Thirteen NL umpires with "more than" 177 years of
experience "lost their jobs" yesterday, as their
resignations "were accepted" by the league, according to USA
TODAY's Hal Bodley. Crew chiefs Frank Pulli and Terry Tata,
with 28 and 27 years of experience, respectively, "were
tossed," effective September 2. MLBUA General Counsel
Richie Phillips, in a memo to each umpire: "The conduct of
[MLB] is reprehensible and oppressive. I absolutely vow to
fight to the death in this case, and I will never, ever rest
until I right this wrong." Pulli: "I'm ready to go to war.
They've committed a mortal sin, and as a result, the tide
has turned. This is the biggest favor they've ever done for
the union. These guys will come together like never before"
(USA TODAY, 7/30). In N.Y., Murray Chass reports that the
MLBUA "has seen one-third" of its 66 members lose their
jobs. Chass notes that Phillips "has contended" that MLB
has "violated" its labor agreement with the umpires by
"taking authority away from the league offices and putting
it in the commissioner's office." Chass notes a memo which
could be used as evidence in a hearing (N.Y. TIMES, 7/30).
In DC, Richard Justice writes that MLB "continued a dramatic
overhaul of its lineup of men in blue" (WASH. POST, 7/30).
