Schools Out . . .

[Tim C]

Well last nght was graduation from the pro schools.

Interesting the 14 umpires that worked that funky league last summer were all sent to PBUC. Each school sent 25 potential candidates to PBUC.

So 64 guys fighting for a number of limited openings.

(i.e. so far ONE MiLB umpire has been released)

It is rumored that there maybe about 15 openings spread across the entire minor league system. Probably not the best year to try for a job.

Oh, BTW, there will be a full time MLB opening in the very near future.

Regards,

[tcarilli]

Tim,

the coastal plain league website http://coastalplain.com/alumni/umps lists 18 umpires alumni as being in the game and 5 guys who didn't get out of the cpl. Does this mean that a bunch of these fourteen came off of school reserve lists?

Tony

[mrm21711]

Originally Posted by Tim C

Oh, BTW, there will be a full time MLB opening in the very near future.

Regards,

Joe West has the 2009 crews up on his website. There is no replacement for Poncino on the list - just a spot for "AAA Umpire" on one of the crews.

[tballump]

Larry mentioned in a paper in Michigan last September that he was retiring.

Whether MLB is waiting until after Spring training to announce his replacement or will do so before Spring training is anybody's guess. If before Spring training it better be quick since they must get ready for the World Classic. Will it be one of the Senior guys with more than 1000 games (7 years worth) or will it be someone with less time and less game experience?

The MLBU contract comes up at the end of this year. Sometimes??, this leads to retirements, not only in baseball but in other sports also, especially if the negotiated retirement package is more lucrative.

[ManInBlue]

Had a buddy at Harry's. haven't heard anything since Day 1.

Hope he did well. Learned a lot regardless.

[tballump]

Originally Posted by Tim C

Well last nght was graduation from the pro schools.

Interesting the 14 umpires that worked that funky league last summer were all sent to PBUC. Each school sent 25 potential candidates to PBUC.

So 64 guys fighting for a number of limited openings.

(i.e. so far ONE MiLB umpire has been released)

It is rumored that there maybe about 15 openings spread across the entire minor league system. Probably not the best year to try for a job.

Oh, BTW, there will be a full time MLB opening in the very near future.

Regards,

Yes, tough cookie to crack.

But, when the guys needed a raise, all the amateurs jumped over and worked the games. I wonder how they feel about the amateurs?
The A ball guys make $71 a game for the most senior guys, AA make $85 and AAA makes $107.

Hell, Ozzy's group makes $99-$109 for a game and he gets to sleep in his own bed at night and see his family. We will see what happens when the contract comes up for renewal again. Will the amateurs cross the lines again? It doesn't hurt for the both the local assignor and the umpires to say no, that they have enough business and that they do not need to meddle in the pro game.

[tcarilli]

Originally Posted by tballump

But, when the guys needed a raise, all the amateurs jumped over and worked the games. I wonder how they feel about the amateurs? The A ball guys make $71 a game for the most senior guys, AA make $85 and AAA makes $107.

Unfortunately, the statement is false. While it may be true that those that worked the games during the strike were all amateurs, it is not true that "all the amateurs jumped..." In fact, in the area where that "funky league" (Coastal Plain League) is located, 95% of the CPL staff did not cross. I don't want to rehash this issue, but you seem to be mistaken in your perception of which umpires crossed and how those who worked in the CPL were effected.

[tballump]

Originally Posted by tcarilli

Unfortunately, the statement is false. While it may be true that those that worked the games during the strike were all amateurs, it is not true that "all the amateurs jumped..." In fact, in the area where that "funky league" (Coastal Plain League) is located, 95% of the CPL staff did not cross. I don't want to rehash this issue, but you seem to be mistaken in your perception of which umpires crossed and how those who worked in the CPL were effected.

Sorry, I was not referring to the CPL or ("all") every single amateur umpire out there jumping. I forgot to knock that line about the funky league out. However, it was strictly the amateurs who worked the games in place of MiLB umps who were on strike, and therefor my comments about what will happen next time. I imagine there were some college assignors who told their staff not to work those games since they could be needed to fill in at a college game at the last minute.

I feel bad for the original amateur CPL guys who got knocked out of that league by the powers that be in Pro baseball. That was strickly a deal with the higher ups to let the reserves from the pro schools work that league. I am sure that was not a deal proposed by the reserve umps themselves. Wouldn't you know it was a former Carolina League umpire, Pete Bock, who runs that league, who put that deal together to start with, and of course it was all about the money. And naturally, the reserve guys associated with that league now make 1/2 what the original CPL umps made, just like the AAA guys make 1/2 to 1/3 what the D1 guys make per game.

[Umpmazza]

Originally Posted by tballump

Yes, tough cookie to crack.

But, when the guys needed a raise, all the amateurs jumped over and worked the games. I wonder how they feel about the amateurs?
The A ball guys make $71 a game for the most senior guys, AA make $85 and AAA makes $107.

Hell, Ozzy's group makes $99-$109 for a game and he gets to sleep in his own bed at night and see his family. We will see what happens when the contract comes up for renewal again. Will the amateurs cross the lines again? It doesn't hurt for the both the local assignor and the umpires to say no, that they have enough business and that they do not need to meddle in the pro game.

Man if I was a Milb guy i think I would be a little upset, hell almost every college guys makes more than we do. I thought those guys got paid a lot more than that. I see why they want to talk contracts all the time.

[realistic]

Originally Posted by Umpmazza

Man if I was a Milb guy i think I would be a little upset, hell almost every college guys makes more than we do. I thought those guys got paid a lot more than that. I see why they want to talk contracts all the time.

It's not like the Milb guys will stand up against the system to get higher pay. They had everyone on their side but MLB during their strike and came back to work for basically nothing.

I don't feel that an amateur that works games for the CPL or similar D ball leagues can be considered scabs since these aren't pro leagues in the first place.IMO

[tballump]

Originally Posted by realistic

It's not like the Milb guys will stand up against the system to get higher pay. They had everyone on their side but MLB during their strike and came back to work for basically nothing.

I don't feel that an amateur that works games for the CPL or similar D ball leagues can be considered scabs since these aren't pro leagues in the first place.IMO

Let's see what happens next time, if they have to strike, if nobody crosses the line to work the games. Let's see how long they let coaches and players on both sides umpire the games, before they settle on an agreement, and lets see the raise they get.

[MrUmpire]

Originally Posted by tballump

Let's see what happens next time, if they have to strike, if nobody crosses the line to work the games. Let's see how long they let coaches and players on both sides umpire the games, before they settle on an agreement, and lets see the raise they get.

Unfortunately, there will always be those who will cross the picket line so they can say they were professional umpires. It's a shame.

[MrUmpire]

Originally Posted by Umpmazza

Man if I was a Milb guy i think I would be a little upset, hell almost every college guys makes more than we do. I thought those guys got paid a lot more than that. I see why they want to talk contracts all the time.

The rates listed are not exactly accurate. MiLB umpires are not paid per game; they are paid per month.

[yawetag]

Originally Posted by MrUmpire

The rates listed are no exactly accurate. MiLB umpires are not paid per game; they are paid per month.

Correct. A fellow umpire in my organization told me how much he's getting paid -- it was "per month."

That said, I still make more at my full-time job than he does umpiring. I don't know if there's any extra benefits (medical, dental, etc.) he gets for free, so that may tip the scales his direction.

[Durham]

It is broken in the sense that too many fine young men throw away, by that I mean aren't building retirement, for too much of their earning years.

I know there are many schools of thought, but I am all for local guys working local games, and just AAA or maybe even AA being the professional minor league system. That way the minor leagues get the best umpires avaiable and the guys working to get to MLB don't have to gamble away so much of their life.

How many full time jobs have opened since 2000 that weren't part of guys getting jobs back from '99, and how many guys have gotten jobs out of PBUC? Too many are losing the way it is set up now.