2019-10-23 06:09:31
Umpire Joe West has had his share—some would say more than his share—of failures. You would be well within your rights to describe him as unreliable, ornery, confrontational, or an occasional obnoxious textualist. He’s been all of those things! But one thing West will not hesitate to sue your ass over is any suggestion that he’s ever been on the take, a lesson currently being learned by former MLB catcher and new Barstool Sports podcaster Paul Lo Duca.Lo Duca made the accusations on something called The Favorites Podcast, hosted on The Action Network, back in April. Lo Duca told host Chad Millman and fellow replacement-grade bro and Barstool podcaster Blackjack Fletcher that former Mets teammate Billy Wagner would transact a wider strike zone with West by allowing West to borrow his vintage 1957 Chevy. It was part of a segment devoted to West, where Lo Duca claimed to have had a contentious relationship with the umpire, and offered several spicy stories that are now under dispute: