Whoa, an MLB umpire was suspended

This doesn't happen as often as most fans (and baseball players and managers) would like, but Major League Baseball suspended an umpire on Friday.

Who? Bob Davidson.

Why? Bad handling of situations.

For how long? One game.

Short-term impact? Minimal.

Long-term implications? Huge.

Here's what MLB said in a press release:

"Umpire Bob Davidson has received a one-game suspension for his repeated violations of the Office of the Commissioner's standards for situation handling."

Davidson, 59 years old with 22 years of Major League service time, will serve his one-game suspension Friday night while a call-up from the minors works with Davidson's crew at the Twins-Brewers game in Milwaukee.

MLB's call to action with Davidson stems from Tuesday's game between the Astros and host Phillies. Davidson got in the way, inadvertently of course, with the attempt of catcher Brian Schneider to reach a dropped third strike. Manager Charlie Manuel complained from the bench, Davidson yelled back at him.  Manuel was ejected from the game before he even left the bench in the top of the eighth inning. He, too, was suspended Friday for one game. Watch the encounter below.

Nicknamed "Balkin' Bob" for his penchant for calling more balks than most, Davison was voted the fourth-worst umpire in a Sports Illustrated poll of players. He also has a decorated history of unnecessary altercations with players, managers and coaches.

With MLB swooping in and suspending an umpire -- previously, baseball just fined players for making negative comments about the umps -- perhaps this signals a change in the way the league polices the game. As we wrote Wednesday, the only four people at a baseball game who can't be ejected are the umpires. This suspension of Davidson could put other umpires on alert. Maybe not, but those who complain about balls and strikes, limited instant replays and missed calls on the field can at least puff their chests a bit this weekend.