|
Mmmm,
Thump it is not my intent to argue your points.
I recognize that you are supportive of the MiLB umpires (as are a couple of others in the thread) and feel they need better pay for doing their jobs.
I will refute a few of your points from an outsiders view:
"I doubt we understand it as well because we aren't in their shoes."
You of course are allowed any opinion you want but give a little credit to some that have posted to this thread. Many of the people here research all types of subjects and to say "You don't understand" is just plain wrong.
"Most of these guys are career MiLB umpires."
That might be the way they end up but NONE got started without a dream of going to the major leagues. There are no longer "career minor league umpires" . . . you are expected to advance or you are let go.
"And then when these guys are fired, they are left with nothing."
You would have to explain to me the difference between an umpire having "nothing" compared to the ever shrinking job prospects in my state for loggers, fishermen, and even farmers. When a mill closes highly trained mill workers have "nothing" . . . is there a difference here?
"Umpires are VERY important to the game."
Yep, if players and coaches didn't lie and cheat we wouldn't even need umpires. But the real issue is what quality do those umpires need to be. I believe that professional umpires are the best trained umpires on the planet. As a group. However, there are still different qualities of umpires as there different qualities of players. Leagues will eventually level out under whatever type umpiring they receive. They adjust.
" . . . because the new umpires won't be consistent at all?"
Sorry this is an emotional statement on your part. You have no idea who will work the games and if the can be consistent or not. We aren't necessarily talking about the "volunteers" that work the Little League World Series . . . we are talking about well trained (possibly professional school graduates) local umpires.
You have truely high morals and the desire to protect people you respect -- I admire that.
For you and socalblue1 who think it would be terrible if anyone worked games being boycotted by MiLB umpires I respect that feeling. But you know what, it is only baseball and it is business.
If MiLB adminstrators think that umpires are undervalued they will reward. The flip side is also true.
Thump, in closing I would like to remind you of two things:
1) Only 12.5% of Americans belong to any type labor union. In the last 50 years unionized workers have decreased in the market place from 32.3% in 1954 to the current 12.5% (source BLS.gov). Most employment that has union workers have finally started to realize that productivity is a two way street. It is a team approach that gets things done. While I am sure MiLB umpires will prevail and get a pay increase it will be less than they want. THIS YEAR.
2) Minor League teams are a business. If you owned a business wouldn't you do everything possible to create a greater value for your investment. We had a political system that decided we need NAFTA, so what about people that lost jobs that were sent outside the USA? -- or the fact that the general person that works construction is going to be far different in the future. They won't look like me and they'll speak Spanish. Yet somehow there is a feeling that since some teams make money it should automaticly be shared with the working class. That doesn't fly in the business world.
Do I think that Minor League umpires are better than "local guys"? . . . you bet! Do I think they are underpaid? . . . you bet! Do I think that MiLB could function without MiLB umpires for a limited time? . . . you bet!
We live in a system that worships capitalism. Every day we go to work we hope our companies do well, we all live "one paycheck from being homeless", and we all watch our shopping dollars.
That is all Minor League Baseball is doing.
|