You go, Country Joe!

"They're the two clubs that don't try to pick up the pace," said West, the chief of the umpiring crew working the three-game series, according to the report. "They're two of the best teams in baseball. Why are they playing the slowest?

"It's pathetic and embarrassing. They take too long to play," he said, according to the report.

During Tuesday night's game, home plate umpire Angel Hernandez denied a number of requested time outs in the batter's box. West did not allow Hernandez to comment, according to the report.

"All of baseball looks to these two clubs to pick up the pace," West said, according to the report. "[Hernandez] did everything he could. The players aren't working with us."

Three points here:

1. West is right. It's gotten silly, particularly when these teams play one another.

2. Refusing to grant time-outs to hitters just trying to clear their minds (or whatever) is a great thing, and should be done more often. Unfortunately, it'll take a rules change to limit the catchers' visits to the mound.

3. West would have more credibility if he and his brethren were better at their jobs. Every time I see the Pitchf/x data graphed, it suggests that umpires consistently fail to call strikes on pitches low in the zone. Granted, they (unwittingly) balance those missed strikes by calling strikes on outside pitches, and it's possible the effect is a wash. But I'd like to see what would happen if umpires called pitches more accurately. Which isn't to suggest that they're not trying.