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Relocating due to rain


CJK
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Background:

I scheduled umpires for a tournament this weekend where a torrential cloudburst swept through the complex just 10 minutes into the final game slot.  The rain was gone after about 10 minutes, but the fields obviously hadn't kept up with the sheer volume of water, and it was showing.  The organization had playable fields available in town (about 15 minutes away), so the TD moved the remaining games to alternate locations.

One of the umpires in the room was upset at the idea that he was expected to drive to a different facility and indicated that he expected gas money.  I responded with something like, "Well, I didn't give you gas money to show up here, either.  If you want to work the game, you go where it is."  He said, "You just don't ask an umpire to change fields with compensation for the travel.  You just don't do that."

Actual questions:

1.  Is he right?  Is there a widespread agreement that umpires should be compensated for in-town travel like this?  I didn't even consider it.  In my area, I get availability from umpires that live up to 50 miles away, and I give availability to schedulers that will use me even 100 miles away, and nobody even considers travel money.  I couldn't even fathom the idea that anyone would expect travel money to relocate to a site about 10 miles away.

2.  The timing of his complaint bothered me even more.  It seems to me that a discussion like this one should be the furthest from anyone's mind when the TD is trying to make alternate field arrangements, explain his decision to coaches, and get everybody relocated.  On the other hand, I understand that the umpire has lost all negotiating leverage as soon as he's worked the game, so I suppose that if he felt like he needed to have the conversation at all, he would also feel like it had to be right then.

3.  I've been in a rain delay before, but never a relocation like this.  If that has happened to you, what was your experience?  Could it have been made better?  If so, how?

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Heck -- I'm surprised the umpire didn't ask for a game fee for the original game AND a game fee for the rescheduled game.  I mean, that's what he'd get if the game had been postponed until today, right?  ;)

 

I agree with you -- and the "travel fee" is included in the game fee.  Sometimes, you get paid "more" because the game only goes five innings; and sometimes you get paid "less" because the game goes extra innings, and there's a rain delay, etc.  It's all part of what we sign up for when we agree to work baseball.

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When I take a game from my assigner, I've already made the judgment that the time/distance factor is within my  acceptable limits. An "in town" location change due to field conditions as described in the OP would not ruffle my feathers....

I'm there... I came to do a game...

As the TD just be as up front with the crew as you can.........."across town" or "a few miles away" "nearby" are subjective to the locals idea of "nearby". But for 10 miles?...........my car gets 25 MPG.......I'd be embarrassed to ask  for $1.50 in gas money.....

 

 

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not knowing how far 15 mins away is, around here it could be 2 miles or less, so worst case say, 12-15 miles, dude's complaining about $2-3 max in gas money.... even at "milage allowance" it's $6,  sheesh, give me a break.

 

 

Now if he was traveling 25+ miles, ok maybe, then at least you're talking $10-15, so if your game fee is $50-60 then yea, it's a big percentage.

 

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Sounds like another weekender doing it for the wrong reason and someone going to the bottom of the assignor list.

Not sure what area of the country you are in, but I imagine he will still get a full lot of games due to needing the body even though he's a jacka$$

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On 10/23/2017 at 9:04 AM, CJK said:

1.  Is he right?  Is there a widespread agreement that umpires should be compensated for in-town travel like this?  I didn't even consider it.  In my area, I get availability from umpires that live up to 50 miles away, and I give availability to schedulers that will use me even 100 miles away, and nobody even considers travel money.  I couldn't even fathom the idea that anyone would expect travel money to relocate to a site about 10 miles away.

No.  Petty.

2.  The timing of his complaint bothered me even more.  It seems to me that a discussion like this one should be the furthest from anyone's mind when the TD is trying to make alternate field arrangements, explain his decision to coaches, and get everybody relocated.  On the other hand, I understand that the umpire has lost all negotiating leverage as soon as he's worked the game, so I suppose that if he felt like he needed to have the conversation at all, he would also feel like it had to be right then.

Petty.  It's not like he's in a local union.

3.  I've been in a rain delay before, but never a relocation like this.  If that has happened to you, what was your experience?  Could it have been made better?  If so, how?

We've done it before from a grass field to a turf complex.  The schools are about the same — 15 minutes apart.

If you could have moved from the Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field to the Retractable Roofed Rogers Centre ... BETTER.

 

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He may be being petty...or he may have something personal going on in his life.   Maybe he's just one of those people who don't handle change well.  Or maybe he just had a $5000 dental bill, is trying to make extra money, and this unexpected drive is just one more expense on top of a crapload of other "surprises" he's had to deal with recently (at this point you're not thinking rationally and not realizing it's only a couple of bucks)....you know...the straw that broke the camels' back...

 

To the question about relocation - any good tournament has a plan B...the teams that paid $400-800 to enter the tournament, plus all their travel expenses that aren't reimbursable - want to play...and they don't care where.   I've been in a couple of tournaments where we ended up relocating to fields that were in better condition...it was better than not playing...Any umpire/coach/parent/player that isn't on board with that possible plan B just doesn't get it.

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5 hours ago, beerguy55 said:

possible plan B

… or C … or D … or K …

No one makes more money umpiring in a concentrated stretch of time than in a travel ball tourney.  Far above a HS DH.  It’s rare that I’m scheduled fewer than 4 games in a day.

College Guys who’ve worked themselves into a lucrative conference still always end up calling summer travel ball since it’s still the best gig in town.

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  • 3 weeks later...

He actually isn't out of line at all. The assignor assigned him a game at at a certain time, location, and price; and he accepted that game. It is the kind of contract that we negotiate over and over all season. The assignor then changed the terms of the contract by changing the location. The Umpire has the right to renegotiate his side of the contract. Having said that, personally, I would have gone to the new location without saying a word and done the game. I would have been awesome, too.

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He actually isn't out of line at all. The assignor assigned him a game at at a certain time, location, and price; and he accepted that game. It is the kind of contract that we negotiate over and over all season. The assignor then changed the terms of the contract by changing the location. The Umpire has the right to renegotiate his side of the contract. Having said that, personally, I would have gone to the new location without saying a word and done the game. I would have been awesome, too.
Although I agree with the logic of this post, the matter which the OP describes it is out of line.

If he's going to challenge the idea of gas money and location change, it has to be more tactful with the assigner.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

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