Have to think MLB or the Rangers will take some action, too.

Have there been incidents in the past where either MLB or the player's club has imposed punishment for off-season infractions in other leagues? I don't remember.

Could a player such as Manny Ramirez play in Japan or Korea without having to serve the 50-game suspension that MLB handed down?

Could a player such as Manny Ramirez play in Japan or Korea without having to serve the 50-game suspension that MLB handed down?

It would be entirely up to the individual league whether it chose to enforce the suspension.

Calling it "striking" is unneccessarily sensationalistic. He pushed the ump - plenty bad enough without exaggerating.

I want to say this tantrum by some kid in the minors was similar but I guess you have to make the distinction Torrealba actually made contact with the umpire to justify this guy's actions.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwWU5C7-g5s

Calling it "striking" is unneccessarily sensationalistic. He pushed the ump - plenty bad enough without exaggerating.

Are we looking at the same film? Granted it was with an open hand, but that was a real shot to the face. If Torrealba didn't "strike" the ump in the face (mask), what would you call it?

<i>Could a player such as Manny Ramirez play in Japan or Korea without having to serve the 50-game suspension that MLB handed down?<\i>

Well, he can't play in the DR (as was reported this winter) until serving the suspension which might be why he's asking to be reinstated to MLB. Then he could serve his suspension in the DR next year and be eligible.

Are we looking at the same film? Granted it was with an open hand, but that was a real shot to the face. If Torrealba didn't "strike" the ump in the face (mask), what would you call it?

I'm not getting into an arguement about semantics, because clearly he was wrong and as I said, pushing is bad enough.

But to me, especially with an open hand, there needs to at least be some wind-up. He's no more than an inch or two away when he starts.

If Torrealba didn't "strike" the ump in the face (mask), what would you call it?

Ball one? :-)

@8: not interested in "semantics" either, although, what else do we have? We must be looking at different video. Tell you what. Get one of the stronger people you know to start with their hand an inch and a half from your face, and shove their hand into your face, hard. Enough to snap your head around and get you moving in direction opposite that which you were originally facing.

After due consideration for "fighting words", I were MLB I'd suspend Torrealba for a year.

Going from the video, I'd call it a hard shove to the face. Rougher than a push but not enough snap to be a punch or slap. I think a lengthy suspension is warranted.

What does the CBA say about MLB's or a team's ability to suspend a player for bad behavior in a non-MLB event?

Going from the video, I'd call it a hard shove to the face. Rougher than a push but not enough snap to be a punch or slap. I think a lengthy suspension is warranted.

Probably a good characterization, but that type of strike carries a lot more energy than a slap, and probably hurt the umpire more than a punch would have, given the fact that the umpire was wearing a mask designed to protect him from 100 mph fastballs. Actually, would have been pretty funny to see Torrealba throw a true punch, given that he would have likely broken his hand.

MLB should definitely at least inquire, make him sweat a little- an MLB player, even a scrub, playing internationally, represents MLB imho. An MLB suspension could easily be rationalized, using the sportsmanship clause (in the previous CBA, don't think we've seen the new CBA, have we?) or some sort of "best interest of the game" thing. Much as I hate bad umpires, we can't have players hitting them.

How many games did Bill Madlock get that time for shoving his glove into the umpires face? Somewhere around 1980, when he was with the Pirates IIRC.

As an Angels fan, I'm worried this means more ABs for Mike Napoli.

Also, when I was in elementary school we had as many words for hitting as the eskimos have for snow. After watching the video, I have concluded that Torrealba gave the ump what we used to call a 'facial disgracial.' Not sure about MLBs stance on those.

66 -- wonder what led to that exact number?

#12 Here's what an arbitrator -- one who made a number of pivotal rulings -- had to say on the whole subject of off-field discipline.p when

"Normally, off-duty conduct is the business of the employer only under certain limited circumstances - when it can be shown by credible evidence that the conduct directly injures the product or reputation of the business, where fellow workers reasonably refuse to work with the alleged miscreant, where the behavior renders the employee unable to perform his duties or appear at work, like being in jail, or where the conduct clearly breaches an employee's duty of loyalty to the employer.

All of this, sometimes referred to as the "vital nexus" requirement, recognizes that employers are not the guardians of the public weal or the ultimate censor of their employees' off-premises behavior, nor are they society's chosen enforcers."

And here you've got a situation where one set of employees -- the umpires -- have good reason to feel concern for Torrealba's conduct. I have little reason to think an arbitrator would refuse to uphold any discipline on Torrealba, though he wouldn't allow Selig to be more severe than the Venezuelan league was (setting the upper bounds at 66 games) or more severe than MLB has been in the past on similar incidents. Alomar will come up at any hearing.

66 -- wonder what led to that exact number?

It sounds like the number of games remaining this season, plus the full slate for 2012.

How many games did Bill Madlock get that time for shoving his glove into the umpires face? Somewhere around 1980, when he was with the Pirates IIRC.

15 games. Pete Rose got 30 games for pushing/shoving an ump (when Rose was a manager).

It sounds like the number of games remaining this season, plus the full slate for 2012.

Which is exactly what it was.

And here you've got a situation where one set of employees -- the umpires -- have good reason to feel concern for Torrealba's conduct. I have little reason to think an arbitrator would refuse to uphold any discipline on Torrealba, though he wouldn't allow Selig to be more severe than the Venezuelan league was (setting the upper bounds at 66 games) or more severe than MLB has been in the past on similar incidents. Alomar will come up at any hearing.

The Rangers have already indicated that they are reviewing Torrealba's actions and that they may take some punitive action of their own. I expect a relatively low level of tolerance for precisely the reason that Ron indicates.

-- MWE