Angel Hernandez to retire immediately

Every sports story is a labor story, and this one dates back to 1965 when the fledgling Major League Baseball Players Association began to strengthen in response to the owners’ threat that they would cancel the players’ pension plan. Since then the sport has seen nine work stoppages, some $270 million in owner fines after the players proved the tea... See more

On their own, these avoidable incidents would be forgotten like the thousands of other ejections or calls that have come and gone. But together, they paint a portrait of an umpire who’s played a major role in establishing his own villainous reputation.

“I think he’s stuck in, like, a time warp, you know,” Mets broadcaster and former pitcher Ron Darl... See more

“But ...” Foster remembers telling his dad, “what if I am the Michael Jordan of officiating?”

Today, Foster insists he said that in jest. But it is significant to note that more than 30 years later, he remembered that scene, and that line, enough to retell it. And it’s significant to note that more than 30 years later, Foster has ascended to Jordane... See more