I love baseball. Seriously love it. I consider it the purest sport we have. I love the beauty of the stadium (assuming real grass here), the prowess of the fielders, the power and coordination of the hitters, the pinpoint control of a dominant pitcher. I love the fact that 60' 6" is the perfect distance for a breaking ball to handcuff a hitter, and that 90' is the perfect distance to make close plays at the bases. I love the absence of a game clock, the timelessness of the sport, and the traditions it holds.
Having said that, I have never been able to understand why managers arguing with umpires is not only accepted but expected and rewarded. No NFL coach would be allowed to throw the hissy fits MLB managers throw. If Phil Jackson were to act like Billy Martin the NBA would assassinate him. So why do fans applaud these tirades? Why does baseball's upper echelon continue to allow these useless outbursts? When was the last time a manager showing his ass like this rsult in a call being changed? Protesting a questionable call is one thing and should be allowed; I'd say one call a month or so actually gets reversed because of that. You'll see it on occasion...a home run called when the ball glanced off the top of the wall or something similar. But kicking dirt, lobbing rosin bag hand grenades, tearing up the bases and taking them into the dugout...all pointless.
Or does anybody else really give a flip?