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MLB umpires union distances itself from Joe West's opinion on coronavirus (ESPN)
ESPN
1:36 PM ET
4 Minute Read
In the aftermath of comments made by veteran umpire Joe West, the Major League Baseball Umpires Association on Thursday issued a statement saying that "recent public comments" do not reflect its stance regarding the coronavirus pandemic.
<snip>
The 67-year-old West said he doesn't believe the death total being attributed to the coronavirus -- which has surpassed 130,000 in the United States -- is an accurate figure.
"Those statistics aren't accurate, I don't care who's counting them,'' West told USA Today Sports. "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.''
The MLBUA statement says the union "fully supports" the safety protocols agreed to by Major League Baseball and the MLBPA and that "regardless of any umpire's personal views, when we report for a resumed spring training and 2020 season, we will conduct ourselves as professionals and in accordance with the health and safety protocol."
<snip>
The 67-year-old West said he doesn't believe the death total being attributed to the coronavirus -- which has surpassed 130,000 in the United States -- is an accurate figure.
"Those statistics aren't accurate, I don't care who's counting them,'' West told USA Today Sports. "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.''
The MLBUA statement says the union "fully supports" the safety protocols agreed to by Major League Baseball and the MLBPA and that "regardless of any umpire's personal views, when we report for a resumed spring training and 2020 season, we will conduct ourselves as professionals and in accordance with the health and safety protocol."
Read more: https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/29434942/mlb-umpires-union-distances-joe-west-opinion-coronavirus?platform=amp
3 replies
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= new reply since forum marked as read
I'm sure that they are way, way worse than what's being reported. And this season could be absolutely disastrous. 
