At what point did umpires decide that they were the stars of the show? Last time I checked, I watch baseball to see baseball players; yet for some reason those goofy umpires (with their dramatic hooks, and perfectly choreographed spin moves) seem to be vying for the center stage spotlight.Case-in-point, Todd Tichenor, the 32 year-old umpire of yesterdays Red Sox/Twins game decided to, quite theatrically, eject Ron Gardenhire, Mike Redmond, Terry Francona, and Jason Varitek all within the span of ten minutes.Granted, I have no idea what was said to prompt each ejection; but four ejections stemming from separate arguments within a single inning? It looked to me like Tichenor had quite the itchy trigger finger. Coming up from the minor leagues (Triple-A Pacific Coast League), he was either nervous and attempting to maintain control by “laying down the law”, or he was showboating his authority in search of his fifteen minutes of fame. My gut leans me toward the latter.Again, officials in all sports need to maintain order; but they need to do so while fading into the background. I don’t need to see a seven minute Broadway dance number every time a guy strikes out; and unless the benches clear and fists are flying, I most definitely don’t need to see the “ejection jig” four times in a single inning.

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