There's been a good deal of action in Wednesday's game between the Chicago White Sox and Tampa Bay Rays, but the on-field battle pales in comparison to the verbal explosion that White Sox announcer Hawk Harrelson unleashed in the fourth inning.
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During that inning, White Sox pitcher Jose Quintana was ejected for allegedly throwing the ball at Tampa Bay's Ben Zobrist. Chicago manager Robin Ventura was also ejected after arguing the call. As you can tell in the video, Hawk doesn't agree with the umpire Mark Wegner's assessment of the situation:
Before Quintana's pitch, A.J. Pierzynski had been plunked by the Rays' Alex Cobb earlier in the game, possibly as a response to a potentially suspicious slide made by the catcher in Tuesday's game. Wegner clearly was concerned about an escalating situation with pitchers throwing at hitters and immediately made a strong statement with the ejection.
Hawk is known to be a major "homer," one of the most team-friendly announcers in all of baseball to the extent that it often bothers many listeners. This is just the latest example of his antics reaching a new level. Even if you think that Quintana's ejection was unnecessary, it's difficult to argue that Harrelson's response was remotely appropriate for a broadcaster.
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