Coaches say the darndest things.
 

Yesterday, MTD, Jr., and I had a boys' 10U travel league baseball game. The coaches in this league have agreed among themselves that the Home team will pay one umpire and the Visiting team will pay the other umpire. I really do not care who pays whom as long as both umpires get paid.

Thirty minutes before game time and the Visitors and still not at the game site even though they are located only fifteen miles away. At this point, H-HC tells Junior and I that if Team V does not show up, that both of us will have to contact Team V to be paid because he will not pay the umpires if the Visiting team does not show up to play. After I picked my jaw up of the ground, I told H-HC that if Team V does not show, that Team H will pay both umpires and that he can get reimbursement from Team V of the umpire's game fees. He started repeat that he was not going to pay us. I stopped him in mid-sentence and told him that while I agree that Team V should reimburse Team H for the umpire's fees, no matter what kind of agreement that two teams have, the Home team is responsible for paying both umpires if the Visitors are a no show. He then said he would pay one umpire, and I told him that he would pay both umpires. About then the Visitors showed up.

It just goes to show you that there are some real low-life coaches out there.

MTD, Sr.

This same scenario has happened to me, with an equally clueless coach. After refusing to acknowledge his responsibility to pay both umpires, I did as my assignor has mandated: I said, "fine, no problem." so he only paid my partner. The visitors were a no-show and we had a forfeit. I called the assignor, who in turn called the idiot coach's league president and informed him in no uncertain terms that until the umpire who didn't get paid gets his check, there will be no further umpire service to this league.

The coach delivered the check that night to the assignor.

It's great when an assignor brings his balls with him !

This guy sure has no shortage of balls. He's a former navy Boswain's Mate from the Korean War, and has been assigning for this association since the early 60s. Still going at it, and still takes no guff off of anyone!