UMPIRES SAY NO TO MLB'S LATEST OFFER

     MLB has rejected the latest contract proposal from the MLB
Umpires Union.  The union proposal calls for "a pay hike from the
current range of $60,000-$175,000 to $100,000-$320,000 and a
doubling of all post-season pay pool."  NL President Len Coleman
said "there is no appetite for those numbers."  MLB has locked
out its umps, who will not be paid without a deal.  The league
submitted a counter-proposal on Wednesday which was "not well
received" after the union had declined a no-strike, no-lockout
deal that would "roll over the existing contract" until a
settlement.  Speculation is that if no deal is reached, MLB may
look to replacement umpires (Rod Beaton, USA TODAY, 1/6).