Veteran MLB umpire Gerry Davis said his wife has noticed something missing from major league games since replay reviews were introduced a decade ago — engaging and entertaining confrontations between managers and umpires.
Long gone are the days when a manager such as Earl Weaver would race out of the dugout, turn his ballcap around and go nose-to-nose with the ump. Or how Billy Martin would kick up dirt toward an ump’s pant legs. Or how Lou Piniella would pull a base from its moorings and heave it as far as he could.
“My wife, who goes to a lot of the games I work, says that whenever there was a close call before and the manager came out, everyone would stand or get to the edge of their seats,” Davis said.