Game Going South

[BigBlue4u]

Even though this is from a softball game, it is a perfect illustration how a bunch of small things can turn into a disaster.  Also, judging from just the video

without hearing the umpire's side of the story, it is appalling that a D1 crew would allow this to happen.  Also, although the announcers referred to a wet 

ball, I believe the wetness of the field was even more of a factor in preventing firm footing for the pitcher.

Rain Ejections After Umpires Order Softball Team to Play Through Downpour; Pitcher Can't Find a Grip | Close Call Sports & Umpire Ejection Fantasy League

(If link does not work, check Close Call Sports.)

[SeeingEyeDog]

I don't work college ball. What are the inclement weather protocols for college softball and baseball? I know once the plate meeting concludes, the umpires have the final decision with respect to condition of the field as it relates to safety as well as lightning and other inclement conditions. Is there an AD or administrator of some kind who is monitoring the weather and advising the crew chief? I do my best to stay off my phone once I take the field but, if I am dealing with weather, I will keep the radar pulled up and check that between innings. I make the decision based on what is happening on the field not the radar but, the radar is helpful for knowing if you you do have to suspend play what the duration may be. Is it a cloudburst quick event? Or is it the start of a storm front?

~Dawg

[Velho]

11 minutes ago, SeeingEyeDog said:

Is it a cloudburst quick event?

[snark] It was a game in the South in the middle of the afternoon. It's the regularly scheduled 17 minute downpour. [/snark]

🤣

[ErichKeane]

I've DEFINITELY had games both as an official and a player play in worse rain than that.  I didn't see any mud/turf problems, just a slick ball.  Typically unless the ball becomes particularly slick (despite attempts to wipe it off), we play on.  One thing my org has us do is let coaches 'dry' balls for their pitchers (I hand the DHC a few balls and tell him that we can swap them out as often as they want within normal-ball-swap opportunities), and that tends to work.  We often change balls every 2-3 pitches, but it is fine.

That said, those are baseball games, and baseballs with leather covers do WAY better than softball's vinyl covers.  ANY amount of water gets a vinyl cover slick as an ice cube, whereas leather absorbs/gets sticky for a bit before getting slick.

Last point: I don't know how the ball was continuing to get wet to the point of 'slickness' in her glove?  It should have been protected from the rain at that point.

[The Man in Blue]

I know this conversation has headed down the weather route, but I highly encourage newer (and older!) umpires to pay attention to what @Lindsay is saying about body language and communication.  This was all avoidable.

As for the weather route, I hate playing through rain.  It is stupid and potentially dangerous.  The moment that a player tells me they feel unsafe or that they cannot perform, I am apt to call it.  I am nobody to tell them, "You're fine!  Man up and get in there!"  Nope, not going to do that.  Who are we supposed to be there for?

 

[Velho]

14 hours ago, The Man in Blue said:

I know this conversation has headed down the weather route, but I highly encourage newer (and older!) umpires to pay attention to what @Lindsay is saying about body language and communication.  This was all avoidable.

I resemble that remark (the weather one)

Completely agree on PUs interaction. Not sure what was about but he did his part to escalate the situation before it even started to rain. 

As I told a friend who had an, um, "interesting" interaction with an umpire the other day: "That’s an important ump proficiency - managing that situation to not get that heated"

[834k3r]

15 hours ago, The Man in Blue said:

The moment that a player tells me they feel unsafe or that they cannot perform, I am apt to call it.  I am nobody to tell them, "You're fine!  Man up and get in there!"  Nope, not going to do that.  Who are we supposed to be there for?

I do the same with darkness on unlit fields. Even though I can see the ball (feeding the pitcher a steady diet of pearl baseballs if available), if a player (usually the batter) says he can't see the ball, that's game.