Six Billion and growing

[bob jenkins]

Originally Posted by justanotherblue

Did any of you read the press release from Selig about how well baseball is growing.

I didn't.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by bob jenkins

I didn't.

Ditto.

[GarthB]

Originally Posted by bob jenkins

I didn't.

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

Ditto

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3112210

[kylejt]

MLB is in the entertainment business, guised in a sports wrapper. And as long as there is a huge gaggle of umpires willing to toil for less than nothing for the hope of making it to the show there's no reason for the owners to even deal with MiLB umpires. The lure of "big" money in the Majors has so far kept a ton of AAA and AA guys and gals willing to work for less, and have lots of folks waiting in line for their spots if they quit.

So, why should MLB do anything about MiLB umpries? It's a simple supply and demand situation.

[GarthB]

Originally Posted by kylejt

MLB is in the entertainment business, guised in a sports wrapper. And as long as there is a huge gaggle of umpires willing to toil for less than nothing for the hope of making it to the show there's no reason for the owners to even deal with MiLB umpires. The lure of "big" money in the Majors has so far kept a ton of AAA and AA guys and gals willing to work for less, and have lots of folks waiting in line for their spots if they quit.

So, why should MLB do anything about MiLB umpries? It's a simple supply and demand situation.

This goes beyond simple supply and demand.

As I learned after I got of college and into the real marketing world, people (and in this case, organizations) don't always spend money because they have to; they often spend money because they want to.

In the second case, they have made the decision, for what ever reason, that it is in their best interest to spend the money. This can apply to such simple things as IPhones, in which case people often choose to pay more for the object than they really have to for some perceived benefit...convenience, a more reliable retailer....etc.

MLB will contribute more to the training of MiLB umpires when they perceive it is in their best interest. This is where, in my opinion, the former leadership of the AMLU failed its membership. They did not present a convincing enough case that what they wanted was in the best interest of both MiLB and MLB.

I believe the new leadership understands this.

[justanotherblue]

You would think with MLB's rush to push back ground checks on the Milb umpires they would step up and pay up. It's my understanding that MLB took away several million dollars from the MiLb umpires several years ago. We all know it's pathetic what the Milb umpires are making. If MLB is worried about the integrity of the umpires at all levels of the game, what's supporting those same individuals with a living wage going to hurt? A couple extra million....peanuts.

[socalblue1]

Originally Posted by justanotherblue

You would think with MLB's rush to push back ground checks on the Milb umpires they would step up and pay up. It's my understanding that MLB took away several million dollars from the MiLb umpires several years ago. We all know it's pathetic what the Milb umpires are making. If MLB is worried about the integrity of the umpires at all levels of the game, what's supporting those same individuals with a living wage going to hurt? A couple extra million....peanuts.

Two questions here:

1. The background checks are simply a knee-jerk reaction to the NBA fiasco.

2. umpire development has gone through several significant changes over the years. MLB used to run UDP (Umpire Development Program). Due to some 'management problems' within the program, umpire development was handed off to MiLB. UDP became PBUC, with the MiLB leagues picking up the costs (MLB directly pays MiLB for the extra AAA fill-in umpires).

MLB indirectly pays for umpire development via the various marketing and cost sharing agreements with MiLB.

Properly funding umpire development would cost MLB peanuts. IMO the problem is simply that there is so little turnover at the MLB level that there is no real incentive to change. The current program produces high quality umpires at all levels, so why change?

[mbyron]

If it ain't broke, don't fix it? Sounds about right.

MiLB doesn't pay its players much more than its umpires. Same reason: part of their compensation is a chance for the big payoff.

Just as a risk of harm is itself a harm, a chance of benefit is itself a benefit. It doesn't surprise me that MiLB has many qualified umpires who are willing to work under the current system.

And we should recognize that under the capitalist conception of fairness, the MiLB umpires have a fair deal: the contract between MiLB and its umpires is free of force and fraud, since both parties knowingly and voluntarily entered into it.

If you still think that their deal is unfair, given the $6B floating around above them, you might be right -- but that notion of fairness is not a capitalist one.

[lawump]

Originally Posted by socalblue1

Due to some 'management problems'

Yeah, like being managed by an extremely overweight non-umpire who did nothing but drive his golf cart (with his son) all over Cocoa expo during the UDP camp and at the same time offering exactly zero umpiring instruction.

Its bound to have "management problems" when its run by an ex-rat.