Cabin Fever

[BigUmp56]

Tonight here in beautiful South Bend we have around 5" of lake effect snow on the ground. The temp is going to drop somewhere near 10 degrees overnight. More snow is expected to fall throughout the weekend. It's only early December and I've come down with the worst case of cabin fever I've ever had.

I've been an umpire for quite a while now. In past years I haven't been bothered by not being able to get out and call a game in the Winter. This year thing's are different. Although I've been an umpire for quite some time, this is the first year I started posting on umpiring forums. I've lurked on boards before, but had not posted until this year. All of the exchanges of ideas here are the cause of my dismay. This combined with Carl letting me know through private correspondence how many games he's still doing and how good the weather is in South Texas is sending me into baseball withdraw.

December is the only dark month for our association. On January 8th we will meet again and things will start to look up. March will be just aroung the corner bringing pre-season clinics and camps back again. This is going to be a loooong Winter until then.

I'm wondering how many of you are still calling games now. If you are, you should count yourself as blessed. If you are still calling games, please keep the board updated on what's going on with you. That should give me enough intestinal fortitude to last the Winter without baseball.

I'm done venting!

Tim.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Tim,

Will you quit whining about not being able to work any games. With the exception of some one-man Pony and Colt games (which I decided not to work), there hasn't been any ball here in months. All you guys that have been working, up to your eyeballs with games are lucky. After Coach's Summer League finishes up, all that's left are these one-man games that suck. I really miss the adult ball we no longer do.

Aug the Dog, in sunny San Diego, where you would think there would be more ball to work.

[heykid41]

Well - too stupid to listen to my own body in July when the bloody thing was screaming at me - I have a disc in my back that has, much like ex-wives, become useless except to inflict pain. No baseball is the ONLY thing that is good about the sequelae to a disc protrusion onto the sciatic nerve. Knowing I have months to go to recover (bloody-well BETTER recover) is keeping me going!
So, Big Fella - no snow here on the West Coast - no baseball either (it IS winter)... and hoping I have the time to recover so I CAN get back on the field.

[BretMan]

Tim,

What, no indoor baseball in Indiana?

I'm one state east of you (Ohio) and in an identical winter climate. My area is crawling with indoor baseball/softball facilities. Just yesterday, I tromped through a foot of snow to call four games at an indoor tournament.

Instead of lounging on the couch from October to April, I get to work on my mechanics all winter long, keep my legs in game shape, have a blast and pick up a few extra bucks.

The money goes towards snow shovels and bags of ice-melt!

Ok- it's not "real" baseball the way the gods intended. But, as an umpire, the mechanics are identical. It's a tremendous chance to keep your skills sharpened and be "game ready" come spring.

And, you'll avoid cabin fever...

[Edited by BretMan on Dec 12th, 2005 at 11:12 AM]

[heykid41]

Thanks man. I was told today - might take a year to get back to useful!

Originally posted by thomaswhite

That really sucks. Best of luck to you and I hope you have a full recovery.

Thomas B. White
Shot in upper back and left to die, '67 'Nam

[Diamondgal]

Four months of baseball is all I get. Yes, I get cabin fever also. Now I'm home, cooped up after a major surgery with lots of restrictions and going stir crazy! The drugs made me respond to this late.

Anyway, what makes it harder is our association does pretty much nothing to get ready for the season. I usually travel to other areas where groups know the importance of putting together preseason clinics and meetings.