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The call on umpires

Players rate McClelland, Crawford baseball's best

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Posted: Tuesday March 30, 1999 10:23 PM

Umpire Jerry Crawford, seen here chatting before a June, 1998 Pirates-Brewers game, was tops in NL voting. Ken White/Allsport

NEW YORK (AP) -- Tim McClelland and Jerry Crawford are baseball's top umpires, and Ken Kaiser and Charlie Williams are the worst, according to a survey by the players' association.

Players rated umpires on physical condition, physical and mental toughness, accuracy of calls on the bases, accuracy of calls at the plate, consistency, temperament, respect for players and overall capacity.

McClelland topped the AL ratings, followed by Jim Joyce, Richie Garcia, John Hirschbeck, Mike Reilly and Drew Coble. Kaiser was 32nd and last, with Durwood Merrill 31st, Ted Hendry 30th, Joe Brinkman 29th, Dale Ford 28th and Drew Coble 27th.

Crawford, head of the umpires' union, was tops in the NL, followed by Ed Rapuano, Ed Montague, Randy March, Frank Pulli and Jeff Kellogg. Charlie Williams was 36th and last, with Eric Gregg 35th, Joe West 34th, Bruce Froemming 33rd and Harry Wendelstedt 32nd.

West and Froemming are among the most confrontational umpires. West was last in the NL in both the respect for players and temperament categories and Froemming was next to last in both.

"I give no credence whatsoever to those ratings," umpires' union head Richie Phillips said. "I think they're patently absurd. I've even been told that some players had their kids fill them out."

Baseball officials said they thought players penalized confrontational umpires in their ranking.

"The survey was a players' association initiative, and the players are certainly entitled to their opinion," NL president Len Coleman said. "I will point out that umpire popularity was a factor, and the skills and qualities of many fine umpires were distorted."

Commissioner Bud Selig declined comment.

"You look at a guy like Bruce Froemming and how many times he's assigned by the league president to work big, important games, and then you see him rated next to last, what does that mean?" Phillips said.

The ratings, which were distributed to players, were first reported earlier this week by the New York Post, USA Today and the Philadelphia Daily News. A copy was obtained by The Associated Press on Tuesday from a baseball source on the condition he not be identified.

 

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