I'm glad to see the MLB is finally following suite of the NFL and College sports in order to clean up there respective leagues/conferences. 
Umpires upset with MLB's plan
Major League Baseball umpires are balking at the league's stated intention to do background checks on all umpires following the gambling allegations involving NBA referee Tim Donaghy.
"We understand the need in light of what's taken place. But we feel we just don't need to have a knee-jerk reaction and a witch hunt,'' Lamell McMorris, spokesman for the World Umpires Association (WUA), told SI.com.
McMorris, who said MLB umpires have never had extensive checks done on them by baseball previously, met last week with MLB's Rob Manfred, the executive vice president for labor and human resources, to express concerns about baseball's plan. McMorris cited as an example MLB's goal to investigate all umpires, even a 31-year veteran such as Ed Montague.
"We feel this should be negotiated and discussed,'' said McMorris, who coincidentally took over as the MLB umpires' lead rep only a week ago, injecting himself into what he described as a "perfect storm.''
'We're not going to give our cooperation. Let's get back to the negotiating table,'' McMorris said. "Let's make it a fair and transparent process for all involved.''
WUA general counsel Brian Lam expressed the union's concerns in a letter he sent to Manfred on Monday and which was obtained by SI.com.
Wrote Lam: "... the World Umpires Association is concerned about the following aspects of the Commissioner's planned investigations, among others:
• "The nature, type and scope of information that you intend to gather on the umpires.
• "The sources, legitimate and otherwise, from which you intend to collect the information.
• "The persons who will have access to the information once it is collected.
• The vendors and consultants who will assist you in collecting and reviewing the information.
• "The frequency with which you plan to conduct the investigations.
• "The uses to which the information will be put.
• "The process by which Major League Baseball, the World Umpires Association, and the affected umpires will address any concerns that might arise from the information.
• "The protections that will be put in place to ensure that the information is not misused or publicly disclosed.
• "The safeguards that will be adopted to ensure that umpires will not be subject to disciplinary or other adverse job actions stemming from or based upon any of the information."
Umpires upset with MLB's plan
Major League Baseball umpires are balking at the league's stated intention to do background checks on all umpires following the gambling allegations involving NBA referee Tim Donaghy.
"We understand the need in light of what's taken place. But we feel we just don't need to have a knee-jerk reaction and a witch hunt,'' Lamell McMorris, spokesman for the World Umpires Association (WUA), told SI.com.
McMorris, who said MLB umpires have never had extensive checks done on them by baseball previously, met last week with MLB's Rob Manfred, the executive vice president for labor and human resources, to express concerns about baseball's plan. McMorris cited as an example MLB's goal to investigate all umpires, even a 31-year veteran such as Ed Montague.
"We feel this should be negotiated and discussed,'' said McMorris, who coincidentally took over as the MLB umpires' lead rep only a week ago, injecting himself into what he described as a "perfect storm.''
'We're not going to give our cooperation. Let's get back to the negotiating table,'' McMorris said. "Let's make it a fair and transparent process for all involved.''
WUA general counsel Brian Lam expressed the union's concerns in a letter he sent to Manfred on Monday and which was obtained by SI.com.
Wrote Lam: "... the World Umpires Association is concerned about the following aspects of the Commissioner's planned investigations, among others:
• "The nature, type and scope of information that you intend to gather on the umpires.
• "The sources, legitimate and otherwise, from which you intend to collect the information.
• "The persons who will have access to the information once it is collected.
• The vendors and consultants who will assist you in collecting and reviewing the information.
• "The frequency with which you plan to conduct the investigations.
• "The uses to which the information will be put.
• "The process by which Major League Baseball, the World Umpires Association, and the affected umpires will address any concerns that might arise from the information.
• "The protections that will be put in place to ensure that the information is not misused or publicly disclosed.
• "The safeguards that will be adopted to ensure that umpires will not be subject to disciplinary or other adverse job actions stemming from or based upon any of the information."
