[Sal Giaco]

Originally Posted by BenedictArnold

Those AAA umpires working in the big leagues should be ashamed of themselves. My sources tell me that they were not asked to step down, they were told that if MiLB refuses to offer something reasonable then they would be TOLD to step down. Your sources are wrong Div2ump, my sources are right. This is what did happen, and this is what should happen. Those guys haven't sacrificed a single thing for the union. They worked the World Baseball Classic and spring training. Now they work in the big leagues. I don't care what anyone says, they should not be working those games while the other members of the union are sitting at home. I often do not make predictions, but I am willing to guess that if those guys refuse to work this thing will get resolved in a day or two. MLB will not sit back and let their umpires work 3 man or work with amateurs. If they did...here comes the players union screaming. And we all know what happens when the players union gets involved...MLB cracks. Lets hope something gets done with MiLB and AMLU without having to do this. But if they are still at home next week, they need to do this and those AAA guys working in the big leagues need to stop being selfish and sacrifice something. After all, this strike probably helped more of them than hurt them.

And again Sal, how does every man for themself help amateur umpires? The AMLU issued a statement...but I think it is obvious that that doesn't mean everyone signed off on that statement. Some of these guys have no ability to do anything else because they don't know how to do anything else. I think amateurs should still not work as replacements because there are fewer spots in pro ball every day than there are in every other kind of baseball in America on a daily basis. It is in everyones best interest to get those AMLU guys back to work. Then everyone can go back to working on their own goals and their own advancement.

Like I said before, we need to stop pointing fingers at eachother. Everyone sit back and take notice that baseball doesn't care about the AMLU guys or the amateur guys. They care about one entity, and one entity only...themselves. They are licking their chops at the thought of the common folk fighting with eachother. In fact, they are banking on it.

And if only a few AMLU guys are working those playoff games, call them out individually. One thing is for sure, if they all agreed to work playoff games there would be a lot more of them working. So give most of those guys a little credit Sal. Most of them have stayed true to their word. Just as you remain true to yours. I personally can't wait to see this thing get settled because I know a few guys very well and I care about them and their families. They are suffering in this more than anyone. More than someone who didn't recieve a playoff game and more than someone that has crossed a line. They are the ones that have to try to make ends meet any way possible because baseball doesn't care that a gallon of milk and a tank of gas costs more today than in 2000. Seriously, lets try to look at both sides before casting stones. It sucks for every umpire out there right now. I would venture to say that even the replacements have a greater appreciation for the life style after working these games. A couple guys I know that are making $100/game are now talking to eachother saying that they are underpaid for what they are doing. See what I mean? Baseball is laughing at every umpire in america right now. They know that guys like me and you are going to do what is best for us. The only problem is that some guys think that it is best to work as replacements and others think it is best to decline and hope this thing gets settled sooner rather than later.

Again, my apologies for the long post. I just can't seem to keep these things down to a couple paragraphs.

BA

BA,
You make some good points. I'm just a little pissed off right now and I needed a place to vent. What bothers me the most is all I ever wanted to do is work ONE series at the AAA level to see what it was like and if I could handle it. Yet every pro or ex-pro I talked to said whether you work one game or 100 games, a scab is a scab and don't do it if you really want to support us (AMLU). So I struggled with it for about a week before declining the opportunity(s). Now I'm looking back and saying I probably missed the chance of a life time. Oh well.... atleast I can look at the "man in the glass" and go to sleep at nite knowing I did the right thing.