By Tim Robertson

After a seemingly record-breaking week of managers receiving an early exit, I want to introduce a rule to America’s past time.

Ozzie Guillen, Lou Pinella and Joe Torre all argued calls and all lost. This past week Gary Sheffield and Josh Baird also lost their cool and received suspensions. But, what did it mean to the game? Getting tossed doesn’t hinder the team as a whole, only the individual. Perhaps if a player’s or manager’s extraordinary tirade hurt his ball club, he would think twice before storming after the men in blue.

Here is the proposal, stay with me and keep an open mind. If someone argues a call while his team is on offense, and the umpire subsequently ejects him, his team loses an out. The next batter in the lineup would represent the automatic out. On defense, after an ejection, all offensive players would receive one base, including the current batter.

Don’t worry my fellow traditionalist book keepers, it won’t disrupt your scorecard. Offensively, the automatic out won’t count against the player’s batting average, similar to a sacrifice hit. Defensively, if a run scores due to the ejection, pitchers wouldn’t be charged with an earned run.

In comparison to other major sports, it makes sense. When Rasheed Wallace of the Detroit Pistons picks up his usual two technical fouls, the opponent shoots two free throws (in college a player would shoot four) and also receives possession.

Similarly, ferociously arguing a call in the NFL will cost a team 15 yards with an unsportsmanlike penalty.    

While it may entertain the crowd to watch Sweet Lou toss third base a measly three feet into the outfield or annoyingly kick dirt on an umpire, the umps shouldn’t settle for giving him and the Cubs a slap on the wrist.

Many times managers argue and are tossed on purpose to pump up their team, ignite some energy. An ejection shouldn’t have a positive effect on a team. After all, the argument disrupts and unnecessarily delays the game.

Unlike attempting to eliminate fighting in the NHL with stiffer penalties, punishing ejected managers and players harsher wouldn’t take away from an embedded part of the game, as some might argue. Unlike other sports, umpires never get within earshot of the dugout, but this rule would not punish mangers from calmly running onto the field to disagree verbally.

Baseball managers take the right to interrupt a ball game for granted. If a coach steps on the ice in a hockey game, he gets an automatic gate, no questions. If a basketball coach steps on the court, it’s a tech (trust me, I got one the other day).

There should be a stiffer penalty for over-the-top managers.

I understand this is a revolutionary idea, and perhaps the MLB needs a Roger Goodell-like commissioner with a new direction to implement it. The rule also may need tweaking, but the motive behind it is just. It would reduce the number of times fans have to sit through obnoxious temper tantrums and the amount of angry insults a manager spews at an umpire.