DODGERS' LOSS IS UMPS' FINALE : MILWAUKEE 5, DODGERS 4.

Byline: Brian Dohn Staff Writer

The Dodgers' and Milwaukee Brewers' seasons have ended - players, coaches and management resigned themselves to that fact eons ago.

Another group had their seasons, and possibly their careers, end with the culmination of the Dodgers' 5-4 loss to the Brewers on Wednesday at Dodger Stadium.

Major League Baseball and the umpires' union agreed to settle their dispute, and in the wake the resignations of 22 umpires were accepted. Among those 22 were three-fourths of the crew that worked this game. Terry Tata, Tom Hallion and Bill Hohn each find themselves out of work today. The fourth, Ron Kulpa, remains a working umpire.

``I love baseball, but right now I hate baseball,'' said Hallion, a 14-year major league veteran. ``You know it's the last game. I had it on automatic pilot out there. My head was so far out of that game because of everything I was thinking out there.''

During an emotional post-game press conference laced with anger and venom and a touch of shock, Hohn and Hallion voiced extreme displeasure with what's transpired. Hohn also said he believes the American League umpires credited (or discredited, depending on the view) with breaking the umpires' union's plan are the real culprits, and not union head Richie Phillips, who orchestrated the mass resignation the day following the All-Star Game.

Those 24 AL umpires are blamed with breaking the solidarity of the union.

``My heart's broken. I'll tell you that right now,'' Hohn said. ``I am really, really upset with the American League umpires and what they did to my family. I have a 13-year-old daughter and 2-year-old son.''

The umpiring crew didn't know the details of the agreement before taking the field, but Hohn and Hallion said they were aware of the basic structure of the agreement and realized it would, in all likelihood, be their last game.

According to the agreement, the 22 umpires will be paid through December and receive benefits. They could get their jobs back through an arbitrator, but a decision on that is months away.

The umpires' union said they'll drop their court fight and unfair labor practice. They also said they won't strike.

``Don't these baseball people have any heart?,'' Hohn said. ``I mean, we all have families. They're ruining families, and that's what hurts. We don't bother anybody off the field, we don't bother anybody on the field. We're just doing our jobs.''

The relationship between baseball management and the umpires has been tenuous for the last few years. It reached a crescendo earlier this season when Hallion was suspended for three days by National League president Leonard Coleman for bumping a player.

But the just-concluded three-game series between the Dodgers and Brewers went off with little incident between umpires and players or coaches. The only questionable moment came in the top of the ninth Wednesday when Brian Banks was called out by Tata for running outside of the baseline on a tapper in front of the plate.

Among many of the Dodgers, there was remorse about what was happening with the umpires.

``I think it's ridiculous,'' Dodgers catcher Todd Hundley said. ``I think it's bad leadership to lead them down a dead-end road. They got led down a dead-end road. I get along with all of them and I respect them. They really wanted to get something done. The owners are being hard line, big-time, with them.''

The issue was a little closer for Milwaukee because of the role of baseball commissioner Bud Selig. The former owner of the Brewers turned control over to his daughter, Wendy Selig-Prieb, and has been a harsh critic of the umpires.

``There's a kind of consensus here that some of the umpires have been sticking it to us because of Bud Selig,'' said Brewers third baseman and Providence High graduate Jeff Cirillo, who chose his words carefully. ``I haven't seen it.''

CAPTION(S):

photo

PHOTO Dodgers second baseman Eric Young dives for this grounder. L.A. rallied from a 5-0 deficit but again came up short in a one-run game.

Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer