Joe West has, for years, been a controversial umpire in MLB. He has unparalleled experience in the league, but is also known as the umpire with the “second worst percentage of bad calls,” a description he earned from a study conducted by Boston University after the 2018 season. The 67-year-old head of the MLB Umpires Association (MLBUA) has called baseball games since 1976, has appeared on radio and TV (even picking up a role in the movie “The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!”), has released two country music albums and is never afraid to speak his mind. That latter trait is what has put him under the spotlight now, and it could be enough to end his career. According to West, who is at high risk for contracting COVID-19, people aren’t dying from the virus, and it’s just an excuse for hospitals to make money.

[Image credit: Wikimedia Commons]

West’s comments were made to Bob Nightengale of USA Today. He asserted, “Those statistics aren’t accurate, I don’t care who’s counting them. When country music [singer] Joe Diffie died, they said he died of the coronavirus. He had Stage 4 lung cancer. The coronavirus may have accelerated his death, but let’s be realistic. Our system is so messed up they have emptied hospitals because there’s no elective surgery. The government has been giving these hospitals extra money if someone dies of the coronavirus. So, everybody that dies is because of coronavirus. I don’t care if you get hit by a car, it’s coronavirus.’’

Given that over 130,000 people have died from COVID-19, according to health statistics, the remarks didn’t go over well with virtually anyone except West’s closest friends. West has shown, on more than a few occasions, that his ability to provide proper scrutiny of baseball action has waned over the years, and this may be the proverbial nail in the coffin.