Hawk Not Backing Down On Umpire Rant: 'I Meant What I Said'
(WSCR) If you think Ken "Hawk" Harrelson is backing down from his blasting of umpire Mark Wegner Wednesday, you are dead wrong.
"I said what I said and I meant what I said," Hawk told The Mully And Hanley Show Thursday morning.
The White Sox television broadcaster went off on Wegner during Wednesday's game after the home plate umpire threw pitcher Jose Quintana out of the game for throwing behind the Rays' Ben Zobrist. Hawk said Wegner should be suspended and sent back to umpire school, among other things.
A much calmer Hawk talked exclusively with Mully and Hanley Thursday, but the anger had hardly subsided.
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"First of all, I still have a headache because I got so upset yesterday," he said. "I took four Advil after that inning was over and then I had to take four more on the plane and then when I got home last night I had to take four more. Also, when I got up this morning, I had to take four more."
As for the play, his stance hasn't changed.
"We had two guys drilled, none of their guys got thrown at, none of their guys left their feet and then all the sudden we throw at Zobrist, which was below the belt about knee high behind him, and he throws Quintana out? Give me a break," the broadcaster said.
So should Wegner have issued warnings after A.J. Pierzynski was hit earlier in the game?
"Sure he should have. That's what a good major league umpire would have done," Hawk said. "You issue the warnings after A.J. got hit, that's it, we're done. Let's play some baseball."
He also took issue with the Rays throwing at Pierzynski in the first place, which was presumably a result of the catcher sliding spikes high into the second base the night before.
"If (Rays manager Joe Maddon) is trying to say that it's wrong to try to break up a double play in a close ballgame, then shame on him," Hawk said.
The White Sox went on to sweep the Rays and win their eighth game in a row, but you would hardly know it talking to the White Sox broadcaster.
"It was a good series, but the guy should not have thrown Quintana out it's just that simple," he said. "It was a mistake."
