another view

[Sal Giaco]

CJN,
I think you are comparing apples and oranges when talking about the media's accessibility to players vs officials. If you look at the other main sports, their officials are not easily accessible either.

My guess is that the various leagues (MLB, NFL, NBA) make the decisions, not the individual umpire or official, on who is granted access and who is not. I'm sure Doug Eddings was extremely careful on what to say, especially in the presence of his crew chief and supervisor.

I also bet MLB umpires have very strict guidelines on if, when and how they should interact with the media. Basically, they do as they are told. If there is a problem with media accessibilty of umpires, take it up with MLB - they probably call most of the shots.