Red Sox Nation loved to “Cowboy Up” during their 2004 World Series run. Now with Kevin Millar replaced by “Cowboy” Joe West, Sox fans are in a slightly less friendly mood.
West upset a lot of people when he called the slow pace of Red Sox-Yankees games a "disgrace to baseball."
Apparently, Bud Selig wasn’t happy with one of his umpires denouncing the game’s most storied rivalry either. An umpire does his best work when he is not noticed, having as little impact as possible. With his comments, West brought himself into the foreground, and that struck a nerve in the MLB offices.
According to the New York Daily News’ Bill Madden, a high-ranking MLB official was concerned that West’s comments could affect his perceived impartiality during future Red Sox-Yankees games.
The source also told Madden that West will not be fined, suspended or punished in any tangible way. Instead, West was "admonished firmly" for his remarks, essentially a slap on the wrist.
West may or may not have been right with the idea behind his comments, but the next time he finds himself in the Bronx or Boston, he may be the one considered a disgrace to baseball.
