BASEBALL STRIKES BACK AT UMPS; MANY WILL LOSE SPOTS.

Byline: Associated Press 

In what appears to be an overwhelming defeat for major-league umpires, their threatened walkout collapsed Tuesday when all of the umps withdrew their resignations.

However, about one-third of the 68 major-league umpires will lose their jobs anyway, because the American and National leagues have already hired 25 replacements from the minor leagues.

AL president Gene Budig sent letters to nine AL umpires Monday accepting their resignations. Similar letters to as many as 13 NL umpires will be sent by NL president Len Coleman later this week.

The umpires had escalated their labor battle with baseball on July 14 by voting to resign en masse on Sept. 2, but the strategy began to falter when some of the umps began to take back their resignations.

``They turned their backs on us,'' said Bruce Froemming, a senior NL umpire who helped hire union head Richie Phillips in 1979. ``Obviously they think they're going to get a better deal somewhere else.''

On Monday, umpires sued the AL and NL in federal court in Philadelphia, seeking a court order that would allow them to withdraw the resignations before the Sept. 2 effective date.

Lawyers for owners and umpires held a conference call Tuesday with U.S. District Judge Edmund V. Ludwig, who refused to issue a temporary restraining order to prevent owners from accepting the resignations, the official said.

Without such an order, the umpires not being taken back by baseball will be forced to spend years in court in an effort to regain their jobs.

``It's not over with yet. Our contract doesn't expire until Dec. 31 so we will go on through the year and then negotiate a new deal,'' NL umpire Randy Marsh said.

Baseball commissioner Bud Selig declined comment, spokesman Rich Levin said.

Phillips issued a statement saying ``a group of very fine umpires stand very tall and will hold their heads high forever.''

``They are to be admired for their resolve and courage,'' Phillips said. ``They are confident that they will eventually prevail in this very unseemly affair that was deliberately provoked by major-league baseball.''

While Phillips said ``unfair labor practice charges are being pursued before the National Labor Relations Board,'' the NLRB's Philadelphia office, where umpires usually file, said nothing had been received by Tuesday evening.

Several baseball lawyers said they expect a battle among the divided umpires on whether Phillips, their lawyer since 1978, will be in charge of negotiations this offseason for a new labor contract.

``You need solidarity,'' NL umpire Angel Hernandez said. ``I'm sure there will be turmoil down the road.''

NL umpire Jerry Crawford said that Phillips will remain in charge because umpires voted 29-14 last spring in favor of giving him a new five-year contract. Crawford also said it was too early to term the strategy a defeat.

``I won't categorize it until after everything is all said and done,'' Crawford said. ``We were asked by a federal judge to withdraw our resignations to de-escalate the situation. We complied with what he asked. It is now in the hands of a judicial proceeding and we are willing to wait for the outcome.''

Umpires announced their mass resignations after a meeting in Philadelphia on July 14, and 56 of the 68 umpires submitted resignation letters in the following week.

By last Friday, 14 of those 56 umpires had withdrawn their resignations. The rest of the withdrawals were sent to the leagues Tuesday.

Umpires decided on the resignation strategy because they feared owners would lock them out when their labor contract expires Dec. 31, and the agreement contains a no-strike clause.

The nine AL umps who were sent letters Monday accepting their resignations are Drew Coble, Jim Evans, Dale Ford, Rich Garcia, Ed Hickox, Mark Johnson, Ken Kaiser, Greg Kosc and Larry McCoy.

Garcia was rated the third-best AL umpire by players in a survey last winter, while Coble was rated sixth.

The only NL umpires assured of keeping their jobs are Mark Hirschbeck, who never quit, and Wally Bell and Jeff Nelson, who withdrew their resignations last week.

``What they're saying is with the people they've hired, minor leaguers and the guys that jumped ship, they've got 13 guys, so they need 23 to fill out the staff,'' Froemming said.

WHERE THEY STAND

9 - RESIGNED AND ACCEPTED

AL (9) - x-Drew Coble, Jim Evans, Dale Ford, Rich Garcia, Ed Hickox, Mark Johnson, Ken Kaiser, x-Greg Kosc, Larry McCoy.

14 - WITHDREW RESIGNATIONS BEFORE TUESDAY

AL (12) - Larry Barnett, Gary Cederstrom, Al Clark, Jim Joyce, Chuck Meriwether, Dave Phillips, Mike Reilly, Rick Reed, Rocky Roe, Dale Scott, Tim Tschida, Larry Young.

NL (2) - Wally Bell, Jeff Nelson.

12 - NEVER RESIGNED

AL (11) - Joe Brinkman, nu-Derryl Cousins, Terry Craft, Ted Hendry, John Hirschbeck, Tim McClelland, Jim McKean, Durwood Merrill, Dan Morrison, nu-John Shulock, Tim Welke.

NL (1) - Mark Hirschbeck.

33 - RESIGNED AND WITHDREW TUESDAY

(13 are in jeopardy of losing their jobs)

NL (33) - Greg Bonin, Jerry Crawford, Kerwin Danley, Gary Darling, Bob Davidson, Gerry Davis, Dana DeMuth, Bruce Dreckman, Bruce Froemming, Brian Gorman, Eric Gregg, Tom Hallion, Angel Hernandez, Bill Hohn, Sam Holbrook, Jeff Kellogg, Jerry Layne, Randy Marsh, Jerry Meals, Ed Montague, Paul Nauert, Larry Poncino, Frank Pulli, Ed Rapuano, Charles Relaford, Rich Rieker, Steve Rippley, Paul Schreiber, Terry Tata, Larry Vanover, Joe West, Charlie Williams, Mike Winters.

(nu = nonunion; x = resigned, withdrew, then resigned again)

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos, Box

PHOTO (1--2--Color) Below right, plate umpire Joe West (22) with crew chief Randy Marsh. Above, Bruce Froemming (6) with Mark Hirschbeck, who is one of only three NL umpires assured of keeping his job.

Ron Frehm/Associated Press

BOX: WHERE THEY STAND (see text)