If you want to believe that, fine. But the fact is that the strike zones of all umpires used to be all over the place -- and judging by Laz Diaz tonight in the Phillies-Diamondbacks game, still are, Questec or no Questec.

It is not inaccurate to state that Eric's plate work in the 1997 post-season is what could be called the straw that broke the camel's back. Following that post-season, any real opposition to Questec disintegrated.

Regardless of this issue, it is sad to see Eric succumb to a stroke.

One of the guys in our association sent me this article. It's rather poignant, I think.

frown

I was saddened to see about Eric Gregg's death. I always thought he was a fun umpire to watch because he was always heving so much fun, and that he was a GREAT umpire on the bases. His size, I think, prevented him from getting in position to see and accurately call balls and strikes.

Which brings me to my question. There used to be a lot of really big guys as umpires (Gregg, McSherry, Kaiser, et. al). But today, outside of Froemming, I really can't think of any really big umpires. How did MLB get rid of the fatter guys, and how do they insure that today's umpires are in better physical condition? And who are the umpires today who might qualify as "larger umpires" - I already named Froemming.

PS - That wasn't a strike that ended the 7th inning on Sunday :-)

[ June 07, 2006, 08:16 PM: Message edited by: RedSalt ]

The 2006 All-Star Game Crew:

Plate: Jerry Crawford (crew chief)
1B: Randy Marsh
2B: Fieldin "Cubby" Culbreth
3B: Jeff Nelson
LF: Mike Everitt
RF: Alfonso Marquez

For regular season games is it posted anywhere (maybe in the papers under sports scores or on a web site) who the umps were for that game? Example "so I can see who that great looking 1st base ump was the night before- I mean that ump who did such a good job officiating at 1st base the night before?" I know Angel Hernandez by heart already but there are others I'd like to learn by name! wink

Hi, copman. If you go to espn.com or mlb.com and click on a game's "box score," you'll find the names of the umpires who worked that game. Because MLB umpires in a 4-man crew rotate clockwise around the bases, the guy who worked 1st base on a given day will work the plate the next day, etc.

Interesting comments by former MLB umpire (and current gay activist) Dave Pallone in Thursday's (6/29) Tampa Tribune.

He comments that there are enough gay players to field and All-Star team, and goes on to say they he knows personally of two gay umpires.

So, MLB Umpire, which of these scenarios would you say is most accurate?

Scenario A - Dave Pallone knows you and one other umpire, and you also know that this other umpire is gay.

Scenario B - Dave Pallone knows you and one other umpire who you do NOT know is gay.

Scenario C - Dave Pallone knows TWO other umpires besides you that are gay, and you know both of them.

Scenario D - Dave Pallone knows TWO other umpires besides you that are gay, and you don't know who either of them are.

Scenario E - Dave Pallone is guessing and doesn't know anything, but is using logic to guess.

Scenario F - Dave Pallone is a scab who has no moral compass and is making everything about gay umpires up.

Thanks for your comment, by the way - interesting to see your take on Dave Pallone's comments.

Thanx for the assist!!!!

This reminds me of one of those SAT Critical Reading or Math questions. Or even better, this is like learning logic as part of Geometry. Red Salt, I think the Umpire wishes to remain anonymous, as that has been discussed in earlier posts. If one of us had wished to use deductive reasoning and find his identity, it would've been done ages ago. In short, don't worry about it...

Switching things up a bit...as the Out Games and Gay Games approach us I am curious of your feedback. I will be participating on a panel in Montreal during the human rights conference. The topic is this:

>>“In Search of Role Models: How to Eradicate Homophobic Barriers in Pro Sport”

An openly gay athlete in professional sports would serve as an incredible role model for all youth, gay or straight. But with no openly gay players in men's team sports such as baseball,
basketball, ice hockey, rugby or American football, it is clear that there are organizational barriers to coming out. This panel will address needed changes that would create a tolerant sporting environment for all<<

As a Gay MLB umpire I am curious as to your thoughts, and if you were out; what sort of role would that pave for gay MiLB Umps presently.

Tyler Hoffman

Tyler, it's difficult to answer your question without being perceived as a cold or unsympathetic individual. I say this primarily because I choose not to be out for personal and professional reasons (mainly the latter, I admit). No one knows better than me and me alone what such a revelation could do to my career. To be honest with you, I neither desire nor care for a hero's status or a role model's status. That just isn't me.

I simply want to do my job as best as I can, which thus far seems to be working, and to keep the center of attention away from me. I do not want at all any focus to be on me for anything other than what it should be--my umpiring abilities.

As far as other gay MiLB umpires or other gay MLB umpires, I really can't be concerned with them, except to say that they should be very careful with themselves. Baseball is a very macho sport, filled with many homosexuals, I am sure, but filled with many more who would not accept or appreciate the presence of gays. We may not like this, but this is reality, and only those of us in the game can truly and completely understand it.

Will it change? Honestly, I do not believe it will during my lifetime, and considering I'm not exactly an old fart, that's going to be a long time (I hope ).

Copman, Randy is correct. You can almost always find this information in the box score section of Internet news sources. Most newspapers also have this information.

On an unrelated note, Randy, can you PM me when you get the chance? I sent you one a while ago but never got a response back from you. Thank you.

[ July 13, 2006, 11:07 PM: Message edited by: MLB UMPIRE ]

Appreciate your insight MLB UMP - I can relate to your sentiments 110%, while I suspected what your thoughts would be I felt compelled to ask nonetheless. It was interesting for me who spent 5 years in the Minor Leagues to recieve some amazing support from guys I worked with during my seasons (after coming out once I left)...out of 6 partners it was a none issue for all of them...but how is one to know this at the time...certainly risking your career is not something you'd ever want to do...yet with my involvement in this issue since leaving baseball I often sense that we make up alot of this fear, and that it is more of an issue for us than it is our colleagues, coworkers, etc. It's an interesting perspective and I respect your focus, it's not cold at all...rather survival, and for you it works?! Some major change is on the horizon...with organizations like the GLAF and GLAA forcing sports organizations to look at this closer. Thanks for the reply...have tons of cock shots and double plays this 2nd half!

-Ty

I have a question reagrding the recent waiver/trade/ between the DBacks and the Nats. Why were these two teams allowed by rule to effectively work a "trade" of two pitching prospects (DBacks) for Livan Hernandez (Nats) AFTER the Dbacks had already claimed Livan off waivers? It was my understanding that once a player is claimed, and the waiving team does not rescind the waiver, that player's contract is awarded to the new team.

But something more complicated happened in the Dbacks/Nats deal. The Nats agreed to pay the DBacks the remainder of Livan's 2006 salary, something they did not have to do by rule. And even more baffling, the DBacks agreed to send to the Nats two of their better pitching prospects. And both these things happened after Livan had already been claimed by the DBacks.

I see the logic for both teams. the DBacks get a pitcher and don't have to pay the remainder of his 2006 salary. And the Nats get to dump salary as well as acquire two pitching prospects. My question is this: Why are these two teams allowed to execute what in my eyes at least appears to be a trade after the non-waiver trade deadline? The Dbacks claimed Livan and then somehow finagled and strong-armed the Nats into a paying remaining salary for him. By any stretch of the imagination, this looks like a trade. I thought a player first had to clear waivers after July 31st before he could be traded? Once Livan was claimed off waivers by the DBacks, why were these two teams allowed to negotiate terms after the waiver claim that have all the earmarks and contract clauses of a pre-waiver trade?

It seems to me they got from the back door what they couldn't get from the front. How is this not a circumvention of the rules?

[ August 08, 2006, 07:10 PM: Message edited by: Thomas ]

I don't think this is something that falls into the Umpire's area of expertise, which is what happens on the field.

But there was nothing the Nats or D-backs did that is out of order. The rules allow for trades to be made after July 31st, but unless he clears waivers entirely he can't be traded to just any team. If he's claimed he can only be traded to that team. The article in today's Washington Post explains it:

If they pull the player back and keep him, he has to stay with that team for 30 days until the team can try the waivers again.

So the Nats put Livan put him on waivers and the D-backs claimed him (or were the worst team to claim him if more than one team claimed him). At that point the Nats had 48 hours to decide on one of the 3 options:

1) revoke the waiver and keep Livan (and his salary)

2) Let him go to the D-backs, who would become responsible for the rest of his salary, but the Nats get nothing back

3) Work out a deal with the D-backs.

If the Nats just let him go, the D-backs would've had to pay the entire $2.1 million remaining salary. But the Nats would get nothing back.

So they made a deal. According to the Washington Post, Arizona will pay him $600,000 and Washington will pay him $1.5 million for the rest of this year's salary. (Next year his $7 million will be paid entirely by Arizona.) And the Nats get 2 players back.

Completely legal and proper. Whether it's good or not (for either team) will depend on what Livan does with the D-backs and how the 2 new players do once they get to the Nats.

Thanks. I get it. They could have done the same deal before the waiver claim had they be able to work out a deal suitable to all concerned. But they couldn't agree on terms. I did not know that the waiving team and the claiming team had two days to work out a trade deal after a waiver claim.

I'm fascinated by the business side of sports, which is why I spend so much time trying to understand the transactions. I want to learn as much as I can about it. But some deals are hard to follow, even after you read the waiver and trade guidelines.

Thanks for taking time to explain it. I was going to delete my last post on the Washington Nationals thread but the logic in that post is consistent with the rules you posted and explained here. So I'll leave that post on the board.

Again. Thanks, dude.

FCMN is correct, Thomas. We may pay attention to trades and other dealings, but to be honest with you, we don't concern ourselves with or have the in-depth knowledge of all the rules associated with trades and other such transactions. I believe most of us, myself included, are fairly familiar with waiver rules and all, but I am willing to bet most avid fans know more about that than we do. Lord knows we have enough to worry about already.

Remember, too, Tyler, that the environment in MiLB is much different than it is in MLB. I am sure there are several gay umpires in MiLB simply due to the numbers/percentages factor (though I may be incorrect considering sports is an area into which gays just don't gravitate in general), but even if they were "found out" or came out, it wouldn't be nearly as high profile as if an MLB Umpire came out.

Also, keep this fact in mind: Major League Baseball hates its umpires. I know that might sound harsh, but it's true. There is no love lost between MLB and the umpires, especially the "old-timers," for lack of better terminology, and if MLB got the chance to drive an umpire out of the game, believe me, they would not hesitate. It was a tad worse when Sandy Alderson was in charge of us, but it still is not the lovey dovey relationship some may think or wish to believe. This is one reason why MLB has been really pressuring a few guys to leave. One was already forced out a few weeks ago, more may be on the way--and none for reasons of sexual orientation, by the way. (I just wanted to get that across before someone thought that.)

I'm glad you're still active on this site Ump. It gives us a totally different perspective on what you all go through during the season.

Thank you, MiamiSpartan. I admit I have not been as active as in past years. I have been busier this year than most, especially with the minor league umpire work stoppage that took up the time of many of us MLB umpires. Many of us, myself included, joined them on informational pickets and so forth.

Been kind of a weird season for us it often seems, including this weekend.

Bruce Froemming umped his 5000th major league game last night at Fenway Park.

Some may have heard, but for those who have not, veteran Major League Umpire Joe Brinkman has retired due to injuries suffered earlier in the season. (Joe went back to work briefly, but his injury wouldn't let him continue.)

To a good and longtime friend, an excellent crew chief, and a class act, I say, "Best wishes, #15."

Is MLB going to make a formal announcement of this at some point? Who's taking his CC position? What AAA guy is getting his MLB staff spot? Is the WUA ever going to update their site, particularly the crews section, to reflect Craft's, and now Brinkman's, retirements? Another section of that site that could use a serious overhaul is the Ask the Ump section. I think that crew was Tim's back in '04.

Rick Roder is one of those who updates the WUA site. I'd suggest contacting him. As far as your other questions, I probably should not have mentioned Joe in the first place. As a result, I will not comment on it further until it is made public. I have my reasons, so please do not ask.

Must be serious evaluation time for AAA guys. Why it would be during, for some teams, the biggest games of the season, is beyond me, but, anyway. I mean, just among CC's, we've got 7 of the 15 with assignments this week taking a back seat, not to mention that there are always two crews on vacation in any given week (BTW, if anyone knows which ones these are for this week, please let me know, thanks). Plus, there's 4 other ones out of the rest of the staff taking a back seat (although, one of those is filling-in as the possible associate CC on another crew, and the other two, between them, I believe, have worked one game the entire year). Now, I guess it's really not fair to talk about Brinkman being taking a back seat, since I believe he's retired, as injuries wouldn't allow him to complete the season. We already had another one of these situations come up earlier this season (Craft), but at least we know already which AAA guy took that spot. In Brinkman's case, there's two things that need to be considered. First of all, which AAA guy took that spot. And, second of all, which non-CC was promoted to CC? The MLB.com Umpires section is really slow in getting updated, and the WUA Web site is even worse. They never made any mention of congratulating Craft on his retirement, or Barksdale on his promotion. They didn't even bother to update the crew listings there to reflect that retirement and promotion, not to mention Brinkman's. And their list of AAA guys that worked games is so out-of-date, it's really not funny anymore. I mean, even on the MLB.com Umpires section, they need to change Cuzzi's biography for the 2nd consecutive year to reflect his number change, not to mention spelling Dreckman right. Also, not ever reflected in their AAA roster was the addition for this year of Mike Estabrook. I mean, they did update the crew listings and staff roster to reflect Craft's retirement and Barksdale's promotion. But, again, nothing when it comes to Brinkman. Joe West's site is actually worse. He's been saying the '06 roster is coming soon for practically the entire season, and doesn't even have the AAA roster. His crew listings are, like the WUA ones, from the beginning of the season. Oops, I forgot one thing. Neither the WUA nor Joe West's sites bothered to mention this year's All-Star game crew. The WUA also has a sort of "Ask the Ump" feature. That hasn't been updated in almost two years, as it has T. Welke's crew from '04. Then again, neither has MLB.com updated their rules question column, nor their own "Ask the Ump" column, in quite a while.

If anybody possibly has information on the Brinkman situation, would you mind passing it along? Thanks. And, if you're from one of the Web sites I picked apart above, I hate to say it, but you might want to try and taking most, if not all, of my suggestions.

On how many sites are you going to post this, man? I can't speak for MLB Umpire here, but it sure seems weird why you have so many questions that need to be so urgently answered.