All;
Most of my games concern participants over the age of 18 so I usually don't have to worry about the question that I am about to pose.
Last night I was doing a game under NCAA rules with all participants over the age of 18. (except for the batboys.) We had two lightning delays and during the delays I got to thinking about how youth ball umpires handle the following:
When we stopped the game for lightning per our protocols, no rain came. The players milled around outside the dugouts playing catch or whatever. The fans sat in the metal bleachers as perfect targets for a lightning bolt as if nothing was wrong. My partner and I took cover but few others seemed to care that there was danger in the area.
Now I am not a nanny to adults. If they want to be stupid, that is their right. But do umpires of minors have any responsibility to make sure that all of the players take cover? Or is that the coach's job? Once we stop the game, do only the coaches have the responsibility to see that their charges are behaving responsibly?
How do other umpires handle this? BTW, I insisted that the batboys get into the dugouts in this game.
Peter
|