Retiring Judge Makes Pitch for New Job : Hopes to Be Called as Baseball Pay Arbitrator

Phillip A. Petty remembers growing up in Taylorville, Ill., loving baseball. The game seemed to run in the family--his father was a minor league pitcher--and a good game was a constant temptation.

Almost 50 years later, the veteran jurist has found that impulse to be irresistible.

Petty is giving up his $80,000-a-year job as a Superior Court judge in Orange County, in large part to enable him to get closer to the game.

“I’d like to be a baseball salary arbitrator,” said Petty, 53, who plans to join a private mediation service in Orange County. “Friends of mine in the Angel and Dodger front offices volunteered to recommend me to the commissioner (of baseball).”

Petty played ball in high school and college and “worked as a play-by-play man” calling games on a radio station back in Illinois. While he was advancing in the legal profession--he was named Municipal Court judge in 1977 and was elevated to the Superior Court bench in 1981--Petty remained devoted to the game. He has been a part-time ballpark announcer for the Dodgers and the Angels, handling the loudspeaker chores at about 20 games this year.

“I’ve been with the Angels for 21 years--since they were playing at Dodger Stadium,” Petty said.

While serving as an arbitrator would combine the two endeavors he knows best, Petty also is retiring from the bench to make money, he said. He will join the Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Service Inc., a firm of 14 ex-judges founded by H. Warren Knight, who quit the bench six years ago to start the firm.

Praises Warren

Warren is “the best arbitrator I’ve ever seen, and I’m really looking forward to working with him,” Petty said. “The financial rewards can be substantial.” Petty will not begin collecting retirement pay until he reaches age 64, and then at 32% of his current pay. “Also, you have more control of your own time,” Petty said.

Petty has spent most of his time on the bench judging civil disputes. He has served as a Juvenile Court judge since the beginning of 1986.

“We’ll miss him,” said Presiding Juvenile Judge Betty Lou Lamoreaux. ‘We enjoyed having him here. He’s polite and a great help.’

Making the change now means Petty will be available during the period of peak demand for baseball arbitrators--after the regular season ends. If he gets the job, Petty will be deciding whether the salary management offers or the salary the player demands should be paid. There are no compromises.

“As an arbitrator, I’d at least have some knowledge of the game,” Petty said. “They want people who understand the game. I know the contribution a player makes to the overall value of a team may not be reflected in the statistics at the end of the year,” Petty said.