Do you umpire a forfeited game?
 

:confused: Game time is 7:20 because the first game went long game did not start until 8:00 one team only had 8 players that is a forfeit. Do you umpire a forfeit or go home? What about liabilities? Who is responsible? What about player conduct? This is something I am currently wrestling, one of our umpires did not umpire a forfeited game, while I have no problem with that the league wants the umpire fee to go to the player who umpired the "fun" game.

Bugg

If the game was forfeited, it's over. Anything you do beyond that is on your own time and dime. IOW, technically, you have no insurance (speaking ASA).

So, if you don't like your house and family, knock yourself out.

No way. I'm gone and hopefully getting paid. This is no different than if a game is a run rule and the two teams want to continue playing. I tell them, "Play all you want, just without me."

In my association you do not EVER umpire a forfieted game. If your game is forfiet then you call the coaches you explain that this is a forfiet, and that they may do what ever they want for the next 65 minutes but the game is over and the team with enough players won 7-0.

You are just opening up a HUGE liabiltiy for yourself and the association.

When I first started here in Dallas(in he 80's) we were required to call 3 innings if the teams wished, this was a local thing, but with all the talk of possible lawsuits we stopped.

Why in the world would you umpire a forfeited game? The game is over. If you were doing a regular game, it went 7 innings and was done...and the teams (or a team) wanted to scrimmage or practice, would you stay and do it? I hope not. The game is over when it's forfeited. Go see your wife/girlfriend/significant other.

I have before. I figured, hey, they paid me so I'm on their clock. I simply state that we are running it as a scrimmage and go from there. I would try to talk them into just playing 4 or 5 innings or an hour so some form of a shortened game - take my check (or ca$h) and go home.

No. Never.

For our rec programs we will. Games are scheduled for an hour and a half. If a forfeit happens due to one team being shorthanded, we call for about an hour or until all players have had at least 1 at bat. This is at the rec departments request.

All other stuff, tournie's, school and such-- no, we go home or wait for next scheduled game.

You better make sure that the rec dept understands the terms 'liability' and 'risk'...and your assignor makes sure that they WILL pick up all of your legal fees and such if anything happens in that hour...just because it is 'recreational', doesnt lessen any of the risks you occur.

I don't believe that is true in these circumstances. So far as I understand from the representatives of Bollinger insurance, the ASA liability coverage extends to any regularly scheduled game assigned by an ASA organization, where the teams and umpires are all registered ASA. Whatever rules are published and accepted as standard are expected to be enforced.

If the local league rules state that a team can play with 4 players, the umpires are covered when they play that game. If the local rules state that a scrimmage is to be umpired in the event of a forfeit, the umpires are covered. In fact, I believe that the "don't quote me" quote from John Spiota, representing Bollinger at the ASA National UIC Clinic was "if your local (written) rules state that you play with hand grenades as balls, your umpires will be covered. Don't expect us to keep the rates the same when the claims start coming in, though." Mike, so yopu recall anything different?

That has been addressed by both the rec dept and assignor. We also have a supplemental policy which covers us for any games to which we are scheduled. We do more ball than just ASA, (Dixie Youth BB) and need coverage there also.

I might add, the forfeited games we call are in the youth program only. The thinking is the kids can't be responsible for getting themselves to the games, adults can. Don't want to punish the kids who are there ready to play by not allowing any playing time! Sometimes the "short team" will borrow a player or two from the other team to have enough to cover the outfield. We also had a couple of teams who knew they were going to loose games when playing another team, the coach would tell them just not show up! The team that is left gets another practice then!

As long as it is ASA-sanctioned, which assumedly would cover any "scrimmage" as that would be a "scheduled" alternative, the umpire "should" be okay.

However, none of this was not mentioned in the OP to which is the one I responded.

My personal policy is if there is no official game (a 7-0 score for a forfeit IS the official game), I don't work it.

Just because I have the insurance, I'm not looking to test it's limits.