[mattmets]

Dont know if anyone saw this, but it seems like it has good news....

By ERNIE HARWELL




Players aren't the only big leaguers who go on the disabled list. It also happens to umpires.


Umpire Jeff Kellogg has been out of action all season because he ruptured an Achilles tendon on Dec. 9 playing basketball in his hometown of Mattawan. Kellogg is working diligently on his rehab program, hoping to return to action after the All-Star break. He does rehab three days a week and augments therapy with workouts at home.


"I miss umpiring," Kellogg says. "It's good to have extra time with my wife, Roxine, and my three youngsters. They have been very supportive, but my enjoyment of being with them is tempered by the fact that I'm not doing my job."


Although players often go on the DL, it's a rarity for an umpire. Bill Francis of the Hall of Fame cites a few examples. Larry Napp missed several months in 1973 after he took four foul tips into his mask in two successive spring training games. Tom Gorman suffered a broken ankle in July 1970 and was out for a month. Hit in the eye by a splinter off Lou Brock's bat, Satch Davidson missed games in 1978. A weight-loss program shelved both Eric Gregg and Rocky Roe in 1996 for about three months.


Kellogg had been scheduled to rejoin his old crew chief and mentor, Mike (Cornflakes) Reilly, this season. There's a touch of irony there. Because Reilly hails from Battle Creek, home of the Kellogg company, I nicknamed him "Cornflakes" many years ago. And now the umpire rejoining Reilly's crew is named Kellogg.


The connection between these two goes back to Kellogg's youth. Reilly was Kellogg's hero and he would often visit him in the umpires' dressing room at Tiger stadium. As he progressed in his umpiring career, Kellogg often called on Reilly for advice about the profession. He became a protege of the veteran.


Kellogg has been a big league umpire since 1993. He has worked one All-Star Game and two World Series. Before reaching the big time, he worked in the Appalachian, Midwest, Eastern and International leagues--among others.


Kellogg's next step toward umpiring again is to undergo an evaluation by Dr. Bob Anderson in Charlotte, N.C., July 12 to determine if further therapy is needed. After Kellogg completes Dr. Anderson's treatment and is authorized to return to action, Kellogg will have to pass a test in Phoenix. Then he will umpire in Class AAA for a week before reporting for big-league duty.


It's an arduous process, but Kellogg is dedicated. Umpiring is his passion. He is eager to get back into action.