HE'S NOT JUST BLUE, HE'S ALSO MY BROTHER.

Byline: Ross Siler Staff Writer

ANAHEIM - Nowhere in the official 2003 Major League Baseball rules book does it say anything about a starting pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies taking out his older brother, who just happens to be umpiring three of his team's games that week, for burgers at In-N-Out

Follow along in Section 9.05:

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS TO UMPIRE.

Umpires on the field, should not indulge in conversation with players. Keep out of the coaching box and do not talk to the coach on duty. Keep your uniform in good condition. Be active and alert on the field. Be courteous, always, to club officials; avoid visiting in club offices and thoughtless familiarity with officials of contesting clubs.

No mention of In-N-Out.

So that was where Randy and Jim Wolf, the Phillies left-hander and the part-time major-league umpire, respectively, headed after Monday night's game at Edison Field. Jim did the driving, Randy did the buying. And neither one expects a call from the commissioner's office about it.

``Of course, it's legal,'' Randy said the next afternoon in the visitors' clubhouse. ``He's my brother first, then an umpire second.''

Others might see it differently, but one thing is for certain: Only in the baseball world shared by the two Wolfs - who enjoy the distinction of being just the second player-umpire brother combination in major-league history - can such stories even be told.

For just the second time since the brothers (each a former El Camino Real High of Woodland Hills product) broke into the majors in 1999, Jim umpired a series involving Randy's Phillies. He worked around the infield, from third base to first, as Philadelphia played a three-game interleague set against the Angels.

Randy, 26, is in the best season of his five-year career with the Phillies, boasting a 7-3 record and 3.47 ERA. He is a strong candidate to be selected to next month's All-Star Game, is being touted as the National League's best left-hander and recently declined an offer to appear in his own reality-television series.

Jim, 33, has spent all but 17 days in the majors this year and remains a phone call away from a full-time job. It's a long way from where he started with West Hills Baseball a decade ago, umpiring to make money on the side while playing catcher for Pierce College.

``I'm really proud of him,'' Randy said. ``It's a hard road to get here. There's a lot less openings for him to get where he is.''

There have been more than 350 brother combinations to play in the majors but only one other case of player-umpire brothers in history. On July 14, 1972, Bill Haller worked a game his brother Tom caught for the Detroit Tigers.

The Wolfs matched the feat on April 18, 2001, when Jim worked third base and Randy pitched the second game of a doubleheader against the Chicago Cubs. It also marked the last Phillies series Jim was scheduled to do until this week.

Randy didn't pitch in this series and Jim didn't work home plate, removing the possibility of any sticky situations for the brothers. (Jim has an agreement to move from home if Randy pitches.) But that didn't stop Randy from being subjected to grief from his Phillies teammates depending on Jim's calls in the field.

In the fourth inning Monday night, Angels catcher Bengie Molina pointed his glove down to third base, asking for an appeal on whether Jim Thome checked his swing in time.

Jim immediately clenched his fist. Strike one on Philadelphia's $85 million man.

From the Phillies bench came a voice: ``Come on man, what's going on with your brother?''

Randy's response: ``I'm his brother and he went.''

Not that Thome minded after the game. ``He does a good job,'' Thome said of Jim Wolf. ``You don't look at it as (Randy's brother). It's just a coincidence like a manager and son. It's a part of the game. I think it's pretty cool, really.''

The brothers have been close since growing up in West Hills. Both admit they have the ideal job for their temperament; Randy was high-strung as a kid and Jim relaxed. Randy even tried umpiring once, only to give it up almost immediately.

``I couldn't handle someone yelling at me,'' Randy said. ``I'd want to fight them. (Jim's) got an easygoing personality, I have more of a confrontational personality. I wouldn't ever back down.''

Jim, one of 17 Triple-A umpires who fills in on the major-league circuit, admittedly leads the less glorious life, even without the loudmouth fans to deal with on a daily basis. For umpires there are almost no home games - Jim slept in his own bed for the first time this season May 22 - and no chartered flights waiting at the airport.

There's also a reason why Randy always buys when they go out together. He will make $2.375 million this season and signed a four-year, $22.5 million contract in December, enough money to pay for a lifetime's worth of double-doubles.

Jim, meanwhile, will get a prorated amount of the $79,000 salary for a rookie major-league umpire.

``I think I have the better job, even though he has the more lucrative job,'' said Jim, who has ejected three managers over the years. ``He's got to work once a week, I have to work every day.

``I love it, but it's definitely not for everyone,'' Jim added. ``It takes a certain kind of person to do this job.''

By contrast to the major leagues, where there are 750 jobs on 25-man rosters, there are only 68 openings for full-time major-league umpires. Jim is technically an umpire for the Triple-A Pacific Coast League, waiting for a spot to open for a full-time job.

The brothers had hoped to spend a little more time together during this week's series. Randy was busy buying a house and Jim had to get his passport renewed. They did meet up after Monday's opener, exchanging hugs with a small group of family outside the stadium.

Then Randy and Jim left for the In-N-Out in Garden Grove as they always do. And when the brothers talk, the last topic of conversation is baseball. Jim said music and movies are their main interest, with both giving their approval to the new Matrix sequel and new Metallica CD.

Randy said he hoped the attention would die down at future Phillies series Jim umpires. But one curious byproduct of their relationship is that Jim never once has seen his brother become angry with an umpire in all their years in the majors.

``I've never heard anything like that,'' Jim said. ``I know that if he did, they would definitely tell me.''

Ross Siler, [phone]

ross.siler(at)dailynews.com

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2 photos

Photo:

(1-- 2) Umpire Jim Wolf, shown here making a call at third base during a recent game between Arizona and Houston, is the older brother of Philadelphia pitcher Randy Wolf, below. The Wolfs are just the second umpire/brother combination in major-league history.

Paul Connors/Associated Press; Brad C. Bower/Associated Press