Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Jesse Jackson Outraged on Umps' Behalf

League probe asked if umpires are KKK members, wife-beaters

By Katherine Thompson,  Newser Staff

Posted Feb 1, 2008 7:11 AM CST

(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.

Tim Donaghy's betting scandal inspired the MLB to step up its background checks on umpires. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari, file)
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 Delhi, India, in this Jan. 29, 2008 file photo. Jackson criticized Major League Baseball on Thursday, Jan. 31,...
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 sent investigators to their hometowns, asking neighbors a series of questions that include whether the ump belongs...
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 against Atlanta Braves, in this June 2, 2007, file photo, in Chicago. MLB umpires are incensed...
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
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
A snapshot of the day's best news stories.
 
COMMENTS
Be the first to comment on this story.

More Newser Stories

Baseball Should Ban Arguments With Umps

For Female Umps, No Field of Dreams

Umps Under Fire After Rash of Botched Calls

Time to Ditch Umps? (Or at Least Some of Them)

Instant Replay on Deck for MLB


NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   Betty Confidential   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Fark   |   Timelines   |   The Frisky   |   Geek Sugar   |   NewsOne