Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

October 7, 2008 5:39:34 AM CDT

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

Jesse Jackson Outraged on Umps' Behalf

Posted Feb 1, 08 7:11 AM CST in Sports,  US 

(Newser) – Major League Baseball's umpires are fighting mad, and Jesse Jackson is behind them 100%, after reports surfaced that league officials have been asking umps' neighbors questions about marijuana use, domestic violence, and potential membership in the Ku Klux Klan. "They have essentially defamed their people in their own neighborhoods," Jackson told the AP.

Baseball executive dismissed the claims of inappropriate questions as "inaccurate," but  World Umpires Association president John Hirschbeck said that questions mentioning the KKK have been asked of neighbors in at least three cases. This invasive approach is "baseball's favorite way of doing things: Ready, fire, aim," Hirschbeck complained.

Source Associated Press

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • Instant Replay on Deck for MLB

    Aug 21, 08 9:05 AM CDT
    Instant Replay on Deck for MLB Umpires and Major League Baseball officials have struck a deal that could bring instant replay to the ballpark as early as the end of this month, AP reports. The World Umpires Association signed the agreement yesterday after days of haggling over details. Video review will be limited to boundary calls like home runs and foul balls, with film clips provided by a centralized "war room."
    More »

  • Managers Get No Red Flags in Replay Plan

    Jun 15, 08 8:02 PM CDT
    Managers Get No Red Flags in Replay Plan MLB's current plan for video review may go into effect as early as August 1, but don't expect it to be like the NFL's system. Team managers will have no say in which plays get looked at, and the experts analyzing footage won't even be in the stadium, ESPN reports. More »

  • Umps Call Foul on Background Check Plan

    Aug 7, 07 4:34 AM CDT
    Major League Baseball is planning a series of detailed background checks for all umpires, spurred by the NBA's referee gambling scandal. But the umps aren't pleased: Discussions with their new union drifted foul when the league balked at their compromise request to add a 7th ump to postseason games. More »

Tim Donaghy's betting scandal inspired the MLB to step up its background checks on umpires. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari, file)   (Associated Press)
American civil rights activist the Rev. Jesse Jackson looks on before delivering a memorial lecture on the eve of Mohandas K. Gandhi's, also known as Mahatma Gandhi, sixtieth death anniversary, in New...   (Associated Press)
Milwaukee Brewers manager Ned Yost, left, argues with umpire John Hirschbeck in this MLB baseball game in Milwaukee in this Sept. 14, 2007, file photo. Umpires are livid that Major League Baseball has...   (Associated Press)
Chicago Cubs manager Lou Piniella, center, kicks his hat as he argues with third base umpire Mark Wegner, left, and home plate umpire Bruce Froemming watches during the eighth inning of a baseball game...   (Associated Press)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
Our editors also recommend:

Threads (
1
 of 1)

Tags

MLB  • baseball  • Jesse Jackson  • Tim Donaghy  • Ku Klux Klan  • background check  • umpires


Loading...

Premium Articles from HighBeam

Find more articles like this

Today's Most Popular

Loading...

Other US Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Newser gives you more news in less time. We search for the best and most important stories all over the web, read them for you, and deliver concise and sharp summaries—along with links to the full text. Newser provides a way to stay on top of an ever-expanding horizon of news and opinion—politics, sports, business, trends, technology, personalities, crimes, and controversies. Newser keeps you not just better informed, but, with our signature graphic interface and smart condensed format, more enjoyably informed.

Learn more »