[wsttxump]

Amateurs call Hens game
Minor league umpires call a strike, so they were out



By JOHN WAGNER
BLDE SPORTS WRITER


The Mud Hens' opening day game yesterday featured replacement umpires. Earlier this week, the Association of Minor League Umpires called a strike when the union and the Professional Baseball Umpires Corporation, which oversees the umpires, were unable to reach a new contract agreement.

The names of the umpires for yesterday's game were not announced, and the umpires were not allowed to speak with media after the game. All questions about the situation were directed to International League president Randy Mobley.

Mobley said the umpires were amateur umpires that the league has been pursuing ever since the threat of a strike was first raised in November.

"We have secured the best available umpires," he said. "These are amateur umpires with varying amounts of experience, and they are not necessarily just from the local area of each team. We have investigated umpires for months, and these are the best available."

The union is asking for raises in salary and per diem along with improvements in travel, insurance and umpire safety. Management has offered a $100 a month raise and a $1 a day increase to the per diem, though the deductible for health insurance would rise from $100 to $500 a year as well.

Salaries for umpires range from $5,500 for a three-month season in the rookie leagues to $15,000 for five months of work in Triple-A.

Mobley said the biggest problem is a philosophical difference between the union and minor league baseball as to the nature of the job.

"In the past, being a minor league umpire has been treated as an apprenticeship toward becoming a major league umpire," he said. "Now the union leadership wants to position this as minor-league umpiring being a career."

On the Association of Minor League Umpires Web site, union president Andy Roberts said, "A strike is a serious step, and it's not what we wanted to do. But reports of league officials talking about firing umpires who strike has backed us into a corner."

The Web site also quotes John Hirschbeck, the president of the World Umpires Association - the union for major league umpires - saying his union "fully supports our minor-league umpire brothers and their union."

Last night the toughest calls were at first base, with all three going against the Mud Hens. One came in the third inning with Ryan Raburn on first and one out when Ryan Ludwick hit a high-hopper down the third-base line. Charlotte's Josh Fields backhanded the ball and threw to first. The ump called Ludwick out, even though replays showed Ludwick beat the throw.

Another close play came when Nook Logan tried to beat out a bunt leading off the eighth. Knights pitcher Paulino Reynoso picked up the ball, which was bunted down the first-base line, whirled and threw to first, where Logan was called out on a very close play.

On the final play of the game, Jack Hannahan hit a slow roller to second base, but the throw by Andy Gonzalez just beat Hannahan to the bag.

"The guy at first had some tough calls. There were some bang-bangers over there," Toledo manager Larry Parrish said. "Those were plays that would have been tough for anybody to call. I didn't see a glaring problem there. And the [ball-strike calls] were good enough."

Local umpires also worked spring training.

"It's just something that everybody has to deal with, " Parrish said.