Umpires Call Themselves Out

The executive board of the Major League Umpires Assn. voted Monday to boycott all playoff games until Baltimore Oriole second baseman Roberto Alomar’s five-game suspension for spitting at American League umpire Mark Hirschbeck takes effect.

Three of the four division playoff series begin today, and Richie Phillips, counsel to the umpires union, said the umpires are entrenched in their position.

However, major league sources said that baseball intends to play the games with amateur and semi-professional umpires if necessary and that Phillips was discussing a possible resolution with American and National League lawyers late Monday night after they informed Phillips that baseball will pursue a federal injunction if the umpires strike in violation of the no-strike clause in their contract.

“One way or the other, the games will be played,” National League vice-president Katy Feeney said. “Hopefully, it will be with the regular umpires.

“If not, we would probably use some of the same umpires who we’ve used in other work actions.”

In other words, the most meaningful games of the season would be played with replacement umpires. League officials were busy late Monday night attempting to implement the contingency plan.

In the meantime, Robert Kheel and William Schweitzer, lawyers for the National and American leagues respectively, were attempting to resolve the situation in discussions with Phillips while prepared to seek an injunction this morning.

“We’re trying to get this solved quickly and peacefully,” said acting commissioner Bud Selig, who wouldn’t discuss the situation further but was clearly distraught at the possible threat to baseball’s most visible and important games.

In response to that threat, lawyers were ready to play hardball with the umpires.

“The umpires are well aware that their contract calls for all grievances to be settled through arbitration,” a baseball lawyer said.

“A strike is clearly illegal under terms of their contract and we would anticipate no problems in getting an injunction.

“If they strike in defiance of that injunction, the union would be subject to heavy financial fines and the umpires could be fired individually.”

Alomar, whose wild-card team opens the playoffs against the Cleveland Indians today, received a five-day suspension Saturday from American League president Gene Budig for spitting at Hirschbeck after he was ejected for arguing a third-strike call during Friday night’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays.

After that game, Alomar said of Hirschbeck:

“I used to respect him a lot. He had a problem with his family when his son died [from a brain disease known as ALD]--I know that’s something real tough in life--but after that he just changed, personality-wise. He just got real bitter.”

When Hirschbeck was told of those comments by reporters, he charged into the Oriole clubhouse, yelling that he would “kill” Alomar, and had to be restrained by fellow umpire Jim McKean.

Hirschbeck’s eight-year-old son died of the disease three years ago, and he has a nine-year-old son who is also afflicted.

Alomar, who continued playing after he appealed the suspension, apologized on Monday for spitting and for his comments and pledged $50,000 to ALD research.

The umpires, who felt the suspension was too lenient to begin with, weren’t appeased.

“What Alomar did was reprehensible,” said union president Jerry Crawford, a National League umpire.

“They think the apology ends it. But that doesn’t make up for it. We feel strongly about this, enough that we took this action.”

However, players’ union official Eugene Orza agreed with baseball’s view that the action violated the umpires’ contract.

“They have a disagreement with the level of discipline imposed by the league president,” Orza said. “That is not the basis to allow you to violate a no-strike clause. What they are doing is forcing the league to go into court and get an injunction, and they will. It may be the political thing to do within the umpires, but it has no legal basis.”

Said Phillips, when reached Monday night: “As of now, the umpires will not work the games. I’m not going to say the situation can’t change. I’m just saying this is our position, and we’ll see what happens.”

At this point, Alomar’s appeal is expected to be heard next spring. John Maroon, an Oriole spokesman, said the club wouldn’t ask him to sit out playoff games.

“Roberto Alomar has followed what the league asked,” Maroon said Monday night. “He was suspended, he appealed and he will have a hearing when the time is due. The league president made a ruling and that is what the club is abiding by tonight.”

The umpires agreed to their current five-year contract in May of 1995, ending a 120-day lockout.