Umpire Ejected After Bumping Into Player During On Field Argument

In a rare scene on Sunday afternoon, an umpire was ejected from an independent Frontier League game after initiating contact with one of the players.

Frontier League first-base umpire Warren Nicholson was forced to leave Sunday's New York Boulders vs. Tri-City Valleycats game during the first inning after a contentious argument between he and Boulders second baseman Tucker Nathans escalated into multiple ejections.

Nathans had asked the Valleycats to remove their league-approved tablet after rival Valleycats manager Pete Incaviglia accused the Boulders of syncing the device with the center field camera to cheat on pitch signs. (On a positive note, if any former Rangers or Phillies fans were wondering where Pete Incaviglia is these days, apparently he's stirring up fights in the Frontier Independent baseball League. Love to see it.)

UMPIRE APPEARED TO SHOVE SECOND BASEMAN

When Nathans questioned Nicholson's tablet decision, the umpire wasn't having any of it and threw him out of the game. That led to a heated argument where Nathans actually follows the umpire down the first base line before the ump bumps into him - a big no-no when it comes to league rules. You can yell, you can mock, you can prance around and dance, but once a player or umpire touches another one, their day is over.

The local game broadcast later panned to umpire Nicholson doing the long walk of shame to exit the ballpark through the outfield walls.

The entire ordeal lasted over SIXTY-ONE MINUTES.

Pete Incaviglia is now managing the Independent League Tri-City Valleycats. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)

RARELY DOES AN UMPIRE GET EJECTED BY ANOTHER UMP

Eventually, a local umpire had to stop his Sunday afternoon and replace Nicholson at first base before the game finally resumed. The Boulders would end up beating Incaviglia's Valleycats 2-1. After the game, Boulders president Shawn Reilly called out Incaviglia for his desperate argument.

“It really didn’t have to happen, and it all boils from these ridiculous allegations of pitch-cheating that Pete does every year at this time of year,” Reilly said. “And I think he’s an embarrassment to the Frontier League and I think Tri-City is a first-class organization. But I don’t have much patience for that behavior. He gets the umpires riled up that we’re cheating. We’re not. I find it incredibly offensive to accuse my organization of cheating. He can’t win on the field so he sorts to the pitch-stealing argument. Well, then change your signs. He’s better than that.”

Hey fellas... it's a damn minor league game. Actually, it's not even a minor league game. It's an Independent League game, ain't nobody in the stands waiting an extra hour while you're debating iPads on a Sunday afternoon.