MiLB Announces Umpire Department Name Changes

[Lindsay]

Minor League Baseball announced name changes for its umpiring properties based in Florida. According to Director (and former MiLB ump himself) Dusty Dellinger, "We wanted to capitalize on the established brand of Minor League Baseball to help provide a clearer identity within the baseball...

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[Recontra]

You know, I suspect that Minor League Baseball is operating under the perhaps delusional delusion that Oliver Wendall Holmes' 100 year old proclamation that baseball wasn't commerce, it was our national pastime is still "good law" (i.e. that professional baseball is exempt from federal antitrust laws).

 

I seriously suspect that Minor League Baseball may have and may be continuing to engage in unlawful trade practices in violation of federal antitrust laws in its operation of its umpire "Development" facility. If they eventually run Wendelstedt out of business like they did the Evans' Academy, and continue to have minor league umpire evaluators as instructors at their school, then not only will they be sitting ducks for an antitrust lawsuit, but they'll have a hard time explaining why their continued age discrimination in the hiring of umpires does not constitute a violation of Equal Employment Opportunity laws.  I know they wink wink nod nod claim that they only hire young people, so they'll have time for an actual "shot" at the big leagues, but that in and of itself presupposes that Minor League Baseball and MLB are one and the same for purposes of antitrust and employment discrimination laws.

 

Just sayin'.  They're certainly not fooling me.  Are they fooling anyone??