|
 |
Main Menu |
 |
|
|
|
Newsletter Sign-Up! |
|
|
|
|
Search our site |
|
|
|
|
URC Link Graphics |
|
|
| |
|
 |
|
 |
|
| Herzog, Harvey elected to Hall of Fame |
|
INDIANAPOLIS -- Whitey Herzog and Doug Harvey were elected by a Hall of Fame Veterans Committee on managers and umpires, but a separate committee for executives and pioneers did not select anyone for induction into the Cooperstown shrine.
The committees' decisions were announced Monday morning by Jane Forbes Clark, the Hall of Fame's chairman of the board, who termed their Sunday night election meetings "very intense."
Herzog, who managed both the Kansas City Royals and St. Louis Cardinals into World Series, received 14 votes from the 16-member Veterans Committee that met Sunday night at the site of baseball's annual Winter Meetings.
Harvey received 15 votes in recognition of a 31-year umpiring career in the National League.
The results of the executives/pioneers committee's vote drew attention to the omission of Marvin Miller, the consequential initial executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association.
Miller received seven votes from the 12-member committee, falling two shy of selection. Leading that vote with eight was John Fetzer, former owner of the Detroit Tigers.
Miller's legacy had been revisited just last week, when Michael Weiner was installed as only the fourth executive director of the MLBPA since 1966.
Herzog could uniquely have fit on both ballots. He was Bobby Cox before Bobby Cox -- as St. Louis general manager, he assembled a roster he subsequently managed into three World Series in the 1980s.
Prior to that reign, Herzog had guided the Kansas City Royals to three consecutive championships of the original American League West in 1976-78.
Harvey called 4,670 Major League games across a 31-year career in the National League, plus six All-Star Games, five World Series and seven League Championship Series.
Herzog and Harvey will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on July 25, 2010.
The Managers and Umpires ballot included other, no-less worthy candidates in skippers Billy Martin, Gene Mauch, Davey Johnson, Tom Kelly, Danny Murtaugh, Charlie Grimm, Steve O'Neill and umpire Hank O'Day.
Other influential insiders on the ballot include Gene Autry, Sam Breadon, Bob Howsam, Ewing Kauffman, John McHale, Gabe Paul, Jacob Ruppert and Bill White.
Committee members were permitted to vote for up to four candidates on each ballot.
|  |
|
|
Posted by jasonk on Monday, December 07 @ 11:01:41 EST (260 reads)
(comments? | Score: 0) |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Jim Evans Academy of Professional Umpiring Launches New Web Site |
|
For Immediate Release
September 17, 2009
The Jim Evans Academy of Professional Umpiring, the world’s #1 umpire training program, announced today that it has relaunched its web site at www.umpireacademy.com. For more than 20 years, the Jim Evans Academy has been the leader in umpire education, training umpires around the globe while watching them advance into careers in professional baseball or becoming national and international leaders in amateur baseball.
“We are very proud of our students' success and the impact we have had on baseball worldwide. Our professional program and our amateur clinics have become the platinum standard for training." said Jim Evans, founder and chief executive officer of the Jim Evans Academy of Professional Umpiring. “And now, as we retool our web site and improve our ability to reach more umpires, we are more excited than ever."
Evans, who enjoyed a successful 28-year career as a Major League Umpire, graduated from the University of Texas with a degree in Education, giving him a unique ability to teach baseball umpiring at the highest level.
The Academy web site has been redesigned and brought up to the highest industry standards in graphics, functionality, and social networking. Online enrollment procedures for the five-week professional course and the five-day amateur clinics have been simplified making access much easier. Evans also notes, “We have added a Facebook feature that is a lot of fun while keeping umpires worldwide in touch with each other."
Next up for the web site is the development on an online umpire training course. Expected to launch later this winter, this opportunity will allow students to experience some of the same training offered at various Academy training venues. Featuring video, animation, and interactivity, the online courses will further diversify and strengthen the Academy's leading role in the industry.
The new web site was developed by Immersion Media, a North Carolina company with strong ties to sports content development for a variety of well-known properties and organizations. For more information, please visit their web site at www.imsports.com.
| |
|
|
Posted by jasonk on Thursday, September 17 @ 20:25:14 EDT (702 reads)
(comments? | Score: 4) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Umpire Desktop: MLB Turns to IBM for Web 2.0 Technology |
|
Using IBM's Websphere Portal, MLB umpires can now get information on weather, player statistics and history to help them prepare for games.
Major League Baseball (MLB) umpires can now use Web 2.0 tools to prepare for baseball games. Computers in umpires' locker rooms are being installed with Umpire Desktop, which will offer widgets that provide such information as players' past behavior, weather conditions and historical data, according to Big Blue and officials at MLB.
Umpire Desktop is based on IBM's Websphere portal, an interface that allows users to mix and match widgets and pick what information they want from sources both inside the firewall and out. IBM and MLB say this will help umpires be able to customize their pre-game routine.
For instance, an umpire can use a widget from Google Gadgets to check the day's weather forecast for the city where he is about to umpire a game. He also can view a widget from MLB that shows him player history and warns him of past incidents between two players on opposing teams.
"We want these things to be presented to them in context before a game," says Larry Bowden, vice president of portal software at IBM. "We want the data to be relevant and save them a lot of time."
Another widget is available that shows player statistics important to making calls during a game. For instance, knowing that a pitcher has a history of throwing wild pitches could help the umpire decipher whether or not plunking a batter was intentional or accidental.
"The Umpire Desktop provides significant, real-time information to our crews, and is a valuable resource with respect to the overall Major League umpiring effort. It is assisting not only in training and development, but also every other aspect of what game officials do." said MLB's Vice President of Umpiring, Mike Port, in a statement.
| |
|
|
Posted by jasonk on Tuesday, September 01 @ 09:22:20 EDT (814 reads)
(comments? | Score: 3.5) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Hernando judge to hear youth league dispute |
|
BROOKSVILLE - A Hernando County judge will be asked today to place a Spring Hill youth baseball team back into the running for a state championship.
The Spring Hill National Triple-A Majors All-Stars, a group of 11- and 12-year-old boys, were booted out of their Dixie Youth baseball district tournament July 3 after a disputed umpire's call.
The call allowed the National team to win after a player on the opposing team, South Lake, failed to step on home plate after what would have been a final-inning, game-winning home run. The score was tied, but the run was disallowed and the National team went on the win the game.
At dispute is that the South Lake player bypassed home but was physically turned around by his teammates and made to touch the plate. Officials considered that assisting the player, which goes against the rules.
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Umpire vehemently denies he swore at player |
|
You Need ABUA Insurance - Join Today!
The first-base coach of the Kingston Thunder house league baseball team whose player is accused of attacking an umpire last week claims the umpire swore at the player before the alleged attack, a charge fiercely denied by the umpire.
Don Butler, who said he was standing no more than two metres from the incident last Tuesday at Woodbine Park, believes the actions of the 16-year-old umpire after a disputed call at first base fuelled the anger of Thunder player Kyle Pyke, 19.
Pyke threw his helmet to the ground after he was ruled out.
"(The umpire said), 'Get the (expletive) off my diamond, you're out of here,' " Butler, 42, said.
"(Pyke) turned around and said, 'What the (expletive) did you say to me,' and the umpire said, 'Get off my diamond (expletive).' "
Butler then said that Pyke punched umpire Brandon Cross in the head.
Cross, who was punched twice according to the police reports, said he never swore at the player.
"There is no truth to that at all," Cross said. "I did not do that."
Pyke was charged with assault. He is scheduled to return to court July 21.
The visiting Prince Edward County Lynx, based in Wellington, had a big lead on Kingston when the incident occurred in the final inning of the game. Pyke was ruled to have been tagged out while running to first base.
Lynx coach John Allison was not at the game.
"The bottom line is, whatever the umpire said, it does not allow someone to attack the umpire," said Allison.
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
ABUA Only Special! |
|
|
|
|
Please Visit Our Sponsors |
|
|
|
|
ABUA Members Only! |
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
Honig’s ABUA Special: NEW! Honig’s Pro-Line mask with two-tone pads. – SAVE! Our new Pro Line mask frames are an upgrade in strength by using "flat bar" tubular steel for the 3 main horizontal bars. Padding is black vinyl outside and tan calfskin on the inside. 9" width. Regular price $61.95. ABUA MEMBER SALE PRICE: $52.65. And remember, ABUA members receive 10% off regular baseball merchandise every day at Honig’s!
Offer good for a limited time while supplies last.
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
MLB Tickets |
|
|
|
|
Scoreboard |
|
|
|
|
Advertise With Us! |
|
|
|
ABUA Menu
