"Hey, Blue!"

If we can’t change the weather (for the better), can we at least do something about umpires?  Joe West and Angel Hernandez are bad enough, but now their brand of jerkiness is spreading from crew to crew.

In Friday night’s White Sox-Indians’ game, Sox starter Derek Holland threw a strike, which in itself should be a cause for celebration.  Plate umpire Bill Welke started to raise his hand for an obvious call, only to stop.  Holland imitated Welke’s gesture, which Mr. Blue didn’t take kindly to.  Welke took off his mask, took a few steps to the mound and told Holland basically to mind his own business.

Then, on Sunday, plate umpire Lance Barrett employed a classic expando-strike zone.  Barrett called out Tim Anderson on a pitch a good four inches outside.  Anderson is aggressive to a fault at the plate, and he won’t succeed until he learns plate discipline.  But that’s impossible when the strike zone all of a sudden gets bigger than the state of Texas.  My guess is that Sox hitting coach Todd Steverson could see all his work with Anderson going out the window, and let Barrett know.  It was the first time I ever saw an umpire toss the hitting coach.

Barret must be in great shape, because his right arm never got tired.  I can only hope he heard what a fan shouted out in the top of the ninth inning, loud enough to be picked on the TV:  “Hey, Blue, you’re missing a great game!”

The men in blue are also ruining one.