Does lightning-rod umpire Angel Hernandez deserve his villainous reputation?

Hernandez umped his first MLB game in 1991. Over the last decade, he’s been a constant source of controversy. From his large and inconsistent strike zone, to his quick ejections, to unsuccessfully suing MLB for discrimination in 2017, he’s created headlines in a profession where most prefer to not be noticed.

Baseball’s most controversial umpire is calling it a career. Angel Hernandez, who has been criticized by many in the game for decades, will retire.

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

“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