Tim, back in February, you get this rare and I imagine it's almost papal audience with legendary umpire Joe West at a country club in Orlando.

What was your impression of Joe on that day? When I sat down with him, I was impressed with how direct he was,

when I asked him, like, what's it like when people hate you?

Or what about when people say you're vindictive or you're arrogant? Instead of being defensive,

he just answered the question. Tim Kirchchen is a Major League Baseball analyst for ESPN. He's been

covering the sport since 1979. I don't think we can use this on the air, but we can cut it. I asked him if he could ride a horse because his nickname is Cowboy Joe West.

So he said, yeah, I've been on a horse before.

I had a photographer taking pictures of me on the horse, and the photographer said,

look at the pique on that horse.

Joe West said, this is a mayor. And the photographer said, look at the on that horse. Joe West said, this is a mayor.

And the photographer said, I know, look at the on that horse.

That's what Joe West, that's the story he told me when I asked him if he's ever ridden a horse.

That shows a self-deprecating quality, at least to me.

He's going to poke fun at himself.

You can poke fun at him. He really doesn't care that much because he knows who he is and he's not changed.

It has been said that a good umpire goes unnoticed through the course of the game.

Whoever said that probably didn't think much of Joe West.

West is MLB's longest tenured umpire, and easily it's most recognizable with a confrontational style and a knack for finding controversy.

Today, ESPN's Tim Kirchon gives us a rare, up-close portrait of a man who players and coaches

love to hate, even as they grudgingly

respect him. I'm Pablo Torre. It's Wednesday, September 16th. This is ESPN Day.

So, Tim, your latest story is a profile of Major League umpire Joe West, who you know as well as anybody.

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