Jump to content

Time between games


humanbackstop19
Umpire-Empire locks topics which have not been active in the last year. The thread you are viewing hasn't been active in 2069 days so you will not be able to post. We do recommend you starting a new topic to find out what's new in the world of umpiring.

Recommended Posts

I'm curious to see what the accepted time between games for a double-header is around the different associations and areas of the country.  Working college, I know it may take a little more time to dress the field and warm-up starting pitchers.  Still,  most are ready to go within 30 minutes.  But, during the high school season (Iowa summer ball), I've been running into coaches saying they need 40-50 minutes between games.  I don't like to hark about larger paychecks, but this has definitely increased the time commitment and dead time between games.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Depends...

Is the field going to be prepped again? That takes the crew 20-30 minutes normally.

Same teams playing a DH? New teams? Same umpires/crew? How far did we have to park away from the field if we are swapping plate/base positions and need to redress?

Normally... if it is not blazing outside, same teams and solo? 20-30 minutes is fine. If swapping spots and there is field prep to be done? 25-40 seems average. 

I agree that when you think about it... if you allow for 2 hrs per game, .5 hours between and say .5-.75 for pregame (and often an hour) you are already committed to a long day with possibly 1.5 hours of dead time already built into the day... and that does not account for your drive time to and from the fields... adding more dead time just eats into your already significant time commitment of 5-7 hours depending on actual game length and other factors.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Glad I read the remarks regarding the teams. 

 

Had an umpire tell me this weekend he hadn't umpired in 10 years.  I was thinking that was pretty LONG between games, then I realized you said double-header.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

half an hour....though I had one school that decided to water the infield between games (not sure why after all the monsoons we had that month) and they broke a valve....and no not a water hose valve, a fire hose valve behind the mound.  It took quite some time to control the swamp that had become of the infield. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

30 minutes or 10 minutes before the next start time is when I tell teams that we will be back... which ever is longer. Unless there is a league or conference policy in place.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For HS, second game is generally a JV game for us, so we tell them we will be back in 15 minutes to start, and I don’t mess around at the car. I hate sitting around for a half hour. It’s a long enough day as it is. Change, come back, let’s go. If I’m solo, or the same guys are playing in game two, let’s go in 10, I probably won’t even leave the field. Smart coaches will send their next starter to the bullpen in the 7th (and sometimes we talk about this in pregame of game one). I had one summer HS DH earlier this summer where both coaches agreed that “we will start the second one as quickly as you want.” Five minutes after the first ended, we started the second. I’m general, no one preps the field for the JV game, so that’s a non-issue.

There was one time a few years ago where I worked with a respected vet who clearly had done this move before...told the coaches that he’ll start the JV game behind the plate almost immediately upon conclusion of the varsity game while I go change. I came back and started the bottom of the first while he changed into base gear. So we had one umpire for an inning or maybe an inning and a half. Worked great. No one said boo. Only time I’ve ever done it, but I want to do it again. Has anyone else ever done something like this?

None of us really do this for the money at the HS level, but I’m not getting paid to stand around for 30+ minutes while you grill out. It’s just wasting time with an already long enough day. Let’s get this second game going ASAP. But some teams, even at a tournament where the game before ended early and they’ve been hitting in cages for an hour and/or playing catch, still feel like they need 30-40 minutes, and they aren’t allowed to take infield per tournament rule.  For what exactly do you need all that time? 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

57 minutes ago, Hkepuck said:

There was one time a few years ago where I worked with a respected vet who clearly had done this move before...told the coaches that he’ll start the JV game behind the plate almost immediately upon conclusion of the varsity game while I go change. I came back and started the bottom of the first while he changed into base gear. So we had one umpire for an inning or maybe an inning and a half. Worked great. No one said boo. Only time I’ve ever done it, but I want to do it again. Has anyone else ever done something like this?

I did it every time I could get the coaches to agree to it if the second was a JV and / or during the summer.  The coaches would agree about 50% of the time.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, Hkepuck said:

Do you think it’s kind of a no harm no foul ask? Or will a coach take offense to it, report it, whatever? Like I said I’ve only seen it once. 

It's going to depend on  the league and the coaches (and maybe how much of a "big dog" you are).  You need to read the situation.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, catsbackr said:

In high school in Tennessee, if second game of a DH is started after more than 30 minutes, we are paid 2 full game fees.  If started within 30 minutes, they get to pay a reduced, DH fee.

That's NOT cool. I don't care how much or how little time there is between games.Two games is two games. I'd make sure it took me 30 minutes to change.

Coach: "Cmon, we need to start this game now, it's been 25 minutes"

Me "Be right there coach.......OOOps, would ya look at that...broke a shoelace. I think I got a spare here somewhere...."

 

  • Haha 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 7/13/2018 at 9:04 PM, Richvee said:

That's NOT cool. I don't care how much or how little time there is between games.Two games is two games. I'd make sure it took me 30 minutes to change.

Coach: "Cmon, we need to start this game now, it's been 25 minutes"

Me "Be right there coach.......OOOps, would ya look at that...broke a shoelace. I think I got a spare here somewhere...."

 

I always got at least two game checks for a double header. There were even a few cases where I got paid extra to have the plate for both games or to pick it up on short notice.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On the other hand, what do you do when the TD schedules you for three games in a row, and schedules the games 5-10 minutes apart? When you tell him that you will need to switch from plate gear to base gear, he tells you "just leave the plate Umpire out there". We're talking upper 90's out there....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, jjb said:

On the other hand, what do you do when the TD schedules you for three games in a row, and schedules the games 5-10 minutes apart? When you tell him that you will need to switch from plate gear to base gear, he tells you "just leave the plate Umpire out there". We're talking upper 90's out there....

Tell him you'll get there when you get there....that's outrageous. This kind of nonsense really happens on a regular basis? Screw that....

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, udbrky said:

Here, it's a reduced amount for DH in HS. Some schools though pay the full, or pay more at least.

This is one of the reasons I’ve stopped working HS doubleheaders on Saturdays. I’ve heard of quite a few other guys doing this as well. I don’t understand how is this an accepted practice, especially for guys doing two underclass games by themselves. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, jjb said:

On the other hand, what do you do when the TD schedules you for three games in a row, and schedules the games 5-10 minutes apart? When you tell him that you will need to switch from plate gear to base gear, he tells you "just leave the plate Umpire out there". We're talking upper 90's out there....

I did a bunch of 6/7 game days for tournaments usually with 1:40 time limit with games scheduled on 1:45 headways this year. Never had a TD say anything about not being able to switch. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 hours ago, scrounge said:

Tell him you'll get there when you get there....that's outrageous. This kind of nonsense really happens on a regular basis? Screw that....

 

Yes... this happens more than you would hope it would. Also, "we will get there as soon as we can" is a totally acceptable answer.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 hours ago, Hkepuck said:

This is one of the reasons I’ve stopped working HS doubleheaders on Saturdays. I’ve heard of quite a few other guys doing this as well. I don’t understand how is this an accepted practice, especially for guys doing two underclass games by themselves. 

I agree if you get a travel fee plus a game fee. Then the game fee should be doubled. But if the travel fee is bundled in what you normally get, then only the game fee portion needs the be doubled, so it looks like a reduc d rate for the DH

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Around here for high school ball, we get $7  for travel. For doubles, we get the travel fee for only one game. The game fee is the same for both games. 20 minutes between games is standard. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...