What a tough two days. I have seen 115 runs cross the plate in my last two games. Thur I worked a HS JV game alone. In the top of the 5th inning the score was 21-5 with the home team ahead. I'm thinking 3 more outs and I'm going home. By the time the third out was recorded the score was 21-20. The game ended up going 8 innings with a final score of 29-28. 3 1/2 hours after the game started I am finally getting off the field. Longest game of my 12 year career. Legs were mush the next day. I followed this up with a Middle School game the next day. Luckily I had a partner and was able to work the bases. Final score of this game was 48-10 in 5 innings. The three games I worked prior to this was a college game that went 65 minutes and two VAR games that each went 1 hr 15 min. Really come to appreciate those types of games. Still like working the lower level games though. They really keep you on your toes. You have to expect the unexpected at these games. You sometimes get caught with your pants down as you anticipate where the ball will go and it ends up being thrown on the otherside of the field from where you are.

wow, thats nuts. in Texas most JV gams have time limits and some even have runs-per-inning limits. Middle School would definitely have those limits.

Here:
JV / B Squad / 9th grade - 2 hr no new inning limit
7th & 8th grade - 1:15 NNI / 7 runs per inning limits

I've had JV games go to extra innings, but none exceeded the time limit (yet).

Most of our districts go JV 1:15 finish batter.
Not playing for any titles or standings, just want to play.

Lower levels
 

My assignor asked me to do a developmental league, 6, 7, 8 graders this week, after a varsity HS game I had been assigned. Rushed to get there, ran to field, left shin guards in car-first mistake- I realize there is no excuse- I became the backstop. I never realized that a softball thrown so slowly could hurt so much. After first 7 batters walked called the coaches over and told them I was expanding the strike zone- second mistake. Their games are played between 6 PM and 8 PM- at 7:45 all games in complex(including soccer) stopped with darkness setting in- coach asked me if I mind doing another inning- I thought I was doing the kids a favor because pick up games don't exist today & the only opportunity they get to play are organized games - third mistake. Few minutes later (I now have three ice paks taped to my legs) , pitch comes in catches corner of plate, third base coach (the same coach that asked me to stay on) calls time- I can't even see him it is so dark- he comes up to me and says, "I know we have an expanded strike zone but that pitch wasn't over the plate". I was speechless (couldn't get to sleep later that night thinking about that bimbo)- The next day with my legs looking like battle zone casualties and my ego bruised beyond repair, I told the assignor to lose my phone number.

Easy one Willie
 

"Coach it must be too dark for either one of us to see. BALLGAME." and I realize you were trying to be a nice guy but if it was really that dark that you had problem seeing the 3rd base coach you should of NEVER let them started another inning in my opinion, remember you will be responsible for that liner the pitch didnt see.

I know Monday quarterbacking is easy to do

Have a good one

Don

One conference here plays JV/Varsity doubleheaders during the week. They play home/away each year. JV scheduled at 4:30, Varsity at 6:30. JV stops at 6:10 so varsity can warm up. If game doesn't start until 5:00, doesn't matter. VARSITY starts at 6:30 regardless. JV is looked upon as practice games. (Non-conference games go regular 7 innings/10 run rule).

They are the only conference I know of in this state that does this.

Our subvarsity games have a 1 hour 45 limit. We're supposed to have a 10 run limit per inning in those games too, but in the one JV games i had to base coach for, the umpires didn't think so. Not a horribly big deal, but when different umpires intepret the limits differently, it just confuses the heck out of everyone ;)

Also, our league adopted the state association rule that a game can end after 3 innings if the margin is 15 or more.

Talk to your ADs; chances are they are the problem here. In this area, the "special rules" for sub-varsity are all word-of-mouth... nothing is written down that I have ever been given. I always ask the assignor for any special rules for each conference. For a couple of the conferences, he doesn't know, either. I end up asking the coaches, but they often don't know themselves.

Bottom line - if you want consistency, write the rules down.

AZ refuses to institute time limits on sub-varsity games. There are no per-inning run limits and the only mercy rule is the FED's 10 runs after 4 1/2 or five innings.

Because there are so many High schools in the Phoenix area, the travel ball players are spread out. If you have club experience, you are almost always placed on the Varsity squad as a freshman. That leaves the Frosh and JV teams with players whoe have never played before or some with rec league experience. Needless to say, some of these games can last forever!

My worst was a JV game that started at 4:00 pm and did not finish until 7:30 pm. Final score was something like 28-18 in six innings. I thought that I would never get off that field!

We, as an umpires assciation, have repeatedly asked for time limits on sub varsity games, but the coaches and AD's won't go along with it.