2012 UEFL Awards: Most Improved Umpire of the Year: Bob Davidson (61)
Voting Results (min. 10%): Davidson (31%), Angel Hernandez (11%), Phil Cuzzi (10%).
Bob Davidson is the Umpire Ejection Fantasy League's 2012 most improved umpire of the year, in landslide fashion. In his 24th Major League Baseball umpiring season, Davidson finished 2012 with six ejections; Davidson ejected eight times in 2011. While some described Davidson's ejection of Charlie Manuel on May 15 (Ejection 031) as "Classic Balkin' Bob," after Davidson's subsequent one-game suspension for repeated violations of the MLB Office of the Commissioner's standards for situation handling, Davidson was described in Ejection 147 as "more approachable" and "no longer the sandwichboardman for alprazolam [a prescription drug used to treat anxiety]." Davidson was also involved with a lineup card mishap in Miami after Ozzie Guillen appealed that Cardinals manager Mike Matheny had failed to properly execute a double switch.
Bob Davidson now has 5 points in the Umpire Ejection Fantasy League (4 Previous + 1 Award = 5).
The next postseason award, Fill-In of the Year, will be released tomorrow.