Ump on Leave in Case of Pilfered Baseball Cards

Umpire Bob Engel was put on indefinite leave of absence today by the National League after being charged with stealing more than 4,000 baseball cards from a store in Bakersfield, Calif.

The league announced the suspension in a brief statement saying that the 56-year-old Engel had been put on leave by NL President Bill White “so that he can direct his energy toward the charges that have been leveled against him.”

The statement added: “Mr. Engel is in complete agreement with the decision.”

According to authorities in Bakersfield, Engel was arrested after a security officer at a retail store told police that the umpire took seven boxes of Score baseball cards, valued at $143.98, from a display.

He then allegedly walked to a corner of the store and put the cards into a brown paper bag he pulled from the waistband of his pants. He was stopped as he walked out of the store and when asked why he took the cards, reportedly replied: “to collect and trade.”

Although the retail value of the 4,000 cards was reported at $144, card experts said they are more valuable to collectors. They said Score has stopped making its 1990 cards because of a dispute with Nike over Score’s use of a picture of Bo Jackson, who has an endorsement contract with the shoe manufacturer. That has made the 1990 Score cards, especially those with Jackson’s likeness, more valuable, dealers said.

Engel, who has been a National League umpire since 1966, was released on $5,000 bail from Kern County Jail. He is scheduled to be arraigned May 2.

Engel has said he would have no comment about the incident. He worked a game in Los Angeles on Sunday and he worked Tuesday night’s game in San Diego between the Padres and the Chicago Cubs.