Line Call
As the minor league umpire strike continues, Major League umpires make a stop on the minor league picket lines to show their support.
Jarod ULREY
MinorLeagueNews.com
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Hunter Wendelstedt never has forgotten his past experiences as a Minor League umpire. When he finally got called up to the Majors in 1999, he simultaneously was thrilled and relieved. It was his chance to achieve a life-long dream while following in the footsteps of his father, Harry, who was a Major League umpire for more than 30 years. It didn't hurt that the promotion provided a way for him to finally crawl out of the $5,000 of debt he'd accumulated during his time working as an umpire in the Minor Leagues.
On Thursday, prior to the Columbus Clippers-Richmond Braves game in Cooper Stadium, Wendelstedt and fellow Major League umpires Tim Timmons, Randy Marsh, Angel Hernandez and Sam Holbrook were among a group which picketed in support of the striking minor league umpires from the Association of Minor League Umpires (AMLU).
Wendelstedt, Holbrook, Marsh and Hernandez umpired the MLB game Wednesday night between Cincinnati and Washington, made the stop in Columbus in their travels to Houston for Friday's game against Colorado. "Chances are that one out of every 1,000 umpires might make it to the Major Leagues," Wendelstedt said.
"To get a shot in the big leagues, you have to be a little lucky and you also have to be good at handling people. Don't get me wrong -- the Minor Leagues are great. It was some of the best times of my life. But you can't forget where you came from. We're trying to help the guys that are here."
A five-year agreement with the Professional Baseball Umpire Corporation (PBUC), the entity responsible for training, evaluating, hiring and firing umpires for minor-league baseball, expired Nov. 30, 2005. Since the last management offer that was rejected in late March, replacements with experience mostly at the high school and college levels have been in use.
About 220 minor-league umpires covering 16 leagues are on strike. Minor-league umpires are paid anywhere from $10,000-15,000 annually, according to Timmons. "Minor-league umpires haven't had a raise since (the mid-1990s)," Timmons said. "We just want to support the minor-league guys and their efforts to support a minor-league wage. The public support from what I've seen is overwhelmingly good. When you've got people making about $10,000 a year and spending sometimes eight to 12 years just to get a shot, it's definitely a journeymanship. They're currently using replacement umpires, which we believe definitely affects the integrity of the game. Do I think the game has suffered because of it? Absolutely."
The PBUC's latest offer included an increase of $100 per month in salary plus a $1 increase per day in meal money. The Association of Minor League Umpires (AMLU) is seeking a $10 per diem increase in addition to the $100 per month raise. "I believe we'd have an agreement if they gave us the $10 per diem per day we're asking for," International League umpire Adam Dowdy. "Basically, about a $300 per month increase would get them a settlement."
The Delmon Young incident (See Devil Ray and The Blind and the Damned on Reality TV) where he threw a bat that hit the home-plate umpire on April 26, appears to be connected with a growing agitation with officiating.
"I don't know if (the incident with Young) would or wouldn't have happened (if there weren't replacements)," said Timmons, who was a minor-league umpire for 10 years. "The point is that the integrity of the game is at stake. We look at ourselves as centurions of the game. We do it for the love of the game and the dream of getting to the big leagues. If it wasn't for being an umpire, I'd be pumping gas somewhere. I haven't worked a day in my life. At the same time, you're giving them a service, and the umpire is a representative of the league."
