| Well, they walked.
Minor-league umpires make call - and they're out!
The River Cats open in Portland with subs shouting 'Play ball!'
By Scott Howard-Cooper -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Thursday, April 6, 2006
Approximately 220 umpires from every level of minor-league baseball have gone on strike, prompting officials and teams around the country to mobilize replacements as games begin today amid uncertainty about the qualifications of some substitutes.
The River Cats open tonight in Portland as Pacific Coast League executives insist no games will be lost because of the strike. But officials also concede they will be using replacements whose previous experience ranges from professional ball to college Division III, making it a big jump for some to the top tier of the minors.
The difference may be less obvious in Sacramento and Fresno, another PCL home, because of the proximity to umpires who have worked within two elite college baseball conferences, the Pacific-10 and the Big West. There are also candidates in the region with past time in the minors, another preferred résumé qualification.
How many desired veterans will cross the picket line if the strike occurs, however, is not known. George King, the PCL vice president for business and operations, said the Triple-A league has been turned down by some potential replacements, but that the response has generally been "favorable."
The Association of Minor League Umpires, addressing the same issue, said it has contacted groups around the country in hopes of convincing others not to work as substitutes.
"Hopefully a good college guy can come out and take control of a game," River Cats manager Tony DeFrancesco said. "I think players are mostly concerned with the balls and strikes, a consistent strike zone. If they feel like a guy is fair, we can get by."
The issues in the labor dispute are many, including salary, health insurance, travel costs for leagues below Double A, travel costs not being reimbursed for 12 umpires who live outside the United States and work at various levels. The governing body for minor-league baseball claims its system is more educational program than lifetime career, thus justifying the lower wages as candidates try to reach the real payday in the majors. The union, authorizing its first strike since forming in 2000, counters that its membership is underpaid and underprotected by any semantics.
Salaries are approximately $15,000 in Triple A for a season that lasts 5 1/2 months, $12,000 at Double A, $10,000 at full-season Class A and $5,500 in short-season or rookie leagues, depending on the experience level of the umpire. The PCL said it will pay replacements a similar rate per game, believed to be $90 to $120 and also based on background, and that it will have 40 to 50 substitutes in place to work in the traditional arrangement of three-person crews.
"They're prepared," King said of the 16 teams in the PCL. "Contingency plans are being put in place. The games will be played."
There won't be an noticeable impact in Sacramento until April 14, the night the River Cats play their home opener, and even then it may not be obvious with the union uncertain about potential picketing at stadiums around the country. It may be even less apparent during the actual game for fans who, surveys show, generally come to minor-league contests for an outing and not the outcome.
"My sympathy goes out to fans," said Andy Roberts, the AMLU president and an umpire with the Triple-A International League. "Baseball has put a price tag on the level of expertise on the field on Opening Day. If they put substitute players on the field, it would be less attractive. If they put substitute managers and coaches on the field, it would be less attractive.
"I think what the fans will see is that the speed of the game is so much more advanced than what the replacement umpires will be used to seeing."
Union umpires work 16 leagues in all. Among them is the California League, which includes a team in Stockton.
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