Sooooooo....today was the first day...

[BenedictArnold]

You have no idea what you are talking about. I will say that independent leagues are a form of professional baseball for all the reasons WWTB stated. They are payed to play. But if I worked it I would say I worked in a professional independent league. To say professional baseball is misleading without giving the league. My definition of professional is affiliated baseball with MLB.

However, with that being said, it is definitely not minor league baseball. At least an argument can be made about the professional statement, but minor league? Ok, then these players are going to climb the ranks to the major independent league? What teams are these independent leagues affiliaited with? And the players don't make the league. They may have former players like Ricky Henderson, but they are not brought in to develop them, they are there to be a side show to the fans.

You can call me what you want, I could give a s*it. But my hostility for people like SCUMP is because I put in my time and made it to AAA. I have given my umpiring resume. I know what it is like to be evaluated in the minor leagues. When I was in AA we shared rooms. When I was in A ball we made peanuts. Every thing the professional umpires receive today is something that the next group has tomorrow. That is why MiLB loves people like SCUMP. You can keep the games going with the players being ordered not to argue, and you truly believe you belong. As I said before, just remember that when people ask you about scabbing remind them that you were not the first choice (AMLU was) nor their second (People like me were) I am being generous when I say you were their third. But at the risk of being consistent, when you now tell people that you worked AAA or AA or whatever league you scabbed...make sure you mention the "scab" part. Otherwise you are just being misleading again.

The AMLU may have made mistakes, but they still made them out in the open. They tried to do something that was arguably impossible. And now they have to deal with a scab that not only thinks he knows what it is like to be a minor league umpire, but also plays monday morning quarterback on a complex labor situation.

OK SCUMP...I will give you the benefit of the doubt. It must have been really tough to walk away from those independent leagues after four years because the money wasn't good. You had to pass up on your dreams...I guess the dream would be that when many MLB players retire they come to your league and draw a bigger crowd. Must have been a difficult decision to make...