AROUND THE AL : Umpires Seek a Way to Call Phillips Out

While the 22 unemployed umpires await arbitration, a group now believed to number about 40 is intensifying efforts to oust Richie Phillips as union counsel. The group, led by American League umpires Joe Brinkman, John Hirschbeck and Davey Phillips, may ask the National Labor Relations Board this week to either decertify the current union or certify their own group as the umpires’ new bargaining agent. The NLRB may also be asked to decide if the ousted 22, all supporters of Richie Phillips, are still voting members of the union, a key point in the ultimate determination as to who wins this fight.

The anti-Phillips group is also trying to get information from Phillips on union finances and payments some umpires receive from Pilot Air Freight, a Phillips-owned Philadelphia company that transports much of the umpires’ equipment. Davey Phillips said by phone that he has written the union leader asking for full disclosure but has yet to receive any information.

The anti-Phillips group contends that seven umpires, all supporters of Phillips, have received payments from Pilot Air and that the relationship smacks of a conflict of interest by Phillips and the umpires. The seven are Jerry Crawford, Richie Garcia, Gerry Davis, Bruce Froemming, Terry Tata, Drew Coble and Steve Rippley. Calls to Phillips and associate Pat Campbell were not returned, but Froemming, reached in Atlanta, said “it’s unbelievable anyone would make an issue of this and shows the lengths these people will go to get rid of Richie.”

Froemming said that to his knowledge only Coble and himself have received a payment from the company and only on the infrequent occasion when they met a customer for lunch or made an appearance.

“Richie offered the opportunity to everyone,” he said. “There’s nothing to it.”

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Harold Baines is the all-time leader among designated hitters in hits, home runs and runs batted in, but the statistic that most attracted the Cleveland Indians in acquiring Baines from the Baltimore Orioles before the Aug. 31 deadline for a player to be eligible for the postseason roster was his career batting average against two of the New York Yankees’ top pitchers and possible playoff rivals. Baines has a .412 average against David Cone and a .316 average against Roger Clemens.

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If They’re Left-Handed and Breathing Dept: The Texas Rangers, the only American League team without a left-handed starter and concerned about their vulnerability against Indian and Yankee left-handed hitters in the playoffs, sent a low minor leaguer to the Seattle Mariners for Jeff Fassero.

Fassero had the highest earned-run average and most losses and had given up the most homers among AL qualifiers at the time of his acquisition, and, in a series that ended Thursday, picked up where he left off in Seattle, giving up seven hits and five runs to the Detroit Tigers in two innings of his first two relief appearances with the Rangers.

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The $120-million purchase of the Oakland Athletics by a group fronted by former club executive Andy Dolich and financed primarily by Bay Area grocer Robert Piccinini will be approved at an owners meeting in Cooperstown Sept. 15-16. The deal commits the A’s to Oakland through 2004.

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While the Arizona Diamondbacks, their expansion colleague, close in on a possible National League West title in only their second year, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays finally had their first winning month, going 16-12 in August. Said Manager Larry Rothschild: “Winning months, if they’re plural, are great, but I don’t want to wait this long for the next. Of course, I don’t think I’ll be allowed to wait this long.”