Crazy Schedule

[KenBAZ]

Here in AZ it gets so hot that in order to keep playing we have youth tournaments that run overnight. Unfortunately we just don't have enough qualified umpires or guys crazy enough to work these games. This is the 3rd year in a row I've worked an event like this followed by Sunday morning games. Tonight I am scheduled for 14u games at 6 PM, 8 PM, 10 PM, 12 AM, 2 AM and 4 AM. Then I'm working my regular men's league assignments at 8 AM and 10:15 AM. The last game Sunday is at 7:15 PM. The high temperature today is supposed to be 112, with a low of 80. Sunday's high is predicted to be 121, with an overnight low of 84. I'm doing all I can to prepare, wish me luck.

[conbo61]

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.

Good luck to you.

What do you eat between games?

[KenBAZ]

I will drink a slow digesting energy supplement and bananas. Protein bar in the morning on the drive to the Men's games. Just water otherwise.

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[maineump]

1 hour ago, KenBAZ said:

Here in AZ it gets so hot that in order to keep playing we have youth tournaments that run overnight. Unfortunately we just don't have enough qualified umpires or guys crazy enough to work these games. This is the 3rd year in a row I've worked an event like this followed by Sunday morning games. Tonight I am scheduled for 14u games at 6 PM, 8 PM, 10 PM, 12 AM, 2 AM and 4 AM. Then I'm working my regular men's league assignments at 8 AM and 10:15 AM. The last game Sunday is at 7:15 PM. The high temperature today is supposed to be 112, with a low of 80. Sunday's high is predicted to be 121, with an overnight low of 84. I'm doing all I can to prepare, wish me luck.

Are you nuts????  

[KenBAZ]

It seems crazy but in the context of what my dad, grandfathers and others worked it's not too had. My people were pulling fishing nets, farming or chasing whales around for days at a time. I'll get through it okay but at best it's a big withdrawal from the health and wellness I've been building up.

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[noumpere]

2 hours ago, KenBAZ said:

 guys crazy enough

It only takes one, and it looks like they found him.

[LRZ]

I would find it impossible to maintain my concentration over such a stretch. Good luck.

[pnewton]

Always amazing, I don't know anyone that would assign one official to more than three games in a day.

Good luck! Stay hydrated. Be worried if you stop sweating.

[KenBAZ]

"I would find it impossible to maintain my concentration over such a stretch. Good luck."

That's the real challenge. I'm taking the first three plates. It's difficult to stay focused on every pitch for that length of time but you try and relax between each pitch. Then after three bases and a 40 min. drive I've got the plate again for the Men's league. I want to be as sharp as possible as those guys deserve it. I'll let you know how it goes.

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[stkjock]

Ummmm... Sleep?

 

good luck ya crazy screwball

[umpstu]

8 hours ago, KenBAZ said:

Here in AZ it gets so hot that in order to keep playing we have youth tournaments that run overnight. Unfortunately we just don't have enough qualified umpires or guys crazy enough to work these games. This is the 3rd year in a row I've worked an event like this followed by Sunday morning games. Tonight I am scheduled for 14u games at 6 PM, 8 PM, 10 PM, 12 AM, 2 AM and 4 AM. Then I'm working my regular men's league assignments at 8 AM and 10:15 AM. The last game Sunday is at 7:15 PM. The high temperature today is supposed to be 112, with a low of 80. Sunday's high is predicted to be 121, with an overnight low of 84. I'm doing all I can to prepare, wish me luck.

Drink water and don't suck.

[ricka56]

On 6/18/2016 at 8:49 PM, stkjock said:

Ummmm... Sleep?

He can sleep when the guys in the white coats return him to the insane asylum.

[dl1340]

I helped a friend out who was booking a tournament a few years ago and did 6 games two days in a row, never again. 4 is my normal, 5 is ok from time to time, but 6 games is just crazy. More power to those that can roll 6 games in a day

[KenBAZ]

Got through the tough part if the weekend. Four plates and 2 1/2 bases in an 18 hour timeframe. I've had a few hour break and have one more game at 7:15 PM.

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[KenBAZ]

Just finished the last game of the weekend. Took a hellish shot off the cage of my HSM. Former minor leaguer throwing mid-80s and a right handed batter swung behind a bit and caught me good. I had the little electric type shocks but then seemed to be fine. Finished the game without a problem. Tough way to end a long day.

[Aging_Arbiter]

you just ain't right

[KenBAZ]

That's a compliment right?

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[MadMax]

On June 18, 2016 at 1:15 PM, KenBAZ said:

Here in AZ it gets so hot that in order to keep playing we have youth tournaments that run overnight. Unfortunately we just don't have enough qualified umpires or guys crazy enough to work these games. This is the 3rd year in a row I've worked an event like this followed by Sunday morning games. 

Paint me crazy, then. I'm now approved to transfer and relocate to Phoenix, with a start date of Sunday, July 10th. I'll be working overnight shifts Sunday thru Wednesday, so I'll be used to being awake nights as well as daytime.

I'm used to working these 15-game weekend tournaments. Granted, Wisconsin weather is abruptly different than Arizona, so I'll have to trot out all the tricks and hacks that I know, but I'm confident I can do it.

I just hope my CP or my plate shoes don't melt.

@KenBAZ, keep a spot warm... I mean... cool for me! I'll be there soon!

[KenBAZ]

Can't wait to have you Max.

A couple of weeks ago I had a hitter at the plate who's shoe mid-sole got so hot that it delaminated and the uppers started flopping around. He played the rest of the game with trainers tape holding the shoe together. Now that's hot!

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[umpire_scott]

2 hours ago, KenBAZ said:

Can't wait to have you Max.

A couple of weeks ago I had a hitter at the plate who's shoe mid-sole got so hot that it delaminated and the uppers started flopping around. He played the rest of the game with trainers tape holding the shoe together. Now that's hot!

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Wait for it. . . "but it's a dry heat".  I've lived in St. Louis now for almost 5 years after spending 30+ in Phoenix.  110 feels hotter than 92 no matter what the humidity is.

[grayhawk]

45 minutes ago, umpire_scott said:

Wait for it. . . "but it's a dry heat".  I've lived in St. Louis now for almost 5 years after spending 30+ in Phoenix.  110 feels hotter than 92 no matter what the humidity is.

The difference between 105 and 110 is very noticeable, even in Phoenix.  I can't imagine 121.  I lived there for two and a half years and it never got over 113.

Before my DH on Saturday, I realized that I prepared poorly.  I had three drinks on Friday night, and then got up on Saturday morning and did some strenuous work in the garden (a lot of digging, cutting tree roots, etc).  After working in the garden for about 3 hours until 11:30am (games starting at 3:30), I realized my mistake and shut it down.  I relaxed and drank as much water as I could until I had to leave at 2:30.  I ended up being okay, but it was a sequence of events that could have lead to bad things.

A friend of mine worked 4 games in San Clemente on Sunday (it was about 100 that day) and ended up in the emergency room with severe dehydration.  I don't know what he did or didn't do to prepare, but it clearly wasn't enough.  The heat is no joke.

[umpire_scott]

I had 5 games on a Sunday a few weekends ago, after doing 6 games on Saturday.  The weather was not that bad though, high 70's to low 80's.  I woke up Sunday morning just feeling off.  My body was sore and I just felt really worn out even though I got about 7 hours of sleep.  My partner offered to do the first 3 plates on Sunday and then I would take the last two.  Well after game two we were well ahead of schedule (and it was a miracle because my partner's slow pace during and between games was driving me insane).  So I offered to take the last three plates to keep things moving.  After the first plate I was not feeling very well at all.  I started my second game behind the plate and realized pretty quickly that I was not going to make it two more games.  I assumed it was heat exhaustion/dehydration, which surprised me given the mild temps.  I got the UIC to find me a replacement and I finished out my second plate.  Then I went home.  I get cooled down, and drank a bunch of water.  Next morning I wake up and most of my body aches have subsided but my left leg hurts pretty bad and is swollen and red in multiple areas.  I did some research on the Internet and became concerned I might have blood clots.  I go Tuesday morning to my PCP and after fainting in their office my wife takes me to the emergency room.  Within a few hours they admit me into the hospital with Cellulitis a bacterial skin infection.  I'm 48 years old and that is the first time I've been in the hospital and first time I've ever had an IV.  It was this that was causing me to feel overheated as I had a low grade fever due to the infection.  Antibiotics are great as I was only out of commission for about 10 days.  

Heat related illnesses are nothing to take lightly no matter what the temperature is.

[NCAAump2]

Just out of curiosity, but why would you want to work 5 or 6 games in a single day?  Unless for financial reasons, I can't really see a reason to do it.  I don't really care who you are, but there's no way you can be as sharp in the 7th inning of game 6 as you were in the first inning of game 1.  Even if money is the motivator, I would much rather do a legion DH or something than spend 14+ Hours on or enroute to or from a baseball field.  Maybe for me it's the fact that my family doesn't rely on umpiring as significant income, and I just umpire because I enjoy it.  I have done the 6 games in a day on Saturday and Sunday back when I needed to, and it was awful.  Not knocking those that do it, just curious as to your thought process. 

Disclaimer:  these days, I only work 1 or 2 games a day  (3 if assigner is in a pinch) and at max 4 days per week.  I feel like when I was doing so many games in a short period of time, I wasn't enjoying it as much and it felt much more like a job. 

[stkjock]

You guys need to keep this in your equipment bag

 

[Panther32]

4 hours ago, MUAump2 said:

Just out of curiosity, but why would you want to work 5 or 6 games in a single day?  Unless for financial reasons, I can't really see a reason to do it.  I don't really care who you are, but there's no way you can be as sharp in the 7th inning of game 6 as you were in the first inning of game 1.  Even if money is the motivator, I would much rather do a legion DH or something than spend 14+ Hours on or enroute to or from a baseball field.  Maybe for me it's the fact that my family doesn't rely on umpiring as significant income, and I just umpire because I enjoy it.  I have done the 6 games in a day on Saturday and Sunday back when I needed to, and it was awful.  Not knocking those that do it, just curious as to your thought process. 

Disclaimer:  these days, I only work 1 or 2 games a day  (3 if assigner is in a pinch) and at max 4 days per week.  I feel like when I was doing so many games in a short period of time, I wasn't enjoying it as much and it felt much more like a job. 

I do it regularly because I'm a college student and I'm just trying to make ends meet. It's also how I get most of my games as I don't have a large high school schedule with it being my first season of high school. It's also a lot less pressure and I get to see unique situations that I haven't seen before.