Never Again

[DG]

Originally Posted by BigUmp56

Am I the only one who thinks tournament time can be a pain in the @$$?

Our juniors opened up tournament play on Saturday. I and two of my counterparts were assigned to work a triple header for the juniors. The first game was a damn slugfest with the home team winning in the bottom of the 8th 15 -12. Two hours and 50 freakin minutes for a juniors game. The second game wasn't much better. Extra innings again, 6-2, 2 hours and 30 minutes. I was 5 hours and 20 minutes into actual game time before I worked the plate for the third game (I drew the short straw). The third game was a little better at only 2 hours, but I swear, no more triple headers for me.


Tim.

Late last July I swore off triple headers. Second day of a Senior tournament (16-18), I had the plate for the first game that started at 11 am with temp around 90. By the end of the 10th, 3 hours later, it was 95 degrees and I nearly stripped in a dugout on an adjoining field after the game. Then two more games on bases. By the time I got home all I could do was lie down on the garage floor with a fan on me and a six pack beside me and try to recover before going back for 2 more games the next day and two the following day. 9 games in 4 days, and 3 on the second with temps over 90. It's too much for me.

[BigUmp56]

DG:

Have you ever worked a non traditional three man on one of your triple headers?

We worked it so that BU1 pretty much stayed at first for each game which gave each one of us an opportunity to take it easy for a game. It was almost like a two man as soon as there were any runners. BU3 came inside to C and stayed there.


Tim.

[SanDiegoSteve]

This season, I worked three solo Triple Headers. 9/12/3 all three times.

I didn't work any of the Triple Crown tourneys, but they worked 2-man crews, and each crew had 6, and sometimes 7 games each day. Way too much for me, so I chose not to participate.

[DG]

Originally Posted by BigUmp56

DG:

Have you ever worked a non traditional three man on one of your triple headers?

We worked it so that BU1 pretty much stayed at first for each game which gave each one of us an opportunity to take it easy for a game. It was almost like a two man as soon as there were any runners. BU3 came inside to C and stayed there.
Tim.

Funny you should mention. On the day I mentioned where I worked 3 games U2 pulled a leg muscle early in the game and did not feel like he could continue. This was a 3 man crew and we had a discussion before proceeding. As I saw it we had two options, convert to 2 man or allow U2 to stay at 1B with no running. U2 felt like he could continue if he did not have to run, so we did. I explained to the coaches what we will be doing and the game moved on.

The second game I moved to U3, U3 went to the plate and U2 stayed at 1b. By the third game we had a subsitute umpire who had arrived. For the 3rd game I went to U2, PU to U3 and the new guy worked the plate. U2 did not work any more games in the tournament due to the injury. I give him cudo's for gutting out 2 games at 1B with an injury. He knew we could convert to 2 man until we could get a substitute, but he worked 2 games.

I don't undertand how, in your situation, you got a break. If U2 stayed at 1B for 3 games somebody worked 2 plates.

[BigUmp56]

Originally Posted by DG

I don't undertand how, in your situation, you got a break. If U2 stayed at 1B for 3 games somebody worked 2 plates.

We rotated positions as usual with each of us working once as U1, once as U3, and once on the dish. We got a little break from all the extra running when we worked as U1 by not having to rotate in with R2 only or R2 and R3. The only time we would rotate to second from first was with R1 only and a deep base hit where we would take the BR into second if he committed.


Garth:

It's great that working four games in the Summer heat doesn't bother you. I'm sure it's just as hot and muggy where you are as it is here. I think you're more than likely the exception to the rule though. I don't know too many other umpires that can work 23 innings in a row in 90+ heat with high humidity without feeling it.


Tim.

[bob jenkins]

Originally Posted by BigUmp56

We rotated positions as usual with each of us working once as U1, once as U3, and once on the dish. We got a little break from all the extra running when we worked as U1 by not having to rotate in with R2 only or R2 and R3. The only time we would rotate to second from first was with R1 only and a deep base hit where we would take the BR into second if he committed.

That doesn't seem to be the standard rotation -- why not have U1 go to home, PU got to third and U3 cover first and second?

Garth:

It's great that working four games in the Summer heat doesn't bother you. I'm sure it's just as hot and muggy where you are as it is here. I think you're more than likely the exception to the rule though. I don't know too many other umpires that can work 23 innings in a row in 90+ heat with high humidity without feeling it.


Tim.

Garth didn't say he didn't "feel it." He said he dealt with it.

I don't think what you described is unique -- it's not the norm, but it's not that unusual, either.

[BigUmp56]

Originally Posted by bob jenkins

That doesn't seem to be the standard rotation -- why not have U1 go to home, PU got to third and U3 cover first and second?

I never said we used a standard rotation. What we did was anything but standard. What I said was that we rotated positions as usual. That would have the PU from the first game working as U3 for the second, U3 from the first game working as U1 for the second game, and U1 from the first game working the plate for the second game.

Originally Posted by bob jenkins

Garth didn't say he didn't "feel it." He said he dealt with it.

I don't think what you described is unique -- it's not the norm, but it's not that unusual, either.

Good for Garth. This is the first time in 16 seasons as an umpire that I've had to work 23 consecutive innings. That makes it unusual, at least to me.


Tim.

[bob jenkins]

Originally Posted by BigUmp56

I never said we used a standard rotation. What we did was anything but standard. What I said was that we rotated positions as usual. That would have the PU from the first game working as U3 for the second, U3 from the first game working as U1 for the second game, and U1 from the first game working the plate for the second game.

I understand -- and I agree with that.

My comment was referring to this statement:

The only time we would rotate to second from first was with R1 only and a deep base hit where we would take the BR into second if he committed.

I'm wondering why you chose this rotation rather than the standard rotation on a base hit with R1 only. It doesn't seem to save any running for U1.

[orioles35]

Pain in the a$$? You bet.

Thursday: Nine inning, no time limit ($65). Ended up at just over three hours. Luckily, I didn't have the dish

Friday: 14u tournament starts: Three games, starting at 1pm, temps in the mid 80's. Didn't feel so bad afterwards

Saturday: Four games, 2 using 2 man, 2 using 3 man, starting at 1pm, same temps. Was assigned two plate games, but one of the guys on the three man crew offered to do the last game behind the plate. You always THINK you can do it, but after three games and six hours of baseball...forget it. By now my feet are killing me.

Sunday: One more game (championship game, had the dish), at 9am. Very sleepy, and had quite enough baseball for one weekend.

Today: Hockey game...9:25 start. If I can just make it until Tuesday, I'll be ok.

Glad there's not another tournament this week.

[GarthB]

Originally Posted by BigUmp56

Garth:

It's great that working four games in the Summer heat doesn't bother you. I'm sure it's just as hot and muggy where you are as it is here. I think you're more than likely the exception to the rule though. I don't know too many other umpires that can work 23 innings in a row in 90+ heat with high humidity without feeling it.

Tim.

Fourth of July tournament temperatures ranged from 92 to 97 degrees.

This past week end and today at the basketball camp the indoor temps were in the 90's as the air conditioning was turned off.

I didn't say I didn't feel the difference. I said I was prepared for it. I keep my legs in shape. I bike. I run. I weight train. I get plenty of rest at night and I drink lots and lots of water.

If you can't prepare for it you shouldn't work that much. It's not good for you. If you make the choise to work that much without being prepared, then you shouldn't whine about it.

[BlueLawyer]

Originally Posted by GarthB

I didn't say I didn't feel the difference. I said I was prepared for it. I keep my legs in shape. I bike. I run. I weight train. I get plenty of rest at night and I drink lots and lots of water.

If you can't prepare for it you shouldn't work that much. It's not good for you. If you make the choise to work that much without being prepared, then you shouldn't whine about it.

Ironically, my conditioning regimen takes the biggest hit during the season. It's just damn hard to drag my old bones out of bed at 5 am for a run after getting home at 11:30 after nine innings of dish. And I can't get to sleep for a good hour afterwards- gotta wind down some.

Most of us could stand to be in better shape. It's hard to do in baseball season.

Garth, dude, I was in relatively good physical condition before the season, and I'm not that bad off now. The simple fact of the matter is that God did not bless me, at least, with the ability to work at the regular (admittedly sedintary) job from 8 until 3:30, start a ballgame at 5:30 or 6 and work baseball until 8 or 9 and do that 5 pr 6 days a week. I burn out. I feel the effects. My zone, especially, gets sloppy and I take justified sh!t for it. Magnify that x about 4 for tournament time and unless I'm conditioning full time, it wears me out.

Strikes and outs!

[UMP25]

Originally Posted by DG

Late last July I swore off triple headers. Second day of a Senior tournament (16-18), I had the plate for the first game that started at 11 am with temp around 90. By the end of the 10th, 3 hours later, it was 95 degrees and I nearly stripped in a dugout on an adjoining field after the game. Then two more games on bases. By the time I got home all I could do was lie down on the garage floor with a fan on me and a six pack beside me and try to recover before going back for 2 more games the next day and two the following day. 9 games in 4 days, and 3 on the second with temps over 90. It's too much for me.

Well, here in the Chicago area, this weekend is expected to be hot AND very humid. Highs in the mid-90's Saturday and Sunday near 100, each day with what is being described as "oppressive humidity," with dew points nearing 80!

Anyone who thinks that the intense "dry heat" of the desert southwest is not really different from hot and HUMID is clueless. The latter is what actually hinders the body from sweating, and it is this more than anything that causes us problems in the heat.

Stay cool out there, folks. Drink, drink, and drink some more. And stay away from caffeinated products and alcohol (no joke--both dehydrate you).