Richie Phillips, the lawyer for the umpires union, said he did not know where Clark was but added that he had spoken to him earlier.

The umpires union yesterday abandoned one phase of its fight against the system that Major League Baseball is using to evaluate umpires.

At least two of the functions that have heretofore been handled by the league presidents will have to be negotiated with baseball's players and umpires unions.

"The issue isn't us against the players," said Jerry Crawford, a senior National League umpire and president of the umpires union.

In an earlier form, the umpires union also clashed heatedly with management.

You would think the umpires union would want a weight clause in order to protect the health of their own members.

"The dialogue is pretty good," Richie Phillips, head of the umpires union, said.

The judge also ruled that the umpires union cannot participate in the case.

These will be the first talks for an umpires union that Phillips will not lead.

The five are returning to work as part of a settlement negotiated between baseball and the defunct umpires union.