When Are Umps Supposed to Arrive?

[dash_riprock]

Originally Posted by Manny A

Overkill. It's a waste of my valuable time to show up that early for a game. I have a job that requires me to be at my client's site until 5:00 pm. Requiring me to be at the game site an hour ahead of time for a 6:30 pm game would force me to change my commute on game nights so that I park at the client's site (instead of using public transportation, which is my norm) at a much greater expense to me. Given traffic here in the DC area, I'm lucky to get to most game sites 30 minutes beforehand.

What's his rationale for the one-hour requirement? Does he want you to pull out the shoe-shine kit and the travel iron to get your uniform ready? Geez...

For college games, the umpires are required to check in with the coaches an hour before the game. Sometimes they want us to rub up a dozen baseballs. Then we have a thorough pre-game, suiting up and some stretching to do. By rule, the plate meeting is conducted ten minutes before game time and since it is never a good idea to park right next to the field, there is usually a five-minute walk to the field. That hour is pretty much used up. If you show up 59 minutes before game time, you are late.