Adult League in Turmoil

[canadaump6]

This is a continuation of the "Was it too much?" thread. I would like to get some suggestions on what the league I play in could do to make working games for them more appealing to umpires.

In the case of this league, it's the 5% or so that ruin things for everyone else involved. The sad thing is that there is talent in the league. A lot of players have semi-pro experience, but choose to play in the rec league for various reasons.

The league itself is in a bit of turmoil this year. We are struggling to get diamonds booked because the players terrorized one of the umpires who happens to also be responsible for booking diamonds. We have had umpires fear for their safety doing this league, and one even walked off the field to avoid harm. The player abuse of umpires has been a constant trend over the years.

The league goes 9 innings which often means 4 hours. I enjoy it, but the umpires are fed up with working games that drag on forever, plus sometimes driving 25 minutes without compensation, just to make $40 before getting up for work the next morning.

What would you guys recommend the league do to retain more umpires? There has been talk about a pay raise, going to 7 inning games, further disciplinary action with ejected participants, and even using wooden bats to speed things up. Comments would be appreciated.