Ending game's due to darkness

[chapmaja]

Ok, what are the policies different areas have for ending games when it becomes dark. My current association does not use a specific policy. My former association's clearly stated policy was that no pitch was to be thrown after the time of sunset. We were to know the sunset time for the given day and inform the coaches at the pre-game conference prior to the first game of a DH of what that time is.

We also always have the option of ending a game if the conditions make the game unsafe, which can include light conditions. One school I have umpired at is located on the western slope of a river valley, so they lose sunlight behind the hills even before sunset. Add in the wonderful design to but the 3 story high school just west and uphill of the softball diamonds and you run into light issues earlier than sunset.

The last time I worked this school, it was JV in late March. The first game was a 4 and a half inning mercy rule game like 17-2. The second game was ended in the bottom of the second inning with the score 22-2 because of darkness. The visiting team was struggling so bad, I seriously wondered if they had ever seen a softball diamond before. The worst part, the temperature at game time was about 40 degrees and it just kept getting colder. I'm not sure it was above freezing when we ended game 2 due to darkness.

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

Whenever MTD, Jr., and/or I get a baseball or softball assignment, we go to the U.S. Naval Observatory website and plug in the date, state, and city where the game is to be played and get the time of sunset.

When we have our pregame conference with the coaches we inform them when sunset is and that once it gets within 30 minutes of sunset that we will make the decision as to whether to end/suspend the game or not. But under no circumstances will we allow the game to continue after sunset on an unlighted diamond.

MTD, Sr.

[AtlUmpSteve]

Horse hockey. Determined sundown has limited affect on when it may be too dark to continue play. Trees, clouds, mountains; there are any number of factors that COULD affect play.

The simplest and (IMO) most obvious way to address darkness as a pregame possibility is to to state that when/if it becomes too dark to to continue safely, IN YOUR JUDGMENT, you will end play. No specific time for a coach to play as a factor, not "we won't be able to finish so we won't start this inning"; you play until you can't, and the plate umpire has the final word on when that is.

Anything else gives the teams tools to play with that have no legitimate place in softball.

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.

Whenever MTD, Jr., and/or I get a baseball or softball assignment, we go to the U.S. Naval Observatory website and plug in the date, state, and city where the game is to be played and get the time of sunset.

When we have our pregame conference with the coaches we inform them when sunset is and that once it gets within 30 minutes of sunset that we will make the decision as to whether to end/suspend the game or not. But under no circumstances will we allow the game to continue after sunset on an unlighted diamond.

MTD, Sr.

That sounds like a good routine and if it works for you, great. However, I do not care to set such a parameter in place prior to the game. Too many variables from the surrounding environment to the manner in which the field is laid out to sky coverage that can affect the available light.

I also encourage the BU to offer all the input possible as seeing the ball coming from the plate area is just as if not more important than seeing the ball coming to the plate. If I'm working alone, I may take a minute to go into the outfield to see what the OF can, or cannot, see.

But no matter what you do, don't try and be the nice guy a force the game to get done or legal, it may come back to bite you in the ass.

[Manny A]

I can't recall where I read it; I'm sure it was some baseball discussion board somewhere on Al Gore's invention. But a youth league uses a drop-dead rule based upon when a safety light on a sensor that is on a storage trailer illuminates. One of the dumbest things I've ever heard of, since I'm sure the light turns on and off when there's significant cloud cover that later dissipates.

[CecilOne]

Originally Posted by IRISHMAFIA

That sounds like a good routine and if it works for you, great. However, I do not care to set such a parameter in place prior to the game. Too many variables from the surrounding environment to the manner in which the field is laid out to sky coverage that can affect the available light.

I also encourage the BU to offer all the input possible as seeing the ball coming from the plate area is just as if not more important than seeing the ball coming to the plate. If I'm working alone, I may take a minute to go into the outfield to see what the OF can, or cannot, see.

But no matter what you do, don't try and be the nice guy a force the game to get done or legal, it may come back to bite you in the ass.

Agree, especially with the last sentence, although I don't care what part of me it would bite.

[chapmaja]

Originally Posted by Manny A

I can't recall where I read it; I'm sure it was some baseball discussion board somewhere on Al Gore's invention. But a youth league uses a drop-dead rule based upon when a safety light on a sensor that is on a storage trailer illuminates. One of the dumbest things I've ever heard of, since I'm sure the light turns on and off when there's significant cloud cover that later dissipates.

I understand your opinion of this rule, and somewhat agree, but it does make a point.

Maybe the schools should have a light detector that detects the amount of available light on the field. If the light level gets below a certain level, the game is suspended and then a decision is made to continue or not to continue the game based on a totality of the situation. If heavy clouds are moving over, but will vacate the vicinity, the game is only suspended. If the light level gets to low due to sunset then you have a different situation.

Drop Dead rules are often like Zero Tolerance laws. They are good on paper, but don't stand up well in the real world.

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by chapmaja

I understand your opinion of this rule, and somewhat agree, but it does make a point.

Maybe the schools should have a light detector that detects the amount of available light on the field. If the light level gets below a certain level, the game is suspended and then a decision is made to continue or not to continue the game based on a totality of the situation. If heavy clouds are moving over, but will vacate the vicinity, the game is only suspended. If the light level gets to low due to sunset then you have a different situation.

Drop Dead rules are often like Zero Tolerance laws. They are good on paper, but don't stand up well in the real world.

And where would they mount that detector?

[EsqUmp]

Originally Posted by chapmaja

I understand your opinion of this rule, and somewhat agree, but it does make a point.

Maybe the schools should have a light detector that detects the amount of available light on the field. If the light level gets below a certain level, the game is suspended and then a decision is made to continue or not to continue the game based on a totality of the situation. If heavy clouds are moving over, but will vacate the vicinity, the game is only suspended. If the light level gets to low due to sunset then you have a different situation.

Drop Dead rules are often like Zero Tolerance laws. They are good on paper, but don't stand up well in the real world.

I already have this detector. They are called eyes.

[SWFLguy]

I already have this detector. They are called eyes.
I laughed and needed it, thanks. Been there done that many times on fields with no lights, you can at least be prepared for it. It's really an issue when lights go out before you finish a game. Had one this season and luckily we finished the game before darkness became a problem. A couple years ago it happened and we were able to continue with ambient lighting from an adjacent field.

[MD Longhorn]

Originally Posted by IRISHMAFIA

And where would that mount that detector?

You could get several per field, and put them up all over, and then maybe erect a small pole behind the pitcher and another in shallow center, and put a couple there too.

[LIUmp]

Originally Posted by chapmaja

I understand your opinion of this rule, and somewhat agree, but it does make a point.

Maybe the schools should have a light detector that detects the amount of available light on the field. If the light level gets below a certain level, the game is suspended and then a decision is made to continue or not to continue the game based on a totality of the situation. If heavy clouds are moving over, but will vacate the vicinity, the game is only suspended. If the light level gets to low due to sunset then you have a different situation.

Drop Dead rules are often like Zero Tolerance laws. They are good on paper, but don't stand up well in the real world.

You can't make this decision yourself?

"Sorry folks, in my judgment, it's too dark to continue this game safely."

Is that hard?

[Manny A]

Originally Posted by LIUmp

You can't make this decision yourself?

"Sorry folks, in my judgment, it's too dark to continue this game safely."

Is that hard?

That's what I do.

Problem is, as this article points out, our night vision degrades as we get older. Here's an example from the article of how something looks to a 20, 60, and 75 year old:



One night a few years ago after a cookout, my son and I went out in the back yard looking for a pair of shoes that a friend's child left back there. It was already pitch black, at least to me. My son went over to them and picked them up. I literally could not see them!

So while you may judge it's too dark to continue, it may in fact be relatively safe to play from the players' perspective. But hey, we need to be able to see to make calls, so our judgment prevails.

[Dakota]

While the topic of that article is interesting, it is written with a bunch of unsupported data and speculation that even the author himself discredits within the article. In fact, the article even contradicts itself.

IOW, what he has written may be largely correct, but I wouldn't bank on it from that article alone.

I suspect the article is written to sell his seminars, not to provide objective information. After all, you do need to create the crisis before you can sell the solution!

[Little Jimmy]

Have to agree with Manny about night vision as you get older. Twilight time never was my strong suit and it's getting a little tougher as the years move on, especially on an unlighted field.