Umpires and gambling...pete rose fans wont like this

[pathogan]

Thursday, March 7
Updated: March 8, 7:58 AM ET

MLB's secret probe in 1989 reveals involvement
ESPN.com news services

It appears Pete Rose wasn't the only person from baseball involved with gambling in 1989.

Major League Baseball's front office secretly conducted a gambling investigation centered on umpires amid the Rose gambling probe 13 years ago, the New York Daily News reported Friday.

According to documents obtained by the newspaper, the investigation produced a written report by Rose investigator John Dowd and two years' probation for two of baseball's most highly regarded umpires Frank Pulli of the National League and Rich Garcia of the American League.

The report stated the umps were disciplined for "associating and doing business with gamblers and bookmakers," which violated Major League Rule 21 -- the "best interests of baseball" rule. Late commissioner Bart Giamatti started the probe and was signed and enforced by his successor, former commissioner Fay Vincent.

Dowd told the Daily News the two umps cooperated with the investigation and were sanctioned for placing bets with "local bookies." Pulli still works for baseball as an umpire supervisor, a job he has held for the last two years, and Garcia is being considered for a similar job.

"It's serious when you try to protect the game from this whole problem of gambling, which raises issues of debt and compromise," Dowd told the News. "We were acutely tuned in to how serious it was with people trying to associate with Major League umpires."

According to the Daily News, MLB confirmed the gambling sanctions and defended its decision to keep the investigation a secret, its hiring of Pulli as a supervisor and its plan to bring in Garcia.

"They made a mistake," Executive vice president of baseball operations Sandy Alderson told the Daily News of the umpires. "From my standpoint, there's absolutely no question about their integrity, commitment to the game or to the profession of umpiring."

Vincent recently told the Daily News the umpire probe didn't rise to the level of the Rose case because there was no proof the umps bet on baseball, as Rose was accused of doing. Rose has been banned from baseball and denied admission to the Hall of Fame.

"If there was any case involving umpires," Vincent told the paper, "it didn't involve betting on baseball."

Vincent wrote letters to Pulli and Garcia concerning Giamatti's institution of the investigation on Aug. 14, 1989.

Dowd said the umpires' cooperation with the investigation was thorough.

"When confronted, they were honest about it," Dowd told the Daily News. "They were men about it."

Current commissioner Bud Selig refused to comment on the investigation, saying it did not occur under his administration.


Of course, Bud refuses to comment...

[Skip]

Originally posted by pathogan
Current commissioner Bud Selig refused to comment on the investigation, saying it did not occur under his administration.

In a related note, Commissar Bud has banned the Star Spangled Banner from baseball games. "It was written before my administration," said Bud, adding "most people end up looking like me when they try to sing it."

[Fritz Buelow]

The Richie Garcia firing over airline tickets is starting to look a little more interesting now.

[pathogan]

Originally posted by Fritz Buelow
The Richie Garcia firing over airline tickets is starting to look a little more interesting now.

This could get really really ugly...