MLB hired 10 "additional replacement" umpires on
Friday, according to Richard Justice of the WASHINGTON POST,
who wrote that "with 42 umpires still scheduled to leave" on
September 2, MLB officials "must decide whether to open
negotiations" with MLBUA General Counsel Richie Phillips.
Justice added that "it's believed that 23 of 32" AL umpires
have "decided to remain on the job" (WASHINGTON POST, 7/24).
USA TODAY's Hal Bodley reports that of the 20 minor league
umpires hired, 12 will be in the AL and eight in the NL (USA
TODAY, 7/26). BLOOMBERG NEWS' Crasnick & Newman reported
that MLB "will take back umpires who withdraw their
resignations until all the game's vacancies are filled."
MLB also "told" 13 umpires who were among 57 umpires who
resigned at a July 14 meeting in Philadelphia, but "asked to
withdraw their resignations," that they "can keep their
jobs" (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 7/24). In N.Y., Murray Chass
reported that 26 of the 68 umpires' jobs are "already safe"
and a source said that more umpires "could salvage their
jobs in coming days" if they rescind their resignations
(N.Y. TIMES, 7/25). Fox's Keith Olbermann reported on
umpire defections from the union and said, "Stick a fork in
it, the union is dead" ("MLB on Fox," 7/24).
FOLLOW THE LEADER? Fox Sports' Steve Lyons said
Saturday: "Richie Phillips is the wrong guy to be heading
this union. He's an antagonist, that's not what baseball
needs, that's not what the umpires need, and a lot of
umpires are figuring that out" ("MLB on Fox," 7/24). AL
umpire Drew Coble said of Phillips: "Richie Phillips has
been around for 23 years, leading us as our attorney, and I
have the feeling when he came up with this resignation
strategy, he had something in his back pocket." Coble, on
the negotiations between MLB and the union: "Things don't
look real good right now, with people defecting. I'd like
to see us umps stick together" (W-S JOURNAL, 7/25). AL
umpire Eddie Hickox, on Phillips: "We have faith in him
because he has done well for us in the past." Hickox, on
reports of umps leaving the union: "Don't believe all the
reports being leaked in the papers by somebody in [MLB].
They just aren't true as far as the numbers of members who
are jumping ship from the union. Yes, there are a few who
have, but there are some who jumped who have jumped back
with us" (Ed Plaisted, DAYTONA BEACH NEWS-JOURNAL, 7/25).
