Should I Stay or Should I go.

[Tim C]

"You aren't responsible for the game time or the decision to start/cancel the game either. Why would you even think it would be OK to just walk away?"

This ties for the dumbest post ever made on the internet.

This is not a professional league. The umpires are contracted to work a game at "game time" not some "other time in the future".

While all of us would give a limited extension of the game time I would NEVER have waited under these circumstances.

Teams and leagues have responsibilites and I would expect them to have their act together.

Oh yeah, I would also exoect a "show up" fee for my time.

Tim was much nicer than I would have been.

[Rich Ives]

Originally Posted by Tim C

This ties for the dumbest post ever made on the internet.

This is not a professional league. The umpires are contracted to work a game at "game time" not some "other time in the future".

While all of us would give a limited extension of the game time I would NEVER have waited under these circumstances.

Teams and leagues have responsibilites and I would expect them to have their act together.

Oh yeah, I would also exoect a "show up" fee for my time.

Tim was much nicer than I would have been.

Doesn't matter Tim - you don't do youth games anyhow.

[ozzy6900]

Originally Posted by Rich Ives

Doesn't matter Tim - you don't do youth games anyhow.

Well I do, Rich and I agree that it was not you most intelligent post! I can understand a minor postponement for many reasons but we have lives too! I've walked away from bad fields, too few players and bad weather conditions more times than I care to remember.

And to address the "at least you stuck around for the kids" BS.... I officiate games for pay! When I officiate a game, I work as a professional not as a Social Worker. I do my job on the field and keep a civil attitude.

That said, I do a certain amount of games "to give back to the kids and the game" each year so I don't really want to hear that "it's for the kids" garbage! If the game time is 17:00 and the grounds crew is not going to be there until 18:00, you can forget having me at that game. And the only exception would be the "freebie" games as for these games, the entire day or evening is set aside to accommodate them because everyone including the grounds crew is volunteering their time. Oh and so far, I have six evening games scheduled in August that are "for the kids". There will be at least four in the Fall.

Sorry for the spouting off, but we are getting back into that touchie-feelie-make everything nice crap again!

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by ozzy6900

If the game time is 17:00 and the grounds crew is not going to be there until 18:00, you can forget having me at that game.

Ozzy's umpiring uniform:

[mbyron]

I have no problem with how it was handled. The terms of the contract changed, and they offered additional compensation, which you accepted. Seems fair both ways.

[ozzy6900]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

Ozzy's umpiring uniform:

I prefer the desert dress for the warmer weather!

[Matt]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

Ozzy's umpiring uniform:

Round brown and TRADOC patch...reminds me of the summer of 2000.

Even though I myself am now a senior NCO, I still get a bit short of breath seeing a picture like that.

[HokieUmp]

Originally Posted by BigUmp56

Would you have left?

I think I would have, although I may have called my assignor first for some guidance. All my games are at least an hour from home, so that extra hour waiting for the grounds crew to prep the field would make me even more insanely late than the double header itself.

[soundedlikeastrike]

I/we would have stayed. I have been in my current association for 8 years and have not heard of one instance where the umpires have refused a delay.

I had a paricular DHer with a partner I had to talk into it. Do to a scheduling conflict we had 4 teams at a field, two seperate associations showing to officiate. Two of the teams (not ours, local league), both utilized this field solely. Our teams (travel squads) played at various venue's, the one visiting team's home field was available, we went and played, about 15 miles further, we were compensated for the extra travel. Near two hour late start.
Now which bozo's ya gonna punish on a Saturday, the school district that schedules the fields or some coache/teams that what? Failed to call everyday after they'd been sent a schedule of field avails?

In short, I don't overbook or accept assignments which have any chance of interfering with my life. Our association is lucky enough, we "rarely" (knock on wood) have to cover multiple fields, nor many umpires that try and force their way into to many assigments, and we don't have more than say 40 miles tops in any direction.

So what ever your association does is what you do.

The association I used when I was hiring:
I hour notice to assignor (including a message machine) of no game, no charge, even if umpire/s showed up.
Show up and no game, 1/2 price plus/travel.
Show up and have to stop, full price/travel.
Rescheduled game, which we paid for once already (maybe), full price/travel.
Won protest, no charge.

This association would not assign more that 2 games per day for an umpire.
We had one man and two man games, which we staggerd on the weekends. Went from one man full price/travel, next game the solo guy from previous game full price/no travel, partner full price/travel, next game the same etc.