Umpires

(Newser) - With instant replay now available to Major League Baseball umpires (at least for some calls), USA Today looks at some famous games where it might have come in handy:

• Oct. 1, 2007, tiebreaker for National League wild card: Padres’ catcher Michael Barrett maintains that the Rockies’ Matt Holliday didn’t

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(Newser) - Wonder why minority umpires are about as common in Major League Baseball as inside-the-park home runs? Incredibly low turnover and 10- to 12-year, poorly paid minor-league apprenticeships, that's why, the LA Times reports. Only seven umps have have been called up from the minors since 2000, helping account for the...

(Newser) - The instant replay-expecting public is ready for baseball to get out of the Stone Age, says LA Times columnist Bill Dwyre, following veteran umpire Tim McClelland's controversial call at home plate in Monday's Rockies-Padres game. It sent Colorado into the playoffs and raised pressure for MLB to utilize the instant...

(Newser) - Umpire Mike Winters was suspended for the rest of the season today for his part in a confrontation that left San Diego outfielder Milton Bradley with a season-ending knee injury. A Major League Baseball official said Winters directed profanity at Bradley during Sunday's brouhaha; the Padres claim Winters baited Bradley,...