» May 1, 1980: Pittsburgh's Bill "Mad Dog" Madlock is fined $5,000 and suspended 15 games by National League president Chub Feeney for poking umpire Jerry Crawford in the face with his glove after being called out on strikes with the bases loaded. Madlock appeals and remains in uniform, but finally withdraws the appeal and begins serving the suspension on June 6th, after disgruntled NL umpires threaten to eject him from every game he tries to play in. » March 30, 1999: The Players Association releases the results of a survey rating major league umpires in both leagues. Tim McClelland (American League) and Jerry Crawford (National League) receive the highest grades, while Ken Kaiser (AL) and Charlie Williams (NL) receive the lowest.
» November 30, 1999: Members of the umpires association vote 57-35 to form a new union, with one vote voided because the umpire signed his ballot. The NLRB will certify the election results in seven days, if there are no objections. But, Jerry Crawford, the president of the old union, said objections are likely to be filed.
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