State and/or National Tournaments

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by Dakota

So, Mike, are you saying that with the exception of ASA Championship Play, you expect your umpires to bolt to the highest bidder / best game whenever they get a better offer?

That isn't what I typed, is it?

I gave my annual speech last night to the new umpires. I told them the same thing I have stated here before. I will never tell any umpire they cannot work another association's games. I have come to find out that there are folks from other sanctioning bodies who have openly told umpires that I would ban them from doing ASA if they worked any other type of softball. That is just an outright lie.

I believe the local ASA staff deserves the same loyalty and support from the umpire who takes advantage of the free and continuous training and support the umpire expects from the staff.

When tentative dates for tournaments are posted 6 months in advance, an umpire has every opportunity to set a schedule around certain dates well in advance to allow a return of the loyalty afforded them. There is an association-sponsored one-pitch that is on the same Saturday every year. I can tell you today when this tournament will take place for the next few years and there will still be an umpire shortage for that tournament.

BTW, though I am ASA, I would expect an umpire of any association to treat them the same regardless of the sanctioning body with which that association is aligned.

Of course, I can only speak for my experience in this area. What others may consider fair or right for their area is probably different.

[Dakota]

I wasn't talking about organizational loyalty. I was talking about what the umpire does AFTER he TELLS you he is accepting a specific assignment or tournament, which was the case for the OP. If I tell the assignor that I will work his 10U rec game and then I get a call for the HS assignor to filll in for a AAA-level HS varsity game, I'll turn down the varsity game and honor the 10U commitment.

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by Dakota

I wasn't talking about organizational loyalty. I was talking about what the umpire does AFTER he TELLS you he is accepting a specific assignment or tournament, which was the case for the OP. If I tell the assignor that I will work his 10U rec game and then I get a call for the HS assignor to filll in for a AAA-level HS varsity game, I'll turn down the varsity game and honor the 10U commitment.

And my response was to Dave's assertion it was in the book.

Of course, it is in the book. It is probably in more than one association's book.

ASA is talking about ASA. If I'm assigning ASA championship play, I'm expecting the ASA umpire to make that a priority. I doubt quite seriously that ASA means that an umpire should forego working their game to help out the guy down the street who is fighting for the same teams and umpires that they need to hold a decent tournament.

And I doubt that USFA, AFA, NSA, PONY, U-trip, SSA, ISA, SNA, Softball Kingdom or any other softball sanctioning body really give a **** whether the competition's games are covered or not.

I would think that this "code" is more likely addressing umpires fulfilling their accepted ASA-related assignments instead of not showing or walking away because s/he doesn't like the teams, partner, location, etc.