On Monday night, Laz Diaz gave the 39,701 fans at Angel Stadium what they wanted when he put on a show in the eighth inning before ejecting Yankees pitcher Shawn Kelley. After Kelley jawed with Diaz for what he felt was a tight strike zone, Diaz spent ten seconds essentially brushing Kelley off and antagonizing him before ejecting him from the game. The crowd roared with pleasure at their hero put himself front and center over the overpaid athletes who bring in no money for their teams at all.
In all serious, Diaz should probably be suspended for this. The best umpires don’t make a show out of themselves – they fade into the background and fit seamlessly into the game (unless you’re Jim Joyce and his absurdly loud strikeout call). Umpires like Diaz are a joke, and we really need less of them in the game. Even though Kelley was in the wrong and shouldn’t have gone after him, Diaz needs to not egg on a player like he did – it’s an absolute joke.
