Umpires’ Union Is Approved

Richie Phillips’ last appeal was rejected Thursday by the National Labor Relations Board, clearing the way for the new umpires’ union to start negotiations with owners.

Insurgent umpires, angry with Phillips’ failed mass resignation strategy last summer, voted 57-35 in November to replace the Major League Umpires Assn. with a new union.

The MLUA contested the results, first with the NLRB’s New York office, then with the five-man labor board in Washington. Thursday’s decision certified the new union and cannot be appealed.

The new union, called the World Umpires Assn., hopes to start negotiations quickly on a new collective bargaining agreement, replacing the one that expired Dec. 31.

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Wally Joyner, who was supposed to provide insurance at first base for the Atlanta Braves, will be out several weeks after breaking a bone in his right foot during batting practice.

Joyner, 37, received a hairline fracture in the first metatarsal bone after fouling a pitch from John Smoltz off the front foot.

Dr. Joe Chandler, the team physician, said Joyner will be out at least two weeks and recovery could take as long as six weeks. The first baseman said he is confident of being back in time for the April 3 opener.

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New York Met pitcher Bill Pulsipher, who was hospitalized Wednesday at Port St. Lucie, Fla., after he collapsed unconscious on the floor of his bathroom and had respiratory distress, was released from the hospital.

St. Lucie Medical Center spokeswoman Ginger King said the doctors believe they know what caused the problem, but declined to say what it was.

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Rickey Henderson says the Mets are trying to trade him. The team says it isn’t.

What is clear is that the left fielder, who doesn’t want to make the season-opening trip to Japan, is becoming a daily distraction this spring.

“I saw that Rickey was holding court again today,” General Manager Steve Phillips said.

Henderson arrived a day after other position players on the team, then said Tuesday and Wednesday that his role must change.

Baseball’s career stolen base leader, who had 438 at-bats last year, doesn’t want to come out of games in the late innings for a defensive replacement.

“My stock answer is we’re not shopping Rickey Henderson around,” Phillips said.

“My agent told me they were trying to trade me,” Henderson said.

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An arbitrator considering whether to overturn the suspension of Atlanta reliever John Rocker met with representatives of the players’ union and baseball management.

Arbitrator Shyam Das gave no indication of what occurred, but both sides indicated that a decision was expected next week.

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St. Louis outfielder Ray Lankford showed up for spring training a day late, wondering what the fuss was about. “I didn’t think it was that big of a deal,” Lankford said. . . . Art Howe, who managed the surprising Oakland A’s into the playoff race last season, was given a one-year extension that runs through the 2001 season. . . . Benito Santiago agreed to a minor league contract with the Cincinnati Reds, who are looking for an experienced backup catcher. . . . All-Star shortstop Alex Rodriguez and his agent met with Seattle Mariner officials, but no progress is made in contract talks.