Quirky fields

[tibear]

I remember coaching a rookie game (10-11 year olds) where the outfield had trees and a park bench!!!

I remember talking to the home coach about the situation and his reply was, in over 5 years only about 5 or 6 kids have actually run into a tree or the bench so no one sees the need to do anything to clean up the field. Many of them had to run around the trees and bench but only a couple players had been hurt.

I told the coach that I wasn't going to take the chance with my players and we left the field. They gave us a default for the game, I protested (and lost) but my point was made.

No game is worth the chance of a player getting seriously hurt. We only had the one game scheduled for that field and since I've started umpiring I've never had a game on that field so I don't know if anything has changed.

I can't believe any umpire would take the chance to be in charge of such a situation!!!!!