Where's the thread, Carl?
 

Since the thread has disappeared, I'll start another one.


Carl,

I'd like to hear from the side of Minor League Baseball and not have everything be so one-sided towards the AMLU on the paid side of the site.

Sincerely,

A paid subscriber and annual BRD purchaser

I was thinking the same thing myself, Rich. I came back to see what Carl’s response to your request would be and I couldn’t find the thread.

I have recently gotten more involved in this board and was very close to convincing myself to plunk down some of my hard earned money for access to the paid portion of the site. Considering though, that a dissenting voice isn’t even allowed to be heard on the free, public portion of the site, I can only imagine what kind of propaganda is being spewed on the paid portion. I guess I will spend my money elsewhere.

Agree
 

Mr. Childress,

(1) I am not a paid subscriber to this site.
(2) Thus, I have no idea if your paid site is one-sided for AMLU or not.
(3) Thus, I have not read the interviews with Mr. Kennedy, whom I have met, work with and have respect for.
(4) Thus, I have no knowledge of what Mr. Kennedy said in those interviews.
(5) I am a former MiLB umpire, and very pro-AMLU.
(6) My "ma" always taught me that there are two sides to every story:

With these points in mind...today, I join Rich, WWTB and others who have called for you to conduct an interview with a Minor League Baseball official...if you have not tried to do so already. I would like to hear their side of the story. I'd probably even pay to join the site just to read what they say.

IMO, I doubt very seriously they will agree to an interview. This doubt is based on past statements they've publicly made (mostly "no comment"), but I think you should try and secure one. Give them an opportunity to be heard on your public forum. Give a chance for both sides of this story to be presented by the actors involved in the story. If you try, and they refuse then you should say so...and then no one could accuse you of being "one-sided".

As an example, the public television network in my state invited the two Republican candidates for governor to come on their network tonight for a debate/interview. The governor refused, the challenger accepted. How did I find out about this? The network listed on their program guide that tonight at 8 will be an "interview with" the challenger. The guide then stated that despite given the opportunity, the governor refused to participate in the show.

Both sides of that story were given an opportunity to speak by the network...one choose not to. So be it. IMO, the network did its job well as the manager of its public forum.

I invite you to do what this network did...you should manage your public forum as this network has. Obviously, you have no duty (legal or otherwise) to do so. I'm just stating that should you obtain such an interview, you may obtain a new subscriber.

Oh Carl.........where Is It???????

Well, Gollleeeee.....looks like I ain't the only heretic....:D

It doesn't really matter what your religion is JR, as long as we can enjoy the emperor's beautiful clothes it's all good.

To be fair to Carl, he did publish Peter Osborne's series detailing his work as a replacement umpire. However, one would argue that Peter wasn't really on the other side of the dispute -- he was just working the games.

Yet, every chance Carl got he made a point to mention that he (and hence Officiating.com) was squarely on the side of the AMLU. I'd just like to see less editorializing and a little more balance, but I know that isn't going to happen.

Now that's the problem with working for a living. I haven't had a chance to visit the board since last night when I asked a question about whether or not Bob Davidson belongs or belonged to the AMLU.

I assume my question isn't the reason that the thread disappeared. Did it get ugly or did we just tire of it?

And I replied that Bob Davidson was not currently a MiLB umpire, and the quote was that "all minor league umpires were AMLU members." So, that statement was true inasmuch as Bob Davidson was not relevant to said statement.

I don't think my post made it any uglier than it already was.:)

No Garth, after your post, I suggested that Carl should also interview a PBUC/MiLB spokesperson to obtain a fair and nalanced interview. We have already read some of Mr. Kennedy's comments in the papers. Some of us have intimate access to the AMLU site and also perused the comments there. I figured that it would only serve to complete the picture.

Carl came back firing - I'm paraphrasing here and you know others will correct me if I'm wrong or embellish - "I suggest that you make a suggestion when you aren't anonymous any more. We know who I am. We know who Mr. Kennedy is. Who the hell are you?"

I replied that my identity was not pertinent as it had no bearing on the content of the article. Obviously Carl has read the many threads and witnessed that I knew far more about the issue than some had suspected. Most everyone here knows that I felt the union blundered and then compounded their mistake by antagonizing the very group they heralded from. We've read the propaganda and viewed the 'Scab" page. Isn't it time to hear the other side? Nah, that would mean that some anonymous umpire from the midwest knew more than the fanatic in the Lone Star state.

Jurassic Referee - not my biggest allie ;) - jumped in and questioned Carl about how my identity mattered. He tossed a few barbs Carl's way for good measure. Others saw Carl's folly and demanded the same. It is frightening to think that rather than acknowledge the blunder and accept the fact that we simply suggested further articles, he chose a hit and run tact. I wrote it before...I pity Carl. That glass house must be lonely.

The word is <b>"ally"</b>, dipsh!t....:D

Windy's request for balanced reporting was both logical and reasonable. Posts on this forum should be judged solely on their content, not their author. To have <i>El Editor Supremo</i> imply that a particular post was ridiculous and meritless simply because the author of that post was anonymous certainly was neither logical nor reasonable imo.

Note that imo it's also not logical or reasonable to only allow articles that agree with someone's own personal opinion.

Steve:

My original post stated that a MiLB umpire has reported that Davidson "is not and has not been" a member of AMLU. Since Davidson has been a minor league umpire while working his way back to the majors, I wondered how that squared with Brian's statement that "all MiLB umpires belong to the AMLU".

You do bring up an interesting point. Bob has not yet been signed on as a full time ML umpire and is still listed as an "AAA umpire working relief". Does this mean he has no access to any bargaining unit? Or, as an AAA umpire, cannot he belong to AMLU if he wishes?

Why would he want to join that union? He is secure in his career and needs nothing they can offer. Unions are designed to to protect those who require it. Bob Davidson needs more than a dollar a day to secure the Lasik procedure. ;)

It's golly...JR. ;)

Okay I admit, I messed up. I won't edit the error, just don't let it be said that I don't have a sense of humor or humility.

Well, gollleeeee, Windy, I beg to differ.....;)
http://www.crazyabouttv.com/Images/gomerpyleusmc.jpg

Funnnnneeee...but I didn't see that version in the dictionary. We were talking about spelling, right? :rolleyes:

Let's not lose sight of the bigger picture, now. The kingdom of the blind needs to be told what is really happening.

Rich,

I will try to do the next best thing in Part VII of my article. (Managment's side that is.) During my work as a replacement, I got to talk to several team general managers and one minor league president. I will give you the details in the article. Hearsay, yes, but it is better than nothing. :o)

Peter

Peter,

I hope you enjoyed your stint as a replacement. I've enjoyed your articles on Officiating.com -- actually, you and Tee are the only reasons that anyone would want to subscribe, at least on the baseball side.

--Rich

Surprise, surprise, surprise!!!
 

Ooh, I'm sure you hurt Peter's feelings.

Peter,

All due respect, but I would rather see the article from Carl. Writing styles aside, this is about accepting the premise of fair play. I don't go to Fox for my news and view of the political scene, since I know that it will be canted. Likewise, we know that Carl has long held a view suppoting the efforts of the AMLU. As a former Minor League umpire, I know the issues intimately and the union is just one small part of the puzzle. Lately, it has become the center of attention and that is a crime. The guys carrying the yoke are perceived to be greedy, foolhardy and diabolical towrads their amateur brethren. In fact, the union caused much of the current wrath. The spin, spiel and defamatory press releases were almost as stomach turning as Rush.

If he shirks from his duty, I will understand. I am not trying to bait him, others have already shown him that the issue is clear. Having the IL President, Fitz or any of the MiLB negotiators speak their peace seems only fair. I thought that one of the things we try to do here is open the eyes of those who want to further their umpiring aspirations. Wouldn't you like to know just what the system thinks of the guys being churned out by the pro schools? Don't you think their opinion of the replacements is valid? I would love to see one of them actually tell us what they thought of the decsions made by the AMLU brass on behalf of the membership. I have had a few conversations with current AMLU members and there is no love fest going on.

Where is it?
 

I expected some major news to be posted here on Thursday.

I thought someone would also alude to the originally cited discussion by now.

A small trailer or teaze should suffice to get things started.

Word.

Perhaps by Friday
 

Carl gets on here Tuesday with a promise to post something good on Thursday.:)

You guys go and piss him off before Wednesday night is done.:mad:

Now I have to go to bed hungary.:o

I might be wrong, (I already have been four times this year and it's only June), but I believe Carl promised something good on the paid site on Thursday, and by golly, another installment of his interview with one of the AMLU negotiators appeared today.

With all due respect to my friend, Carl, it is difficult to tell that the article was about baseball with all those softballs he tossed.