Ultimate Ejection

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In lieu of all of the ejections in major league baseball this season SMT decided to put together the manager that would have the ultimate ejection. Which managers were the best at all of the aspects involved in ejections? Who knows the magic words? Who can use props with the best of them? We attempt to answer these questions here.

 

The Brain: Joe Torre

For obvious reasons we rarely have and idea what managers say in most arguments. So, we really do not know exactly what Joe Torre has said in his 60 ejections. One this is certain. The arguments Torre uses have to be the most intelligent arguments possible. Even though his team does not win every game, no one ever says Torre is not intelligent and knows his stuff. Of any manager in the league, Torre would give the most convincing argument and even though umpires never change their calls, Torre could pull it off.

 

The Face: Bobby Cox

The manager who is about to break the record for ejections has to be on this list. It was a close race between him and Lou Pinella for the best face by any manager, but Pinella will show up later for his own special talent. Cox wins this one because of the intensity and abnormal redness that comes with his ejections. When Cox storms out of the dugout his face can be seen from the outfield and shows incredible intensity that makes mangers eject him quickly just to get him out of their face. Cox might not be the gold standard when it comes to ejections, but he is definitely the red standard.

 

The Mouth: Sparky Anderson

If you’re lucky enough to stumble upon some old clips of Sparky Anderson while he was a manager with the Reds you are in for a show, well maybe if those are un-edited clips. To say the least Anderson had a way of communicating with umpires that usually resulted in an early day off. From four letter expletives, to the magic word of baseball arguments Anderson had the full repertoire of insults.

 

The Arms: Ozzie Guillen

It may be a good thing that most umpires can probably never understand Ozzie Guillen during an argument, but Guillen tries everything to get his point across. Instead of using just his mouth, Guillen brings his arms into play during his arguments. Amazingly Guillen has never accidentally punched an umpire during some of his wild flailing during his greatest tirades. Guillen has always been an over-the-top manager and his actions on the field during arguments follow that pattern. I believe Guillen is just trying to give the fans an idea of what is being said. You can’t let the umpire have all the fun.

 

The Guts: Billy Martin

Billy Martin wins this one hands down. Martin is possibly the only person on earth who had the courage to not only go after Reggie Jackson and challenge George Steinbrenner. If Martin was 6’4” and 250lbs, it would be understandable, but he decided to get into the face of Jackson being 5’11” and 165lbs soaking wet. Then after being fired by Steinbrenner Martin returned to the Yankees several times later and had a famous half-joking argument with Steinbrenner during a press conference. Any manager with the guts to argue with a man who could split you in two and another who could fire you on the spot must be on this list and a part of the ultimate ejection.

 

The Lower Body: Lou Pinella

Every great manager has his patented moves, moves that everyone expects when an argument starts. Lou Pinella was a pioneer of the base throw and that move is definitely a regular part of his arsenal, but the move that many baseball fans, especially Seattle baseball fans know Pinella for is his legendary hat kick. Pinella can get more air under a baseball cap than Michael Jordan could get under his feet. He can also kick dirt with the best of them. Whether the dirt is aimed at home plate or the shoes of an umpire, if Pinella wants dirt on it, it’s happening. It doesn’t matter hats, dirt, or bases, Pinella is the best.

 

The Passion: Earl Weaver

Weaver may have been short in stature, but when he made his way onto the field, his eyes fixed on an umpire, he sure acted like he was seven feet tall. If you want proof try to find the famous video (with audio) of one of Weaver’s eruptions. When Weaver thought an umpire was wrong he made sure he knew it and that everyone in the stadium did as well and he never let his size stop him. Weaver may have been thrown out the most in Major League history, but with nearly 1,500 wins under his belt, he new what he was doing and always showed his passion for his teams and baseball.

 

The Creativity: Lloyd McClendon

On June 26, 2001, facing the Milwaukee Brewers, McClendon put on possibly the most creative display by any Major League manager in history. After Jason Kendall was thrown out at first, McClendon ran out to the field and proceeded to steal first base. He picked the base up out of the ground and walked off the field with it. McClendon eventually threw the base out of the dugout, but he is quite possibly the only person in Major League history to literally steal a base. His on-the-spot creativity must be added to this “perfect” manager and could possibly be the most important part of the ultimate ejection.