpire, 6 percent of players in the survey selected West, ranking him fourth.[55] A 2007 review of umpire strike zones byThe Hardball Times determined that West "had the fewest number of extra balls and strikes," which the outlet asserted "is a sign of consistency."[56]
In a 2010 poll of 100 players, West ranked as the second-worst umpire in the league.[57] In a 2011 players poll, 41 percent of players polled (the "overwhelming"plurality) named West the worst umpire; only 5 percent of players polled named him as best.[58]
In a 2019 study byBoston University's Mark T. Williams, West was identified as the umpire during the 2018 season with the second-highest percentage of bad ball-and-strike calls when working behind home plate. Over West's last eleven years, he has averaged 21 incorrect calls a game, or 2.3 per inning.[59]
West is known outside umpiring as a singer-songwriter. His involvement in country music and his demeanor on the field have earned him the nickname "Cowboy Joe".[60] West has described his music as "two chords and the truth. ... It's simple. It tells a story."[61] In 2009, West said of his musical pursuits, "I was lucky. You know, the dues you have to pay to get here as an umpire are long and tedious, but the music business, because I was already in the major leagues, kind of opened a lot of doors I normally wouldn't have been able to open."[10]
West has appeared at theGrand Ole Opry.[10] He has performed withMickey Gilley,Johnny Lee, andMerle Haggard.[62] West served as a pallbearer forBoxcar Willie.[60]
West released his first album,Blue Cowboy, in 1987.Blue Cowboy is an album of three original songs and five covers. Chuck Yarborough of theCleveland Plain Dealer said, "Listening to the first excerpt of his "Blue Cowboy" made me balk—you'll pardon the expression—at listening to the second. But I did. And the third. And so on. And now? Well, if I'm Nashville, I run West outta the game."[63] In a September 2012 review, music blog Long After Dark said, "Blue Cowboy easily ranks with Ron Artest and Carl Lewis as one of the worst albums that a sports figure has cut ... ever. I can say that I managed to make it through the record, although it was not easy."[64]
He releasedDiamond Dreams in 2008. The album was a collaboration with Kent Goodson, pianist for country starGeorge Jones. It tells baseball stories inspired by West's umpiring career.[60] Goodson later said, "As I look back on how this CD came together, I realize that I am a musician and Joe is an umpire. But his love for music and my love for baseball bonded us in this project."[65][66] Sportswriter Doug Miller said that the album was "a fun, humorous and often touching collection of spoken-word gems in which the listener gets a perfect sampling of the true personality of Cowboy Joe West".[67]
West has made one film appearance, playing a third base umpire in the 1988 comedy filmThe Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad![10] He also made a cameo appearance on the television crime dramaThe Oldest Rookie.[68] An avid golfer, West appears on the Celebrity Players Tour.[3]
Following his retirement, in 2023, West attempted to edit hisWikipedia article in order to "change unfavorable aspects", specifically with regards to the shoving match with Torre, as well as adding his perspective on information listed, correcting what he claimed were discrepancies in his career section, and attempting to update personal information about himself, specifically his vest patents expiring and his remarriage. His account was indefinitely blocked from editing after making legal threats.[69] Following the block, West explained that his motive in editing his own page was due to being introduced for a speech in Southern California with some remarks that confused him, and he eventually traced the source of the remarks to his Wikipedia page, unaware of the policies againstconflict-of-interest editing on Wikipedia (as well as policies against threatening legal action towards the site).[30]
West appeared on the Baseball Hall of Fame Contemporary Era Committee Ballot in 2023, for induction in 2024. He did not receive enough support to be elected in his first try.[70][71]
West has been married twice. After the death of his first wife, West remarried.[30]
In 2012, West was diagnosed withlaryngeal cancer, which is now in remission.[72][73]
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