Rainy weather, triple plays, and extra innings.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by RichMSN

On this note -- my favorite thing is when schools reschedule games for the next day just assuming there will be umpires lining up waiting to take those games. Then they complain or send out frantic emails in a panic looking for officials.

We always get first crack at the rescheduled games, but I'm usually already working.

Also, if the schools push back start times (you know, the 10AM game that's going to start at 1PM to give the field time to dry) they just assume that's AOK with the umpires. I've turned down such changes in start times, myself. Once the game is rescheduled from my agreed-to contract, I feel no obligation to throw away my entire day while teams keep pushing back the start time (without even asking us if that would be OK with us).

Here we deal with assignors, but I happened to work for one that thinks that these things are an obligation as well. This very thing you just described happened to me a week ago with a school and they not only first changed the time, they cancelled the game, then they decided to move the game to the other school. All of this was assuming that I was going to be around that morning (this was a Saturday DH BTW) and just answer the phone and then work the game as if no one cancelled the game the day before. Noootttt!!!!

I even got an email from the assignor assuming that I should have answered the phone from the school that Saturday morning to address the situation. Aaaahhhhnnnnooo!!! When they cancelled the game, things in my personal life changed and I made other plans. I even went out with some friends to celebrate a birthday Friday night, but these dumb schools think I was to just be around I guess and sit by the phone hoping they will play a game anyway. If this was a football or basketball game, this would have never been the case. I have had games get cancelled in those other sports for many reasons over the years and never once did anyone think the crew was supposed to just cover the game. Of if they did, they certainly learned the hard way. And then you get a phone call (not an email) from the assignor "asking" if you can cover the game and when you say no it is not a big deal or unexpected. I had that happen twice in basketball just this year where I lost games because of a snow storm and the assignors were as nice as they could be to see if I could work the rescheduled game. It was no big deal, not emails telling me I should accusing me this being an excuse or making it sound like I was wrong to turn down the game. The contract only should obligate you to the time and site that you agree to when the game was assigned, not when all the changes are made. And this is the type of BS I really am tired of. It happens too often in baseball and it is likely time to move on for me.

Peace

[Rich]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

Here we deal with assignors, but I happened to work for one that thinks that these things are an obligation as well. This very thing you just described happened to me a week ago with a school and they not only first changed the time, they cancelled the game, then they decided to move the game to the other school. All of this was assuming that I was going to be around that morning (this was a Saturday DH BTW) and just answer the phone and then work the game as if no one cancelled the game the day before. Noootttt!!!!

I even got an email from the assignor assuming that I should have answered the phone from the school that Saturday morning to address the situation. Aaaahhhhnnnnooo!!! When they cancelled the game, things in my personal life changed and I made other plans. I even went out with some friends to celebrate a birthday Friday night, but these dumb schools think I was to just be around I guess and sit by the phone hoping they will play a game anyway. If this was a football or basketball game, this would have never been the case. I have had games get cancelled in those other sports for many reasons over the years and never once did anyone think the crew was supposed to just cover the game. Of if they did, they certainly learned the hard way. And then you get a phone call (not an email) from the assignor "asking" if you can cover the game and when you say no it is not a big deal or unexpected. I had that happen twice in basketball just this year where I lost games because of a snow storm and the assignors were as nice as they could be to see if I could work the rescheduled game. It was no big deal, not emails telling me I should accusing me this being an excuse or making it sound like I was wrong to turn down the game. The contract only should obligate you to the time and site that you agree to when the game was assigned, not when all the changes are made. And this is the type of BS I really am tired of. It happens too often in baseball and it is likely time to move on for me.

We have commissioners / assignors, too, but once the game is originally scheduled, they're usually out of the picture and the duty of contacting the crew and negotiating changes in time fall to the athletic directors.

Any change in time or location essentially invalidates the original contract. If I can do the games, I will, but if I can't I don't lose sleep over it.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by RichMSN

Any change in time or location essentially invalidates the original contract. If I can do the games, I will, but if I can't I don't lose sleep over it.

I feel the exact same way. I just get tired "balls" that those seem to take when you say "NO."

Peace

[David B]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

I feel the exact same way. I just get tired "balls" that those seem to take when you say "NO."

Peace

Yeah, a lot of assisgnors want the money they get for the job, but they want the easy way out. They want the schools to help them, and they expect the umpires to follow.

The ones that I get tired of is the phone calls on game day that the game has been moved up "because bad weather is on the way".

The assignor can watch the weather, he knows whats coming, he should be prepared, but he usually let the schools call us and I don't like that.

Thanks
David