Double Header Insomnia

[Rich]

Originally Posted by Dave Hensley

They were offered the 2nd game fee if they would just stay until the scheduled start time of the second game on the chance it could be played. He said the "sun was their best friend" so maybe the field was drying. They were assigned to do two games.

In my association, we don't even get a rainout fee, and I can guarantee you we would be expected to be there for the start of the second game, instead of deciding *ourselves* ahead of time that the field was not going to be playable.

Two game fees for hanging around in the vicinity of a ball field sounds like more than a breakeven day to me; certainly nowhere near a "waste of time."

Dave,

In my world they CAN'T play a second game of a DH unless they play the first. Do your second games actually have times attached to them? Ours start 20 minutes after the completion of the first game. And the umpires are in charge of the weather for the second game of a DH.

I don't blame the OP. I assign a 44-team league and if a game time is changed (like the OP's), I don't require the umpires to stay and work. Their game is at 1PM, not 2PM.

[GarthB]

Originally Posted by Rich Fronheiser

Dave,

Do your second games actually have times attached to them? Ours start 20 minutes after the completion of the first game.

Can't speak for Dave, but our DH's have start times assigned to both games. (HS, Legion and Adult...not college games) They are ususally 2 1/2 hours apart....12:00 and 2:30 on Sundays.

Of course we are flexible with those times. If we are in extra innings of the first game, we don't call it because the second one needs to start.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by GarthB

Can't speak for Dave, but our DH's have start times assigned to both games. (HS, Legion and Adult...not college games) They are ususally 2 1/2 hours apart....12:00 and 2:30 on Sundays.

Of course we are flexible with those times. If we are in extra innings of the first game, we don't call it because the second one needs to start.

Ours do too, but only because the Arbiter requires a start time.

I would never, NEVER require an umpire to sit at a park longer than an hour, regardless of whether the teams were working the field. Umpires have lives, too, and if the teams can't get it ready in less than an hour, I won't penalize guys for leaving the park. If they want to stay, fine, but it's the umpires's call and I make that fact well known. Most of our games are on Sunday afternoons and I don't begrudge the umpires making dinner plans with family.

[TussAgee11]

Rich - its good to hear that you got the umpire's backs.

I was very pleased when my assignor stood up for me when one of the coaches called him after the game, complaining. He even lied a bit for me, saying they were kind enough to stay an hour, they didn't even need to do that (if I had left right away, assignor may have been upset).

I hope you don't tell the coaches that "umpires can stay if they want to". Cause when its my time to leave, I don't want to hear "the last guy did it". Nor do I want to stay, because the next guy that does there games might want to leave.

[Dave Hensley]

Originally Posted by Rich Fronheiser

Dave,

In my world they CAN'T play a second game of a DH unless they play the first. Do your second games actually have times attached to them? Ours start 20 minutes after the completion of the first game. And the umpires are in charge of the weather for the second game of a DH.

I don't blame the OP. I assign a 44-team league and if a game time is changed (like the OP's), I don't require the umpires to stay and work. Their game is at 1PM, not 2PM.

As you know I work a variety of leagues, but yes, typically doubleheaders have start times for both games. The second game hardly ever gets going on time, because they usually schedule them two hours apart with a 1:50 time limit (no new inning) on the first game. But thinking back over this season, I can remember two different double header scenarios where one team played two different teams, and then a couple of high school double headers where I had an early JV game, and then the following varsity game.

I make the assumption that the umpires are motivated by pay, and in the original situation they were offered a full second game fee if they would only stay to see if the 2nd game could be played. Seems like easy money to me at best, fulfilling your contractual obligation at worst.