An interesting thing happened to me this weekend...
 

We had our metro championships this weekend. We had a pretty heavy rainstorm Friday afternoon, so a few of the complexes were delayed Saturday morning for a few hours for prep. (yeah I know, Seattle, rain, blah blah. ) Well, because of that, games were pushed later in the day - typical life of the tournament. One game that started the last round was actually halted because the field lights were scheduled to go off (they're on timers and can't be turned on at the field.)

So Sunday morning I'm getting ready for my 11:45am start when I get a call at home around 9am from our Deputy UIC asking if I could go to a different site to finish a game that was halted the night before. This halted game had 12 minutes left to finish... so I said sure. I got my stuff and headed out.

When I got there, I found out that the game was in the top of the 4th, 3-3 tie, with 2 outs. I'm thinking, great, I've got a tie game, and about 90 minutes to finish this game and drive 10 miles to the complex I'm scheduled to work. Then I find out that there's a runner on 3B, so I'm thinking, this shouldn't be a problem. She scores, we kill 12 minutes, no problem.

Then I get the lineup cards from the UIC. I find out that one team was actually playing shorthanded and taking an out in the 9-hole. Now that team has 5 more rostered players available today. So before I even get up to the field, I go to the UIC and ask is they can add them to the lineup - sure they can. They can even fill the 9-hole and avoid the out. Great.

Well, the other coach has a conniption when we tell him this. 15 minutes arguing with the UIC about not being fair, not what was told to him the night before, "show me in the rule book", ...he finally backed down.

Then we get to the field and find out that right before the game was called the night before, there was 1 out, and the #8 batter hit a triple. Then the HPU called the game. Now the coach taking the out in the 9-hole wants to know if he has 1 out or 2 out. Good question. Let's think about this. An automatic out happens immediately after the previous batter completes her time at bat - similar to how a new inning begins immediately after the 3rd out is made in the previous inning. So coach, you have 2 outs, with a runner on 3B. He's not too happy, but he lives with it.

Then to make matters even more complicated, the team with the conniption coach informs us that at least 4 of his girls have on different uniform numbers today. Ugh. Ok, let's correct that and make sure both books know the numbers, game situation, and wtf is going on.

After almost 25-30 minutes of "preliminaries" and solving problems, we start the game. Time runs out, we start the tie breaker in the top of the 6th, and go 2 more innings like that until someone scores. Almost 35 minutes of game time.

So the "12-minute game" wound up taking over an hour to complete. I booked it to the other complex and started my 11:45 game at noon.

What a day. :)

What? No pictures???:D

Shaddup. :)

My thoughts as well. :)

SRW,
I was sweating bucketfulls at the North Florida regionals. 97F actual and heat index way above that. I called DD up your way to complain. She told me she finally took the lining out of her parka. Wish we could send you a few degrees! :cool:

Can't say any of tourney games this weekend were as complicated as yours, but I found it difficult to work in the 95 degree heat and humidity here in upstate NY. I tried to work 5 consecutive games on Sunday, but gave up my final games cuz I was exhausted and drained.

We had 98 degree weather down here this weekend with a heat index of 108, and I called in the league that I usually don't call for (mentioned in other posts). I've conceded doing the church league games just to help out my assignor. The guy running said league did not cancel the games, and I had to call 4 games in a row in the middle of the afternoon, smack dab in the middle of the hottest part of the day. Everywhere else had canceled all activities. :mad:

We had one guy go out with heat exhaustion, and I'll admit that I was probably getting close to doing the same, despite drinking three 32 ounce Powerades and 18 oz of water during the game, plus all the hydrating I did the day before. My sentences just weren't coming out right.

I told my assignor that I'll honor my current commitments for this particular league, but I will not, under any circumstances, call for this league ever again until this organizer is gone. If he's going to put everyone at such a risk in the name of rec league softball, I don't want to be a part of it.

What a bunch of wimps!

Hell, when you were kids, you would be on the ball field at 9 AM and not be home until dinner and that was regardless of the temperature. Even in the Midatlantic area, breaching 100 in what they now refer to as the heat index was not that big a deal. :cool:

Don't know if it will help you feel better, but 12 to over an hour is less than 12 (strangely enough) to 1H 42 M in the heat they are all complaining about.

Yeah, but it's still bad form. And only 2 weeks ago, it was 30 degrees cooler.