Quote:
Originally posted by Jay Scott
Those who are so positive about the wisdom of resigning or not should remember all the advances that occured after the umpire strikes that began in 1978 (or so-it's late any my momory is not what it should be). My first check for a month in pro ball was $185. Out of which came hotel, gas, uniform, food. Take a wild guess how much I made.
Phillips did a great deal for the umpires leading them on strike the first times that they went out. Each time, it became obvious that college/minor league umps could not fill in, and they were brought back. This last time, the strategy backfired. IMO, baseball put out the word that foul-ups would be tolerated, to save money.
The debate about the high strike zone is another topic.
Jay Scott
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While it is true that Richie Phillips did a lot for mlb umpires it should have been obvious that by 1999 the general feeling towards umpires had shifted. At this time umpires were under heavy criticism for their supposed aggressive and arrogant behavior on the field. This was not the time for such a foolish negotiating strategy. The umpires were blinded by Phillips previous successes and could not clearly see that they were heading for disaster. Many good umpires lost their jobs and I am happy to see that 11 of them have since regained their jobs.