[BlueLawyer]

I am disappointed, to say the least, at AMLU members who (a) take college assignments at all and (b) take college post-season work, if any of that is happening, from umpires who busted a$$ to get those assignments. I have been on the receiving end of that situation before- getting denied a high school state tourney because some college umpire who has two high school games all season decided to go slumming. It sucks.

On the other hand, it is a mistake to assume that AMLU/Andy/The Board speak for all 200+ umpires all the time, especially the AAA umpires who have the most to lose. There are certainly divergent views out there on the strike in general and the details. It follows naturally that AMLU can't control what each of the 200+ does or if they take games in other leagues, no matter how hard AMLU wishes for that control.

That being said, the goals of the strike- a decent, living wage and per diem- are right. And MiLB/PBUC did not negotiate all winter long, apparently in the belief that AMLU umps would jump, chicken-on-a-junebug fashion, on the first ridiculous offer that came their way. So while there are those on this board who believe that AMLU is wrong, their leadership is wrong and thier goals are wrong, I still support them. And for their arrogant, take-it-or-leave-it negotiating tactics, PBUC shares equal blame for the strike, period.

By the way- my name is Steve Zega. I live in Fayetteville Arkansas, and I don't feel the need to "hide" behind a screen name.

Strikes and outs!