The Braves traded Paige Miller to the Pirates for saying:
 PM> So, what are some realistic suggestions here?
They can start by reinforcing to the umpires that the players are the reason 
why they're there in the first place. The one thing that I've always hated 
was the way that umpires try to outdo each other when they embellish their 
calls. Leslie Neilsen went a little overboard with his portrayal of an ump in 
Naked Gun 2 1/2, however, he made his point. My favorite umpires are the ones 
that just go out there and do their job without playing to the crowd. It's 
one thing for a pitcher to show up a player, it's an entirely different thing 
for an umpire to do it.
They should also grade umpires and give them post season assignments 
according to merit and not because it's their time. They should also get rid 
of their lowest rated umpires. First, they should demote them to the minors 
but keep them at the top of the pool for replacements. If they fail at their 
second call up, they should be demoted but put into the general pool. If they 
fail a third time, they should be given the option of resigning or permanent 
assignment to the minors, where they would be given assignments to the lowest 
levels with a chance to work their way up to AAA but no further. It might be 
a good idea to give new umpires two years before they are subject to demotion 
so that they can get the experience that they need to work out the kinks.
--- TrekEd 1.00
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