Paul Sullivan: A look at the high-profile beefs Cubs have had with umpires
The Cubs have had their share of high-profile umpiring disputes of late, though one reason may be they have more high-profile players than they used to.
Several confrontations have forced manager Joe Maddon to insert himself to defend his player, a task he seems to relish if the gleam in his eye while yelling at umps is any indication.
A typically animated contretemps between Maddon and an umpire plays well on "SportsCenter" and is always good for a tweet or two.
The latest beef occurred Monday afternoon when umpire Gabe Morales ejected Maddon while he was defending reliever Carl Edwards Jr. during the Cubs-Brewers game at Miller Park. Edwards was upset after walking Ryan Braun on a 3-2 curve to load the bases in the eighth inning of a 4-3 loss.
Maddon was caught on video yelling, "Do your (bleeping) job," at Morales. Edwards later made a scene of his own, berating Morales after walking Mike Moustakas to force in the tying run, causing his own ejection.
After the previous week's incident between Javier Baez and Joe West, I asked Maddon if umpires were provoking players more than they did back in the day.
"Not even close," Maddon replied. "It used to be much worse. This is benevolent, mild, a walk in the park. The old boys,
