Assignor and active umpire

[Andy]

Ok folks, I need some opinions.

I have just learned that our association's assignor has resigned. The association is going to begin interviewing to fill the position soon. I am considering applying since I have previous experience doing assigning. If any of your associations have assigners that are also active umpires, how do they handle the following:

Is there an issue within the association with games they assign themselves?

Any perceived or actual conflicts of interest, ie. the assigner is frequently working the "big" games or working more games than anyone else?

I really enjoy calling the games, but I figure that this might be a way to make a few extra bucks and I believe that there are improvements to be made from our previous assignor.

I welcome your thoughts and opinions.

[mo99]

In our ASA chapter,the Assignor is not permitted to umpire under any circumstances.Not sure if that is mandated by the ASA or is just our chapter by laws.Now in NFHS,our Assignor is allowed to schedule himself to umpire.
Jeff

[Dakota]

I don't know if our assignor assigns himself games, since I don't see the complete schedule - only my schedule.

However, at tournaments he and other UICs will assign themselves games. There is some mild grumbling from time-to-time, but mostly it is looked at as RHIP.

[Rick Vietti]

For summer ball (tournaments) we do not have an association. What we have for ASA is a UIC that assigns. TD's go through him and then he assigns. He does games when bodies are short but he usually tries to assign others to championship games etc...

In high school, our board does the assigning. Next season we will be going to an assigner for day to day type changes but the board will still assign.

Now if I was going to assign, I would certainly assign myself to games. As long as you are not a Pig on the amount of games, no one should care.

[bluezebra]

A while back, the person who assigned HS softball and volleyball for our local associations passed away. Since I had much experience assigning officials when I worked in Parks & Rec, I applied, and was accepted. The only complaints I got were from the BODs as to why I didn't take more high-level games for myself. I told them that wasn't why I took the jobs.

A warning. You are going to have whiners wanting more games, and higher level games, even if they're not as qualified as others.

Good luck,

Bob

[Steve M]

For several years, I assigned for 5 leagues and I umpired in several of those leagues. I had no complaints from umpires or the leagues about what games I took. My approach was to get the umpires' preferences, match those against the evaluations I had done, then look at the teams' preferences and make the schedule. I put my games in last - and I ended up working more than I originally wanted to. That was the beginning of my umpiring over 300 games a year. When I uic a tournament, it is with the provision that I will select the majority of the umpires and will do all the assigining. If I end up working some of those games, it is only on Saturday - never during the single elimination rounds. Bob's warning is on target.

Today, all but one of the assignors I work through also assign themselves games. The only exception is the one who doesn't umpire at all - he just assigns.

I am not convinced that the extra money from assigning is enough to cover the nuisance that comes with assigning, but it's a "job" that needs to be done. And it will give you a different perspective.

Steve M

[DownTownTonyBrown]

Assigning yourself games is AN OBVIOUS CONFLICT OF INTEREST.

It is a silly question. THE CONFLICT IS OBVIOUS. Don't look for platitudes from me that this is acceptable. I do not feel that it is okay.

It is a common COI that occurs in many leagues as evidenced by the responses received. It may be an accepted practice but acceptance doesn't change the fact that it is still a COI. The Assigner that determines his own income and game assignments doesn't have a leg to stand on when someone complains... the saving grace is "Who is going to complain to the assignor?" This is the guy that also determines the games I receive. If I complain, then what games will I get?

If this is a league where officials are evaluated (by the coaches for example)... again who is going to complain. If I give a bad evaluation to the guy that assigns the games... what officials will I receive for my next game?

If the assigner gets all the great evaluations... who gets chosen to do all the highest level of games? Who goes to work the State tournament? The Assigner?

I am aware of a assigner/commissioner that always assigned himself the highest games; sometimes worked games for his own school where he was the Vice Principal; sent himself and his daughter to the State Tournament... repeatedly; if his own team was going to state, he would ride the bus with the team but still collect travel/per diem money. I am aware of an assigner, that with his son, worked every gameday during the American Legion season; always took the best games and those with the most travel money.

Did people complain? Only quietly. Did the complaints change anything? No.

Both of the officials mentioned above are excellent officials. But once a person takes one step to diminish their integrity, it makes the next, almost imperceptible. Integrity is a yes/no deal. You can't have some - it's all or nothing.

Of course the person working in this obvious COI situation feels they can properly work the game and maintain their integrity... perhaps they can make the proper/correct/fair/just calls BUT THERE WILL ALWAYS BE THE PERCEPTION that they had opportunity to make biased calls or biased game assignments. And COI is about perception.

In my opinion, an assigner that works games should only work those games that he absolutely cannot get anyone else to cover and they should obviously NOT be the biggest, most important games - they should be games that no one else will even notice. Those games deserve good officials too. An assigner should not be eligible for big games and state tournament assignments.

It's your integrity. Obviously many before you have been faced with the same decision... and many chose to BOTH assign and work games that they have assigned themselves. We don't hear about those that chose to only work games or those that chose to only assign games - they had no COI.

Again, it is your integrity. Forgive me, but don't expect consolation from me. It is not a position I would put myself in.

[Rick Vietti]

Down Town's post reveals not so much a Conflict of Interest but more in the line of a quote I heard:

Power does not corrupt, Power reveals!

That is what happens to some people put into positions.

[Dakota]

I don't agree that it is a black and white issue of conflict of interest.

The examples you gave are examples of abuse of position, including favortism towards relatives, giving himself or his son all the "best" games, calling games for teams in which he has a personal interest, etc. Because some will abuse their position does not make others guilty of corruption because they assign themselves some games.

I do not agree that an umpire assignor must only assign himself the dregs or loose his integrity. Ridiculous.

Don't look for platitudes from me that this is acceptable.

I wouldn't dream of it. But, OTOH, don't look for rants from me that it is evil incarnate, either.

[Elaine "Lady Blue"]

Well, I did it for 2 years, and while the $$ was good, it was a pain in the a$$. If someone cancelled at the last minute and no replacement could be found, I had to do the game.

In my last association, we had a board that appointed the assignor. The assignor then passed out a form that everyone had to fill out with their 'Out' days and preferences. He then booked the entire season at one time.
Changes could be made without a fine if done 48 hrs in advance. He was as fair as everyones out days, experience and preferences would allow, and there wasn't much complaining. He also tried to work special deals for us, and helped with switching assignments. It's a hard and time consuming job, but I think that you might do ok Andy!

Here in Tidewater Virginia ASA, the UIC is also the assignor. And believe me, no one here argues about "conflict of interest." Why? Simple; no one wants the job of either "assignor" or "UIC" (they are usually the same person).

Yes, at the present time, I happen to be both, "assignor" and "UIC". I do try not to schedule myself for any games, but like Elaine stated, guess who ended up on the field when there was a last minute cancellation or, even worse, I didn't have enough umpires to fill all the games.

As for tournaments, I would schedule myself because I never took out "assignor/commissioner" fees. This way, all the umpires would get the full amount. I figured if I wanted any fees, I would just work games like everybody else. But, since I am the Tournament UIC, I rarely assigned myself to the championship rounds. Kind of hard to be on the protest committee if I'm on the field.

Can't tell you about any high school associations here as I don't belong to one (yet). But our college associations do the same thing. The assignor schedules himself for games. Again, never heard any rumblings.

[Edited by VaASAump on Aug 11th, 2003 at 03:00 PM]

[Panda Bear]

IMO, this is another area where it is hard to legislate good judgement. In this area, most assignors are one of the more experienced umpires who was willing to take on the job in addition to working games. But in one case, it is a coach who was willing to take on the job when noone else would!

I agree, this is one of many issues that will always produce ticklish situations whenever someone has something to gain or loose. A lot depends on what the availability of umpires is vs. the demand in a given area or association, as that can dictate decisions. Someone has to work the games that no one seems to want to work. And I don't think it is reasonable to tell an umpire his career must end if he is to do the assigning.

I think some type of lottery system for the "best" games (among those "qualified" of course), and a quota system that tries to balance the number of games assigned across everyone in the pool are ways to take some of the potential for conflict of interest out of the picture. This applies even if the assignor isn't assigning himself or herself. We have all probably seen situations where some umpires that are favored for whatever reason get many more (and better) opportunities that others. This practice tends only to magnify the differences between umpires, rather than elevate the skills of those not chosen.

[DownTownTonyBrown]

American Heritage Dictionary - Conflict of interest: A conflict between the private interests and the public obligations of a person in an official postition.

It is a general practice that one of the better, more knowledgeable officials usually becomes the assigner/commissioner. Purportedly, that person will understand the situations, the abilities of the officials, and the rules of the game, and will, in the end, do the best job as assigner/commissioner. Nowhere in that description does it say must also continue to officiate games.

Can the assigner continue to officiate and do a good job? Absolutely! Could I work my kids little league games and do a better job than the High School rookies. Absolutely! But it would only take one opposing parent to point out that my child was playing on the opposing team. Conflict of Interest!

Can the assigner pick the games he wants to work and still do a good job when he works that game? Absolutely! Will the other officials be upset that the assigner gets the work the more exciting, competitive games? Will the other officials be upset that the assigner picks for himself the games that pay the greater money - Varsity vs. JV? Will the officials be upset that the assigners picks his own partners - the better ones, and that they themselves have to work with lack-luster incompetents? Will the other officials be upset that the assigner selects their own children officials (or brother-in-law) to work a greater number of games because that child needs the money? Will the other officials be upset when the assigner "gets selected (by himself)" to attend the big season ending tournament and earn an extra $500 while they themselves set at home? Will the other officials be upset when the assigner who has worked only a couple games during the season is suddenly behind the plate for the district tournament championship? The answer for all these questions is very likely YES!

This is the conflict of interest. It is perception about the "favors" you are able to provide for yourself because of your position as assigner. It is not illegal. But in my opinion it is ABSOLUTELY perceived to be a conflict of interest.

It is not the fact that you receive these benefits. It is the fact that you assigned them to yourself that creates the perceived conflict of interest.

I'm not saying it can't be done. It obviously has been done... by many. I am saying that your fellow officials will likely not complain because the assigner also assigns benefits/games to those fellow officials. And they will likely feel that if they complain, the assigner will likely decrease the benefits/games those fellow officials are already receiving. Hence no complaints. Hence no bad evaluations. Hence life is wonderful when assigning your own benefits/games.

I also recognize as Elaine said that sometimes the assigner must work games because there just ain't enough officials or time is too short to find a replacement. In my local area that situation raises itself several times per week - the assigner necessarily needs to work.

Can it be done? Yes. Can you maintain your integrity? I think so, but you would have to work very diligently to stay above board and not take anything away from your fellow officials. Little digressions can lead to loss of integrity.

Good luck if you choose to try this endeavor. Keep your nose clean.

[Edited by DownTownTonyBrown on Aug 11th, 2003 at 04:09 PM]

[Dakota]

Originally posted by DownTownTonyBrown
I'm not saying it can't be done.

You all but said that it couldn't be done and maintain integrity earlier.

Can you maintain your integrity? I think so

Again, a reversal (if not of what you literally said, for sure of what you implied).

And, again, all of the examples you give are abuse of position, and some don't even involve the topic at hand, which is remaining an active umpire while handling assigning duties - all of the nepotism examples have nothing whatsoever to do with that.

You have obviously had to deal with an assignor without honor or integrity. Such people do exist, but otherwise honorable people do not morph into this by merely becoming an assignor while remaining an active umpire. I'm sorry you had to deal with such a person.

Will umpires gripe about the games they get assigned vs the games others are assigned? Sure. Childish, petty, perperual victims exist everywhere, and this will happen whether or not the assignor remains an active umpire.

Taking on assignor duties will involved dealing with petty, childish people, even if you do everything perfectly.

"Conflicts of interest" exist everywhere. It is not possible to accomplish anything significant in this world and avoid all "appearance" of conflict of interest. It is how you handle the conflict that reveals honorable or less than honorable core values.

An honorable person will have no problem with the conflict.

However, he may have a problem dealing with childish, petty people who see every perceived unfairness as evidence of corruption.

[Andy]

Thanks, folks for all of your thoughts and opinions. Just about everything that you all said is something I thought about over the weekend.

Tony - it sounds as if you were part of a bad situation and I can certainly see how that could happen. I do appreciate you sharing your opinions.

I talked to the board president about the job. It seems that the board of our association is so unhappy about the job the previous assignor did, that they are planning to totally revamp the system. The board wants significant input as to who gets what games and the levels that each umpire is qualified to work.

I put my name in the hat as someone interested...we'll see what happens!