The move was announced following a sometimes raucous meeting of the Major League Umpires Association at a Philadelphia hotel. Owners, tired of repeated fight with umpires, seemed almost pleased by the decision. Commissioner Bud Selig declined comment and said Sandy Alderson, executive vice president of baseball operations in the commissioner's office, would speak for him. Umpires have been angry since NL president Len Coleman suspended umpire Tom Hallion on July 2 for three days for bumping a player, the first such action that baseball officials can remember.
Baseball is in a state of chaos.
The deal bars strikes, so the resignations are an attempt to get around that, Phillips said. There are 68 major league umpires, and 57 of them attended the meeting. The other 11 were expected to announce their resignations in the next few days. Unless I'm mistaken, I don't think these tactics have convinced a single person to be supportive. That would include the fans, the media and baseball itself.