When Jerry Manuel took the lineup card out to home plate before last night's game with the Mariners a familiar face was there to greet him. Brian Runge, the umpire who tossed Manuel and Carlos Beltran from the previous contest, stuck his hand out and Manuel accepted it. Runge also apologized for bumping Manuel during the argument that preceded the ejections. Manuel said before the game that such an apology would be enough for him to put the incident in the past.
Manuel had said he was "not hoping that (Runge) does get disciplined. I think for me, maybe just a personal apology would be enough for me. I think that would be plenty enough for me. I don't hope to see anyone get suspended and all that kind of stuff."I don't agree with Manuel. Watch the video again and then ask yourself, if the two sides had acted differently would there be any doubt about a suspension? No way. Manuel would be fined and suspended by Major League Baseball for making contact with an umpire. The same standard should hold to Runge who escalated the situation well beyond a simple argument about balls and strikes.
It's not like there's no precedent. Mike Winters was suspended for the argument that led to Milton Bradley's season-ending injury last year and that was for verbal, not physical, reasons. Winters was relieved of duty for five games, the same seems reasonable for Runge.
