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Though Kill the Umpire was a comedy film from 1950, its themes—one of which is violence towards umpires—are all too real.On Friday, Texas Rangers catcher Yorvit Torrealba joined an infamous list of players who have punched, struck, spat on or otherwise battered or assaulted umpires during or immediately following a professional baseball game.Torrealba joins a list of All-Stars and ne'er-do-wells who have committed the cardinal sin of displaying violent conduct against a sports official.Unfortunately, the list of guilty MLB players and coaches is a lengthy one. From Babe Ruth to Roberto Alomar, Jose Offerman and beyond, many professional baseball players have abhorrently used unjustifiable physical force against an umpire. If the list was expanded to include all sports at all levels, it regrettably might take years to finish reading.First off, let's be very clear. What Torrealba did when he struck home plate umpire Dario Rivero Jr. during the eighth inning of ...

Move aside, Roberto Alomar.If you really want to see how a baseball player disrespects an umpire, check out the video on the next page of Rangers catcher Yorvit Torrealba getting all up in the grill of home plate umpire Dario Rivera during a winter league game down in Venezuela on Friday.In the clip, Torrealba obviously takes exception with Rivera's officiating in a game between Caribbean and Anzoategui Caracas Lions at the Estadio Universitario.In the bottom of the 8th inning (and his team down 3-2), Torrealba strikes out on a wicked slider from Alex Serrano. He then turns around and yells something at Rivera, who immediately gives Torrealba the thumb.That's when the fun begins.After jawing face-to-face with Rivera for a minute or so, Torrealba takes matters into his own hands. Or should I say, takes the ump's dome into his own hands and violently shoves him backwards.At least Torrealba didn't spit in the ump's face, a la Alomar a few years back.Had ...

Texas Rangers catcher Yorvit Torrealba won't be having a very merry Christmas after smacking a home-plate umpire in the face during a Venezuelan Winter League loss on Friday night. Torrealba, a member of the Leones del Caracas squad, lost his cool in the eighth inning of a 3-2 loss to the Caribes de Anzoategui. The big-league veteran had worked a 2-0 count against right-hander Alex Serrano in his third at-bat of the game before two consecutive pitches were called strikes, much to Torrealba's dislike.The catcher then struck out swinging on the fifth pitch down below the knees, prompting his tirade. The 33-year-old immediately spun around and got in Dario Rivero Jr.'s face, yelling at the ump as he calmly rung him up. Rivero put his hands on his hips and didn't appear to say anything back to Torrealba, who then pushed Rivero in the facemask with his open right hand. A suspension of some ...

Texas Rangers catcher Yorvit Torrealba went berserk during a Venezuelan Winter League game and ended up giving an ump five across the eyes.A spat of this nature isn't anything new in baseball, but assaulting an ump in the middle of a game is completely uncalled for.Bad call or not, smacking an ump upside the head to get his point across was a bad move by Torrealba.The ump had a mask on, so it's hard to believe he was too affected by the hit, but by no means was this a benign incident.Torrealba's inability to control his rage is embarrassing, and swift action must be taken by the Venezuelan Winter League.A lifetime ban is in order. There is no excuse for a player coming into contact with an official in a malicious manner, and this went far beyond going chest to chest with the ump.This was a deliberate ...

Fantasy baseball managers are all looking for that one missing piece to put their team over the edge and into the playoffs. However, it is much easier to try to find a diamond in the rough than it is to actually find that diamond.Nevertheless, here are 10 players (one from each fielding position, one starting pitcher, and one relief pitcher) who have the best chance of both being available in your league and helping you dominate the end of the season.Begin Slideshow

Coming off a season in which the Rangers went to the World Series for the first time in franchise history, the team has made a couple of small moves that should improve, if only slightly, the 2011 squad. Specifically, they signed catcher Yorvit Torrealba for two years for a total of $6.25 million, and they also signed right-hander Japanese reliever Yoshinori Tatekama to an undisclosed one-year deal with club options for 2012 and 2013. These are small moves, indeed, but they are good moves. The Rangers improve at two positions (catcher and bullpen) where they need improvement, and neither move cost them much. You pretty much know what you can expect from Torrealba: A veteran presence, decent defense and acceptable offense for a catcher. He won’t win any pennants by himself, but the odds are good that he will be well worth the money he’ll get under this contract. The biggest knocks on Tateyama ...

Since the September call-up, the Cubs rookie outfielder Brad Snyder has had the privilege of enjoying two double-RBI games in his first eight major league games.  On Thursday afternoon, he reached another level of enjoyment by hitting out first game-winning RBI.  His single in the ninth inning generated the winning run for the Chicago Cubs who took the four-game series finale with a 1-0 victory over the San Diego Padres in PETCO Park.  With the win, the visitors snapped their two-series losing streak and dimmed the Padres’ chance to make the playoffs. Both teams’ pitching staffs performed creditably, especially for both starting pitchers, Tom Gorzelanny and Jon Garland who formed an outstanding pitching dual witnessed by a crowd of 28,576 in the last getaway day of the 2010 season. Gorzelanny returned to his top form after a few disappointing recent outings.  The southpaw tossed six scoreless innings scattering three hits ...