I hurt .... ALL OVER!

[jmaellis]

New ump here .. first year .. and before today a grand total of 4 games.

Mid-season tournament is this weekend. Got assigned to two 8U games each day and was very happy with that . Apparently the 8U UIC had a bunch of umps bail on him at the last minute . So my 2 games on Saturday turned into 6 and my 2 on Sunday turned into 4 . My 16 year old daughter was also called in to do 3 games. After my 4th consecutive game I was about to fall over so she rescued me and did my 5th game so I could catch a break before my 6th.

So, it's Saturday night. My heels hurt, my knees hurt, my thighs hurt, I got hit in the nads .. so my (you know whats) hurt. I'm sun burnt .. bad. It was a beautiful day, high around 85 degrees, and even though I drank water all day I still came home dehydrated .... and hungry, but didn't really feel like eating much. As I type this I'm starting to nod .............................. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzz.

[wadeintothem]

Bring lots of water, start drinking water the day before, and wear a cup... no matter what age group.

Why are they using umpires for 8U?

Thats pretty odd. That should be coach umpired.

What a misery fest that must have been.

Anyway, welcome to the game!

[wadeintothem]

Oh one other tip, working girls that small.. study up on the gerry davis stance. Dont even try to crouch down that low. You will feel like crap later.... That stance is much easier on the bod when working people 3 feet tall.

[bkbjones]

Originally Posted by jmaellis

Apparently the 8U UIC had a bunch of umps bail on him at the last minute . So my 2 games on Saturday turned into 6 and my 2 on Sunday turned into 4 . . .

Welcome to the club. Many of us are members of that six-pack club -- when you're too tired to even think about a REAL six-pack.

[CecilOne]

Originally Posted by bkbjones

Welcome to the club. Many of us are members of that six-pack club -- when you're too tired to even think about a REAL six-pack.

We used to have a tournament in June, usually the hottest week, which we could barely cover. My usual was 4 plates, 2 bases on Sat.; 3 plates, 1 bases on Sun. Mostly 14&U or 16&U, or one 12&U. Now down to 6-8 on summer weekends if available both days.

[wadeintothem]

Last year, memorial day weekend - 17 Games in 3 days. All 18U and G.

I'm sure it will be the same this year, since its about that every year for that tourney.

Most weekend tournies are around 12 games.

When you guys quit whimpering, come to CA. We'll show you how its done.

[MichaelVA2000]

Originally Posted by wadeintothem

Last year, memorial day weekend - 17 Games in 3 days. All 18U and G.

I'm sure it will be the same this year, since its about that every year for that tourney.

Most weekend tournies are around 12 games.

When you guys quit whimpering, come to CA. We'll show you how its done.

A few years ago, PONY Nationals: 52 games in one week.
Rising Stars College Showcase: 30 games in four days.

Stretch before and after games and drink plenty of water alternating with Propel. What worked for me was eating bananas which helped avoid leg cramps and before plate games I would down three Advil, two for my base games. A couple of Flexerol before bedtime would relax my muscles.

[wadeintothem]

Originally Posted by MichaelVA2000

A few years ago, PONY Nationals: 52 games in one week.
Rising Stars College Showcase: 30 games in four days.

Stretch before and after games and drink plenty of water alternating with Propel. What worked for me was eating bananas which helped avoid leg cramps and before plate games I would down three Advil, two for my base games. A couple of Flexerol before bedtime would relax my muscles.

What is flexorol? Is it over the counter? Some times I drive a ways to get home and by the time the drive is over I cannot hardly get out of the car.. and the night is death.

i do the advil banana water and everything else though.

Its still brutal on the ole bod to work so many games.

[Skahtboi]

Originally Posted by jmaellis

I got hit in the nads .. so my (you know whats) hurt.

Please tell me that you had them protected.

[BretMan]

As a new guy just starting out, you just had the opportunity to learn some valuable lessons that you can carry with you throughout your career. We all have our limits. The only way to find our limits is to push them once in awhile.

I know that guys will brag about doing "X" number of games in one day, but overdoing it has a downside. Besides the potential health risks (and those are accelerated in even hotter weather), can you honestly say that you are as an effective umpire in your fourth, fifth or sixth straight game as you were in the first few?

Personally- and I've been there and done that- I cannot. Fatigue limits our mobility and lessens our mental skills. Tournament directors that schedule umpires for many consecutive games, or umpires that accept more games than they can handle, shortchange the teams and players. As you push youself beyond your limits, the likelihood of mistakes and errors is greatly increased.

Now, you have a pretty fair idea where your own limits lie. I have a pretty good idea what mine are and everyone's will be a little different. In the future, you should try to work with the tournament director to come up with a more forgiving schedule (and I realize that the best laid plans can come undone for many reasons- cancellations, lack of umpires, weather, etc.).

If at all possible, I will let the TD know that I prefer to work, say, two games then have a break, then maybe a couple more and another break, something along those lines. Let me cool off, find some shade, get some liquids and a little food in my stomach and you will have a much more fresh- and effective- umpire for those games later in the day.

Sure, your wallet might be a little bit lighter from not working those extra couple of games, but your health and the ability to be an effective umpire should really come first!

[NCASAUmp]

The first real tourney I was asked to do, I went through the same thing. I did two games the first day (a Saturday), but then we got rained out the rest of the day. We made everything up on Sunday, which meant I had to do 9 games that day. Fortunately, I was 18 or 19 back then, so I had a little better chance of keeping the energy up.

Unfortunately, I was in such a rush that morning that I forgot to put on sunblock. My face was so burned that it began to blister and peel that night. I'm probably going to pay for that later in life. Maybe that's why I've had such negative feelings towards tourneys, because that was one of the last ones I ever did until a couple years ago.

As for the sore muscles, check out this thread, my man. Send your wife or daughter out to Target to pick one up, and pronto. You'll feel much better.

[Al]

Originally Posted by jmaellis

New ump here .. first year .. and before today a grand total of 4 games.

Mid-season tournament is this weekend. Got assigned to two 8U games each day and was very happy with that . Apparently the 8U UIC had a bunch of umps bail on him at the last minute . So my 2 games on Saturday turned into 6 and my 2 on Sunday turned into 4 . My 16 year old daughter was also called in to do 3 games. After my 4th consecutive game I was about to fall over so she rescued me and did my 5th game so I could catch a break before my 6th.

So, it's Saturday night. My heels hurt, my knees hurt, my thighs hurt, I got hit in the nads .. so my (you know whats) hurt. I'm sun burnt .. bad. It was a beautiful day, high around 85 degrees, and even though I drank water all day I still came home dehydrated .... and hungry, but didn't really feel like eating much. As I type this I'm starting to nod .............................. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzz.

When you say 8/under, jmaellis, I assume you're talking about coach/pitch. If I have no partner when I umpire for coach/pitch I find in most situations it's a lot better to stand a few feet into foul territory about half-way between 1st base and home-plate instead of staying close to home-plate. Most plays come to 1st in coach-pitch so I'm already very close to position and also have a good angle to the circle and the half-way lines. Less running around to move into position is more friendly to feet, knees, legs.

My biggest problem was my legs would get weak about halfway through a 12/under game as PU. Some of the kids are short and it created a lot of stress on my knees and legs when I had to get low for those shorter kids. I learned from this forum to open up my stance wider and keep my back upright. It took a lot of strain off my knees and the area just above my knees so my legs didn't get weak as the game moved on. Have a good season! ..Al

[wadeintothem]

Originally Posted by Al

When you say 8/under, jmaellis, I assume you're talking about coach/pitch. If I have no partner when I umpire for coach/pitch I find in most situations it's a lot better to stand a few feet into foul territory about half-way between 1st base and home-plate instead of staying close to home-plate. Most plays come to 1st in coach-pitch so I'm already very close to position and also have a good angle to the circle and the half-way lines. Less running around to move into position is more friendly to feet, knees, legs.

My biggest problem was my legs would get weak about halfway through a 12/under game as PU. Some of the kids are short and it created a lot of stress on my knees and legs when I had to get low for those shorter kids. I learned from this forum to open up my stance wider and keep my back upright. It took a lot of strain off my knees and the area just above my knees so my legs didn't get weak as the game moved on. Have a good season! ..Al

You guys have got to be kidding me....

This is unreal. Where are these places adults even umpire coach pitch (or 8U) and if so, have a partner!!??

Dont you guys have any 12 or 14 y/o kids that need some extra bucks and can work this level of ball and in the process start learning how to umpire?