MLB UMPIRES WEAR MASKS… AND HOODS?

Posted on 30 January 2008 by HG

As could be expected, the NBA’s Tim Donaghy gambling scandal made the other leagues take a closer look at their officials. This doesn’t mean the NFL will go back and investigate the Steelers-Seahawks Super Bowl, or that MLB will investigate Matt Holliday’s slide. What it does mean is more intensive background checks for current or potential referees and umpires.

You would expect the standard looks at credit reports, and personal associations. You probably wouldn’t expect a KKK check, but that’s exactly what Major League Baseball is doing. The World Umpires Association issued a statement questioning MLB’s questions. Here’s a small piece:

In the aftermath of last year’s insider-gambling scandal involving NBA referee Tim Donaghy, Commissioner Bud Selig and Major League Baseball commenced background investigations of its veteran umpires. One of the league’s security officials arrived in Northern Kentucky recently to interview the neighbors of several umpires. These neighbors were strangers to the MLB official and not necessarily close acquaintances of the umpires. Among the standard questions to the neighbors was this errant bombshell — do you know if the umpire is a member of the Ku Klux Klan?

Lamell McMorris, spokesman for the World Umpires Association said, “One has to ask, what does the KKK have to do with being a major league umpire?”

I’m wondering why the question is being asked too. Is there already some information that one or more MLB umpires has ties to the Klan, or is baseball asking every umpire’s neighbors if the ump in question belongs to a insert race Power group? Since this is America, the umpires have the right to belong to whatever group they choose… At the same time, since the Klan isn’t a religion or race, it’s not discrimination if MLB fires an umpire for KKK membership.

MLB Investigation Asks if Umpire is Member of KKK. Courtesy of The Biz of Baseball

Tags: Major League Baseball, MLB, KKK, umpires