Quote:
Originally Posted by BlueDevilRef
I understand it's hot but cmon. 2-3 games per day is all some of you will work? How much are you making each game? Is it really even worth your time/effort at that point? Call me a money whore all you want but I can do six in a row in my sleep. We do it all the time around here. 70 min time limit games.
It's not something I look forward to but I do this for money, not to work two games and go home. If you don't do this for the money as one of the top five reasons you are doing it, then why put up with all the shit that goes with it?
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Well, some of us are not 30- or 40-something years old any more. A few years back, I could do 4 or 5 games a day, not any more. While the time may not have changed, the effort it takes me to get through the games is now more of an issue.
For this tournament, we primarily had no new inning starting after 1:30 w/ a drop dead time of 1:45. Semis and Finals were untimed.
I guess it's up to each individual to determine if the "time & effort is worth it". You can't paint everyone with the same brush.
We have a 75 year old guy who will say he can work 5 games in a day. In game 1, he cannot bend over to brush off the plate. And yes, I'd call him a "money whore". We know locally not to assign him more than 3 games a day, but he goes all over working other tournaments because of the dearth of officials. And those UICs that may not know him, or know him a little bit, have no qualms giving him 4 games in a row or 5 in a day. So on Sunday and Monday mornings he can barely get out of bed.
Our small group of local umpires is aging and we're not getting many newer guys. This year was good as we got 1 guy back from battling cancer along w/ 2 other guys in their mid-40's.
I personally opted out of Nationals consideration because I didn't feel physically able to work 4 or 5 games a day for the better part of a week. Yes, I know some tournaments are smaller and less demanding, but for me, working a couple of games a day at my local venues fits the bill just right. It is definitely worth my time and effort.