Ill Umpire
 

In tonight's game between the Mets at Phillies, Home plate umpire Brian O'Nora fell ill and was replaced at home plate after a 15 minute delay. What I was wondering is during a regular season game, why not have an umpire stand behind a pitcher calling balls and strikes instead of everyone waiting 15 minutes.

Four reasons:
1) This ain't spring training. These games actually count for something in the standings (although considering the two teams involved, this point is somewhat debatable)
2) It's only a 15-minute delay... not the end of the world.
3) If you've got one guy falling ill, a second guy calling balls and strikes behind the mound, a third guy changing in the locker room, you've only got one other guy to cover the rest of the field. I'm not sure many players or managers at that level would like to have a 2-umpire crew, even if only temporarily.
4) It gives the Phillies concession stands 15 extra minutes to sell $8 beers and $6 hot dogs.

Sorry this is an umpire forum. You may have to Google it but somewhere there should be an MLB Owners Forum.

Ask Them.

Well put. And one game in the standings can result in a lot of money changing hands.

He swallowed his "chew".

A 15 minute delay is minimal. Rain delays can be hours.

JJ

I will never understand people even use that nasty stuff. Serves his behind right. ;)

Peace

You are also trying to keep people watching the game as well in the era of the remote control. I was at a game Retrosheet Boxscore: Tampa Bay Rays 10, New York Mets 6
four years ago that featured an in game Jerry Crawford injury replacement plus a separate rain delay that went 3:55 without the rain delay. It is hard to keep eyeballs on the TV set when you have players standing on the field for 15 minutes looking at the sky.

And I believe it did happen this spring training, with Tim McLelland calling from behind the mound.

Tim McClelland calls balls and strikes from behind mound - ESPN

According to the AP, it was only a nine-minute delay. I've told you a million times to quit exaggerating.

Switch the channel and get a life.

"... But now the next game between Joe's Dairy Queen and Sam's Lustre Clean Car Wash won't be able to start on time, and they'll run into the curfew when the lights automatically go off at 9:45..."

Wait, never mind.

I have only seen this done in Little League and small fry ball. I have never seen this done in games where the players shave. There is a reason for this but I doubt that you would understand it. I agree with others, either go by a hot dog and another beer or change the channel.

Yet the vast majority of posters in this thread have complained about courtesy runners slowing down the game.........oh I forgot, these are games they umpire..........fifty cents in one hand.......half a dollar in the other.

"Some of you are only mucking up the whole thread with "what if"...