Umpire Joe West suspended one game for Papelbon run-in
You'll recall that Phillies closer Jonathan Papelbon was recently suspended for seven games and fined an undisclosed amount for this recent display.
As you likely noted above, umpire Joe West was little vigorous in his attemps to extricate himself from that spirited chat. Now, West has been suspended for one game without pay for making physical contact with Papelbon. MLB made the announcement on Wednesday.
Here's the statement from MLB vice-president of baseball operations Joe Torre:
"Joe West handled himself appropriately in ejecting Papelbon after the player's lewd gesture to the fans. I fully understand that Joe was reacting to a player who was acting aggressively, and can understand his frustration with the situation. However, Joe knows that an umpire cannot initiate physical contact with a player just as a player cannot initiate physical contact with an umpire. I spoke to Joe about the incident, and he admitted that there was a better way to handle the situation. I consider this matter closed."
While Papelbon is pretty obviously at fault for what you see above, you can't put your hands on the other guy. In that important sense, West's suspension is plainly justified and maybe even on the lenient side.
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