Assigning Software Poll

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

This is a long post with a poll involved and I thank you in advance for your patience.

MTD, Jr., and I belong to two umpiring associations that use Arbiter for its H.S. baseball and softball schedules and a third multi-sport association that uses Arbiter to assign H.S. basketball, baseball, and softball schedules. One of the umpiring associations and the multi-sport association assigns the entire season at one time for the appropriate sport, BUT the second umpiring association assigns its games one week at a time.

Example of one week assigning: At 12:00amEDT, Friday, April 08, 2011, the games for the week starting at 12:00amEDT, Monday, April 18, 2011, and ending at 11:59pmEDT, Sunday, April 24, 2011, are posted and the umpire has until 11:59pmEDT, Sunday, April 10, 2011, to either accept or reject the assignments.

While it is not written into OhioHSAA and MichiganHSAA officiating contracts, it is an unwritten part of the contract that when a game, no matter what the sport is, the originally assigned officials are given the right of first refusal for the rescheduled game. BUT, not the association that assigns but the week. When a game is rescheduled there is not guarantee that the original umpires will be given the the rescheduled game. In fact in the fours years that this association has used Arbitor I have never been assigned the rescheduled date and no of no official who has either.

As one could expect there is a growing number of umpires who are not happy about this situation. The assinger takes the position that it is too difficult and time consuming to make sure the original umpires are given the reschuled games. Remember he is payed a double game fee each day, seven days a week, for the entire high school season, which amounts to quite amount of walking around money if you get my drift, to assign the games.

There is also a growing number of umpires that feel the entire season should be scheduled at once. This would make it easier for umpires to schdule their lives.

This is the first poll that I have conducted so please forgive any mistakes I make. If your association uses an web based assigning program, what is it? Please comment as to whether your assigner assigns the whole season at one time or a week or two at a time. Please state your likes and dislikes. And most importantly do you get first right of refusal on a reschedule game.

MTD, Sr.

[tjones1]

Both conferences I belong to assign the whole season at the beginning.

[JRutledge]

I only have worked for one person in baseball that uses Arbiter at all for assigning. I do not get many games from him so it is only a few games we are talking about. The other games are assigned by email or paper contract. The main assignor he assigned all the games by paper contract (through a website availability system). I think he tries to give you the reschedule, but he has so many games I think he moves people around when appropriate. The problem with baseball is the season is so volatile that it is hard to give everyone a chance for the first right of refusal when the reschedule is likely to be on a day that umpire is working already. The state has no say over how regular season games are assigned anyway, so the policy of how this is handled is by each school, conference or assignor.

Peace

[IowaMike]

I work for two conference assigners/commissioners who both use Arbiter. One officials association I belong to doesn't use any assigning software at all, they use their website to assign and post games. I personally like Arbiter.

Everyone who assigns me games, including AD's that I get games from directly, assign the entire season at one time. I like it that way, although I really don't like having to take assignments a year or more in advance. A few months prior to the start of the season works best for me. I currently have a few basketball dates assigned in 2013; I don't know what I'll be doing in 2013, I may not even be officiating anymore.

As far as rescheduling of rainouts, sometimes they are offered back to the original crew, sometimes they aren't. It doesn't really matter to me because I get as many or more games than I would ever want to work each season even without getting the reschedules. When I work high school doubleheaders three nights in a row and the fourth is rained out, I usually enjoy the night off.

[txump81]

One association I work for uses Zebraware. That assignor does his best to have games assigned 2 weeks in advance sometimes 1 month.

Another association just posts games on its website and you just pick which ones you want or let the assigner know when you can work. This one happens at the beginning of the season.

I really don't have a preference but like knowing when I have games well in advance. Zebraware is nice as it has contact info for all the officials as well as allowing importing your schedule to Outlook.

[briancurtin]

Both groups I work for use Arbiter - it has been great for me as an umpire, but I have no idea how it works for the assignor side of things. I used to work for the same group as JRutledge where it was all email based, which I never had issues with, but after using Arbiter I much prefer it.

My grandfather used to assign HS basketball all via paper contract until a few years ago. If I remember correctly, there was no email communication. After the contract was signed, it was all phone-based. I'm sure a lot of people hated it, but it worked for him

[DG]

I can see where it would be advantageous to know an entire season schedule if significant travel is involved. I am quite happy with 3-4 weeks at a time. I can block out dates I can't work ahead of time and I have no expectation that I will get a rescheduled game, usually do if I am not blocked out and sometimes it is with same partner and sometimes not. Sometimes I get rescheduled games I was not assigned to originally on dates I was not blocked out. I can only assume the original umpire(s) were blocked out. Sometimes I do get the same game a day later when rescheduled.

I don't work for 3 associations though and I think it unreasonable for those that do to be upset because they don't sync.