The AMLU's Birmingham Folly

[your boss]

so, this is the brotherhood they refer to.

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

no thanks

[WhatWuzThatBlue]

Maybe Jiggy and SoCalBlue will acknowledge that my sources may have been better than they suspected. At least five months ago I wrote that Andy and the boys up top were selling the membership a bill of goods. I took a lot of flak for it but continued to implore the membership to disband the union and either start a new one or sign individual contracts to prevent the inevitable. I offered that they were wasting their talent and the dream would soon end. Does anyone recall those posts?

Now it seems that the more the public discovers about the situation, the more it sees that greed has played a major hand in this fiasco. Few of us have found fault with the individual umpires. The machine seems to be destroying those on board rather than those in the gun sights. Even the amateurs, who are targets of their terror, have weathered the storm.

I can't imagine what the 2/3 were thinking. PBUC is holding a Royal Flush and AMLU still thinks they can bluff them.

[orangeump]

you are a genius, sir. you should go into a new line of work, maybe a fotrune teller?

[WhatWuzThatBlue]

Thank you!

I'm looking for a new landscaper, now that my illegal immigrant contractors may have to go home. If you aren't busy for the rest of the season, er, I mean summer, you should give me a call.

Really...

[D-Man]

While I still fully support thier efforts to make their situation better, it's looking more like the worst case scenario may be the result. That still may be better for the "game" though. The system will have to be dismantled. Sure, the games will go on with replacements and I truly respect their courage, albeit with selfish motive. I can't fathom that this will be a long term solution. Short A will start soon and the talent pool will get thinner. I agree with WWTB in that there are many real talented replacements. Their problem isn't necessarily ability. It's 3 man instincts and the rigors of a 140 game season. OK, A ball uses 2 man crews but if umps have been working higher levels, it's still going to be a long season.

I agree it seems to be a futile strike if you look at it through selfish eyes. Think about what it's going to do for the system as a whole. Local guys may still get a piece of the pie when PBUC puts this all back together. Only the true elite will get through UDC and then only work the highest levels (AA and AAA, perhaps). That way there aren't 220 guys trying to slip through that narrow door but maybe half that many. PBUC can work them through more quickly. No more stringing 30 somethings along for peanuts following an empty promise. After five years, tag a guy for MLB until a space opens up for him.

Everyone umps for their own reasons. I don't need their games. I have a job, a family and a life. I try not to succeed by the failure of others but on my own merits. For those of you working the games that have friends in the system, I hope your relationships heal. For those of you that didn't work, I hope little Jimmy will still get to go to private school this fall.

Rest assured, I will always have your back.

D-Man

[SAump]

"If you aren't busy for the rest of the season, er, I mean summer, you should give me a call."

Careful, that may be a five month summer in his parts. But try to improve the quality of your life while your there. He already knows he could hire you to work through the rest of the year too. Autumn ball needs raking, winter ball needs shoveling, and spring trainng needs cleaning. But he really isn't interested in keeping YOU around long term. So remember, it is only TEMP related work.

[orangeump]

I am well set for the remainder of my summer, but i appreciate the "migrant worker" comment. Real classy guy, I bet if I saw ten pictures I could easily pick you out of those ten.

Cheers.

[WhatWuzThatBlue]

Based on your history of gambling, I'd bet you would be wrong.

Suffice to say that the thin skin so many professional umpires are supposed to have is proving insufficient.

You show your ignorance once again. I made no such comment about migrant workers. (As long as they legally enter, pay taxes and support our laws, I'm all for them enjoying our glorious bounty.) I used sarcasm to imply that the illegal immigrants that cut my lawn may soon be out of work. I was offering a helping hand to my brethren. Isn't that what you are doing by publicly displaying their photos - just praising them and acknowledging their desire to support the game?

Good night...I'm tired and you are not a capable adversary in this battle.

[JIGGY]

Originally Posted by WhatWuzThatBlue

Maybe Jiggy and SoCalBlue will acknowledge that my sources may have been better than they suspected. At least five months ago I wrote that Andy and the boys up top were selling the membership a bill of goods. I took a lot of flak for it but continued to implore the membership to disband the union and either start a new one or sign individual contracts to prevent the inevitable. I offered that they were wasting their talent and the dream would soon end. Does anyone recall those posts?

Now it seems that the more the public discovers about the situation, the more it sees that greed has played a major hand in this fiasco. Few of us have found fault with the individual umpires. The machine seems to be destroying those on board rather than those in the gun sights. Even the amateurs, who are targets of their terror, have weathered the storm.

I can't imagine what the 2/3 were thinking. PBUC is holding a Royal Flush and AMLU still thinks they can bluff them.

You are only too ready to prove your ignorance. Any person reading your mindless dribble is wasting valuable time they could otherwise use to watch tv or clip their toenails.

[WhatWuzThatBlue]

It's okay to admit that you were wrong...again.

My mindless drivel keeps proving accurate while your posts keep showing why the AMLU guys will never have a chance. The proof is in the pudding, buddy.

Did you help author the latest spin from AMLU about the ejection of the Ottawa Lynx coach. Yeah, he couldn't have been pissed off because his .400 ball club just gave up an eighth inning go ahead run. Nah, his tirade after the ball game was fodder for the same guys that dismiss most ejected Skipper's reactions. It's funny that the very same guys that say that the players and coaches don't know the rules let alone umpiring are giving some of them full credit. Do you think they will give equal coverage to the Mercury News article about how the umpires are doing a great job?

Go back to clipping your toes and watching TV. I have to get my gear ready for tomorrow's game. You could come watch it and critique if you want. We all know that your are completely objective and terribly skilled.

[Carl Childress]

Originally Posted by WhatWuzThatBlue

Now it seems that the more the public discovers about the situation, the more it sees that greed has played a major hand in this fiasco. Few of us have found fault with the individual umpires. The machine seems to be destroying those on board rather than those in the gun sights. Even the amateurs, who are targets of their terror, have weathered the storm.

I can't imagine what the 2/3 were thinking. PBUC is holding a Royal Flush and AMLU still thinks they can bluff them.

I had determined not to weigh in on this issue, but enough is enough.

Greed? This is a new low, even for WhatWuzThatBlue.

You call "greed" asking for a wage that's far, far below the poverty level?

Tell me: Which of you would work for $6500 for two-and-a-half months? Even though your family is eligible for food stamps, it would be next-to-impossible. Oh, you say, there's the off-season job. Right: You starve while you're working and then return to some job where you can take off for 10 weeks without losing your place in the pecking order. Not even a pizza delivery "boy" could do that.

The so-called "arbitrator's" offer was $100 raise and $2 more per diem, but the $500 deductible for insurance remained for the duration of the six-year contract.

Boys and girls, it's time for you to understand what's happening. The major advantage MiLB has is that umpires are ambitious. We want to move up, and apparently we're willing to do it at any cost. At least, that's what MiLB is banking on.

When the amateur umpiring in any small town improves, so do the players. That's undeniable. Major league clubs throw around millions. MILLIONS. They own minor league teams, but they do not support the minor leagues. According to Mike Fitzpatrick in his interview for Officiating.com, the umpire salaries are all paid from gate receipts and other local revenues of the various clubs.

But there's a huge, untaxed amount of money lying around that could be used to subsidize minor league umpires. Here, courtesy of USA Today, is a table showing the yearly payrolls of the major league teams:

Arizona Diamondbacks $60,000,000
Atlanta Braves $90,000,000
Baltimore Orioles $73,000,000
Boston Red Sox $120,000,000
Chicago Cubs $94,000,000
Chicago White Sox $103,000,000
Cincinnati Reds $61,000,000
Cleveland Indians $56,000,000
Colorado Rockies $41,000,000
Detroit Tigers $83,000,000
Florida Marlins $15,000,000
Houston Astros $93,000,000
Kansas City Royals $47,000,000
Los Angeles Angels $103,000,000
Los Angeles Dodgers $98,000,000
Milwaukee Brewers $58,000,000
Minnesota Twins $63,000,000
New York Mets $101,000,000
New York Yankees $195,000,000
Oakland Athletics $62,000,000
Philadelphia Phillies $88,000,000
Pittsburgh Pirates $47,000,000
San Diego Padres $70,000,000
San Francisco Giants $90,000,000
Seattle Mariners $88,000,000
St. Louis Cardinals $89,000,000
Tampa Bay Devil Rays $35,000,000
Texas Rangers $68,000,000
Toronto Blue Jays $72,000,000
Washington Nationals $63,000,000

That's a total of $2,326,000,000 PER YEAR. That's two BILLION, 326 MILLION dollars.

Let's levey a 1% tax on that sum, paid for out of the players' salaries. ONE PERCENT would raise $23,260,000. Assuming 220 minor league umpires, that works out to about $106,000 each. Add to that the current MiLB contribution, and you have the funds to maintain a stable of professional (and professionally paid) umpires.

You would have the very best umpires. The very best umpires in the minor leagues means the very best players in the major leagues.

I have been shocked by the amount of vitriol and animosity displayed here against a small band of courageous brothers. But we're like the lobsters in the barrel. As soon as one reaches the top, inches from escape and safety, the others pull him back down. "They" made it, and we didn't. We're still working 14u in the summer, JV in the spring.

Their success should be our success. Shame! For shame!

[DIV2ump]

Originally Posted by Carl Childress

I had determined not to weigh in on this issue, but enough is enough.


Let's levey a 1% tax on that sum, paid for out of the players' salaries. ONE PERCENT would raise $23,260,000. Assuming 220 minor league umpires, that works out to about $106,000 each. Add to that the current MiLB contribution, and you have the funds to maintain a stable of professional (and professionally paid) umpires.

I understand your thoughts but MLB dumped the umpire program on the minors and told the minors to pay for it about ten years ago. Do you really think MLB wants spend money on it after getting rid of the umpire program?

[Carl Childress]

Originally Posted by DIV2ump

I understand your thoughts but MLB dumped the umpire program on the minors and told the minors to pay for it about ten years ago. Do you really think MLB wants spend money on it after getting rid of the umpire program?

You intimate they wouldn't, and you're probably right. MLB hates umpires. HATES them. But perhaps when the current agreement runs out, that could be one of the issues in negotiation.

Remember, my proposal is for a "tax" on the players' salaries. Alex Rodriguez can afford 1% a year, especially since it would be deductible. Remember, too, the players cannot do without the umpires. It's only right that they share some of the burden of paying them.

The fans would love this idea, and it would be a public relations disaster if the player's union opposed it. "ONE PERCENT," Joe says, while sipping on his Coors Lite. "I'm paying #$3.00 a gallon for gas, and they're griping about one percent?"

[DIV2ump]

Originally Posted by Carl Childress

You intimate they wouldn't, and you're probably right. MLB hates umpires. HATES them. But perhaps when the current agreement runs out, that could be one of the issues in negotiation.

Remember, my proposal is for a "tax" on the players' salaries. Alex Rodriguez can afford 1% a year, especially since it would be deductible. Remember, too, the players cannot do without the umpires. It's only right that they share some of the burden of paying them.

The fans would love this idea, and it would be a public relations disaster if the player's union opposed it. "ONE PERCENT," Joe says, while sipping on his Coors Lite. "I'm paying #$3.00 a gallon for gas, and they're griping about one percent?"

Unfortunately cities and states all over the country have been on to this idea for a few years now and have passed "entertainment" taxes that tax pro athletes based on the number of days they spend in a city. This would be just another of these taxes but you're right, Joe Fan doesn't mind sticking the rich athletes with another tax. Tax returns for A-Rod and other pro players can run hundreds of pages because of all the schedules, etc. that have to be filed relating to these taxes all over the place. I've heard that part of the reason Clemens negotiated the deal where he wasn't required to all away games was to avoid some of these taxes.

I don't know that umpires should be making $106,000 when minor league gms and other staff are working for peanuts also.

[Carl Childress]

Originally Posted by DIV2ump

Unfortunately cities and states all over the country have been on to this idea for a few years now and have passed "entertainment" taxes that tax pro athletes based on the number of days they spend in a city. This would be just another of these taxes but you're right, Joe Fan doesn't mind sticking the rich athletes with another tax. Tax returns for A-Rod and other pro players can run hundreds of pages because of all the schedules, etc. that have to be filed relating to these taxes all over the place. I've heard that part of the reason Clemens negotiated the deal where he wasn't required to all away games was to avoid some of these taxes.

I don't know that umpires should be making $106,000 when minor league gms and other staff are working for peanuts also.

Sorry. I was talking merely about a fund for minor league umpires. Hotels, travel, food, insurance, uniforms, training (how about scholarships to deserving umpire candidates at the umpire schools?) No one expects lower-level umpires to make half what a major umpire makes.

As to taxing ballplayers, cities would put that money into the general fund. My tax money would remain completely with baseball.