Irate Ortiz explodes in Baltimore

Via @TheScore

Last night, David Ortiz was ejected by home plate umpire Tim Timmons for arguing balls and strikes, and took out his frustrations on a seemingly indestructible dugout phone.

Despite the fact that Ortiz's frustration was legitimate, his behavior was not. I'm perfectly aware that ejected players and coaches often unleash their anger on inanimate objects - but it usually happens down in the tunnel, away from the prying eyes of television cameras and eliminating the risk that a teammate might become collateral damage.

You can see Dustin Pedroia leaning away from Papi's display of rage, covering his head in an attempt to protect himself from flying shards of shattered bat. After three coaches kept Ortiz from reapproaching Timmons, Pedroia gave the irate DH a piece of his mind.

Via @TheScore

Despite some Twitter speculation of a suspension, I suspect that Papi's punishment will be limited to a fine of an undisclosed amount, and perhaps a public apology for the bad example he set for all the kids out there.

But there's another issue being overlooked in all the drama over Ortiz's outburst: Tim Timmons WAS TERRIBLE last night. There needs to be a system of accountability for MLB umpires, because Timmons' poor performance wasn't a matter of a few close missed calls, but rather a constantly fluctuating strikezone.

David Ortiz's behavior was certainly inappropriate, but Timmons umpiring job was nothing less than embarrassing.