Rain-outs and reschedules

[bob jenkins]

Originally Posted by eagle_12

Thoughts?

I think you're wrong. The friday games were cancelled. THose were your games. That's tough luck, of course, but that's baseball.

Sometime, you will get a call to go work games you weren't scheduled for because it rained the night before. It all evens out.

[asdf]

Your assignment is for a specific date, time, and location. It's not yours after that.

Let me ask you this question....

If "your" game was rained out and rescheduled for the next day.... a day that you had blocked due to a prior commitment, would you think it reasonable for the assignor to demand that you work "your" game?

Of course you wouldn't....

[johnnyg08]

Our rule is that if it was originally your game, you get 24 hours to reaccept your game unless it's super short notice and the assigner simply needs to get the game filled. After that, or if you're already scheduled for a different game or blocked, then obviously you lose the game.

[yawetag]

Originally Posted by asdf

Your assignment is for a specific date, time, and location. It's not yours after that.

Let me ask you this question....

If "your" game was rained out and rescheduled for the next day.... a day that you had blocked due to a prior commitment, would you think it reasonable for the assignor to demand that you work "your" game?

Of course you wouldn't....

Or, the flip side:

You accepted two games at 10am and noon, knowing you had something else to do in the afternoon. The assignor calls you the evening before and advises you that "your" games were moved to 2pm and 4pm because of rain-outs. You advise the assignor that you can't do that, so you're out of two games.

In my association, games (especially in the summer) are scheduled by location and time. If the game gets canceled, you're out the game -- you don't automatically get rescheduled the new date and time. If you're available the next afternoon, you should call the assignor and ask if there are any open games -- if the games were rescheduled to that time you're available, you MIGHT get the games again.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by yawetag

Or, the flip side:

You accepted two games at 10am and noon, knowing you had something else to do in the afternoon. The assignor calls you the evening before and advises you that "your" games were moved to 2pm and 4pm because of rain-outs. You advise the assignor that you can't do that, so you're out of two games.

I know assignors that would expectyou to slide the two hours and would be angry if you told them no. When I assigned, I told teams that even a 30 minute change in the game time could cost them having umpires and I always told umpires they were under no obligation to accept such a switch.

I've filled games with other crews in the OP's situation. Mainly when I wasn't able to reach the original umpires right away or when knew that filling the later games would be much harder than simply finding a new crew to work the rescheduled games. In the real world, I'm not assigning people to 4 games a day unless I have to. That said, I worked 7 games a few Saturdays ago and it was quite the experience.

[yawetag]

Originally Posted by RichMSN

I know assignors that would expectyou to slide the two hours and would be angry if you told them no. When I assigned, I told teams that even a 30 minute change in the game time could cost them having umpires and I always told umpires they were under no obligation to accept such a switch.

Any change to a game through Arbiter (even opponents, I think) forces the umpire to re-accept the game.

When you mention "sliding" two hours, you're saying that your assignor would expect you to take a game at 8pm if you previously accepted a 6pm game? That seems a little extreme.

Plus, in the OP, you're taking a 10am and noon start, and having them move to later in the day. That's at least 4 hours (if the third game was at 2pm). To expect umpires to work with that is, at the least, crazy. I accept games based on the day and time, not the teams playing -- ESPECIALLY in a tournament situation.

[asdf]

Originally Posted by yawetag

Or, the flip side:

You accepted two games at 10am and noon, knowing you had something else to do in the afternoon. The assignor calls you the evening before and advises you that "your" games were moved to 2pm and 4pm because of rain-outs. You advise the assignor that you can't do that, so you're out of two games.

In my association, games (especially in the summer) are scheduled by location and time. If the game gets canceled, you're out the game -- you don't automatically get rescheduled the new date and time. If you're available the next afternoon, you should call the assignor and ask if there are any open games -- if the games were rescheduled to that time you're available, you MIGHT get the games again.

Yep....

This is a two way street.

If, in the OP, he wants "his" games, then he must be available for any time or date that his game is rescheduled. If he fails to honor the reschedule, then the assignor has cause for action against the umpire.

We all know that's not the way it works, nor should it.

[piaa_ump]

Originally Posted by bob jenkins

I think you're wrong. The friday games were cancelled. THose were your games. That's tough luck, of course, but that's baseball.

Sometime, you will get a call to go work games you weren't scheduled for because it rained the night before. It all evens out.

agreed...............1000%...you have no right to games canceled and rescheduled....hopefully you can be available to work those...but an assignment is a game on a specific day........if it cancels or reassigns its not yours anymore....

[zm1283]

Originally Posted by yawetag

Any change to a game through Arbiter (even opponents, I think) forces the umpire to re-accept the game.

When you mention "sliding" two hours, you're saying that your assignor would expect you to take a game at 8pm if you previously accepted a 6pm game? That seems a little extreme.

Plus, in the OP, you're taking a 10am and noon start, and having them move to later in the day. That's at least 4 hours (if the third game was at 2pm). To expect umpires to work with that is, at the least, crazy. I accept games based on the day and time, not the teams playing -- ESPECIALLY in a tournament situation.

This is sort of true. The two groups I'm with (One basketball and one baseball) don't allow us to accept/decline assigned games. We sign in and they're accepted automatically. When they do change things like the time of a game, I'm pretty sure the email the Arbiter sends tells us to sign in to accept the changes.

[johnnyg08]

Originally Posted by zm1283

This is sort of true. The two groups I'm with (One basketball and one baseball) don't allow us to accept/decline assigned games. We sign in and they're accepted automatically. When they do change things like the time of a game, I'm pretty sure the email the Arbiter sends tells us to sign in to accept the changes.

With that at least in MN, you're more of an employee than an IC. You must have a lot of officials to mandate accepting of game assignments. Good gig for the assigner, that's for sure.

[zm1283]

Originally Posted by johnnyg08

With that at least in MN, you're more of an employee than an IC. You must have a lot of officials to mandate accepting of game assignments. Good gig for the assigner, that's for sure.

In our basketball association, we have around 200 officials, so numbers aren't an issue. We staff a LOT of schools and our assigner books a ton of games, so I imagine they are avoiding a big mess by not allowing us to decline games.

[yawetag]

Originally Posted by zm1283

This is sort of true. The two groups I'm with (One basketball and one baseball) don't allow us to accept/decline assigned games. We sign in and they're accepted automatically. When they do change things like the time of a game, I'm pretty sure the email the Arbiter sends tells us to sign in to accept the changes.

Let me understand this correctly. The assignor puts you on a game and Arbiter emails you the nice "You have new games" email. You click to login -- and PRESTO -- the games are automatically accepted?

The ONLY time that happens is when I call in for a game. The assignor automatically places me in the game, and it's automatically accepted. I don't know if he does it or it's done automatically, but I don't have to approve those games -- in effect, my phone conversation where I say "Sure, I'll take it" is enough.

They've NEVER done that for games in the future -- those HAVE to be approved, as well as any changes to the game (other than changes to umpires). Having your organization automatically approve your games is dangerous for you and them. What if you can't make that game?

[zm1283]

Originally Posted by yawetag

Let me understand this correctly. The assignor puts you on a game and Arbiter emails you the nice "You have new games" email. You click to login -- and PRESTO -- the games are automatically accepted?

Yep, exactly how it is done. Our basketball group is so big and so many games are assigned that it would be chaos if people were allowed to decline games whenever they want. We are encouraged to block dates early and often. It does pose a problem when legitimate things come up and you have to turn back games and are charged a turnback fee, but that's life I guess. The good thing is that if you're a good official, you'll stay plenty busy.

If I have a date open and haven't been assigned a game for that day within about 4-5 days, I'll usually go in and block it if I've had a busy week and don't want to work that day.

They've NEVER done that for games in the future -- those HAVE to be approved, as well as any changes to the game (other than changes to umpires). Having your organization automatically approve your games is dangerous for you and them. What if you can't make that game?

We turn it back. I don't make the rules, I just follow them.

[yawetag]

Originally Posted by zm1283

Our basketball group is so big and so many games are assigned that it would be chaos if people were allowed to decline games whenever they want.

How big? Our umpire organization is touching 200, if not more.

You can't decline whenever you want. You get an email for new games and have 24-72 hours (depending on the time until the game) to accept or decline. If you don't respond, it's the same as declining (game removed and time auto-blocked). Once you accept a game, you have to call to get it removed, and usually for a turn-back fee.

[JaxRolo]

Originally Posted by bob jenkins

I think you're wrong. The friday games were cancelled. THose were your games. That's tough luck, of course, but that's baseball.

Sometime, you will get a call to go work games you weren't scheduled for because it rained the night before. It all evens out.

+1 Canceled games=tough luck

In our association we get a Rain fee if it gets rained out. If we get the game started and 1 pitch is thrown then we get the Full game fee.

If we get a call on our way to the game that it is canceled then no fee. They have up to 30 minutes before game time to call and cancel.

If the game is canceld it doesn't mean we get the games on the resched.