Game Forfieted...

[UmpJM]

TussAgee11,

From the perspective of a coach who has been on the coaching side of this situation (in more or less all material respects) I would say:

1. No, you most certainly did not do anything wrong - either in properly declaring the forfeit (assuming the league dictates forfeits in the case of inability to field a team), nor in declining to officiate the following "scrimmage" which the two teams decided to engage in.

2. I don't see how you could "be in trouble" or have incurred any liability because the two teams decided to engage in a scrimmage which you declined to officiate. However, I am not an attorney, and I stayed at home last night. As my brother, who IS an attorney (BTW, anyone heard any good "lawyer jokes lately?) once reminded me: "...America is a great country. You can be sued for getting up in the morning. Or not getting up in the morning, for that matter. ..."

3. The coaches had no business being upset with YOU.

4. While I wouldn't argue that it was "easy money", the fact of the matter is that you fulfilled your end of the contract (I'm assuming you showed up on time and were prepared to umpire a game).

And that's all I have to say about that.

JM

[UMP25]

It never ceases to amaze me that managers, coaches, and even some fans will blame the UMPIRE for acknowledging the forfeit then leaving when it's the short-handed team who caused the problem! You want to avoid the bittching and whining? Fine, have enough players in the first place!

[TussAgee11]

As my mother always told me, you can get sued for anything. Just a matter if you lose or not.

In a day in which umpires are being sued (and losing or having to settle) for kids swinging bats in dugouts when 3 coaches are in there watching it all unfold or the first bolt of lightning (no thunder or anything) hits the CF and the kid is dead by the time anybody gets out there, liability is becoming a huge deal in umpiring games (or in my case, not umpiring them). Not something any of us wants to be involved in, people want to place blame when things go wrong. I can't not make them go wrong, but I can try to get myself off the hook before it happens.

[orioles35]

Nothing good can come out of calling a game that's already a forfeit. Coaches are going to be irritated, both because of the forfeit and because you aren't permitted to stay and call anyway. Realize this, take your game fee and go enjoy the evening you just got handed back to you.

[mcrowder]

If these were high school teams, they could get in trouble for having an unauthorized scrimmage.