Umpires at Detroit assemble in missing-man formation to remember Wally Bell

The shocking death of umpire Wally Bell a day before prompted tributes from all over Major League Baseball on Tuesday. Players and teams expressed their respect, sympathy and grief over losing a colleague who also seemed to be well-liked in the industry. Bell's fellow umpires took it particularly hard, of course, but the umps assembled in Detroit for Game 4 of the American League Championship Series managed to pay a poignant tribute to Bell.

The crew of Ron Kulpa, Alfonso Marquez, Dale Scott, Dan Iassogna, Rob Drake and chief Joe West lined up in a missing-man formation at home plate during pregame ceremonies.

A similar tribute happened on the West Coast before Game 4 of the NLCS between the Dodgers and Cardinals. The postseason is and has been fun, but it's a sad time to be an umpire.

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Dave Brown is an editor for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at rdbrown@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter — @answerdave!