Santa Umpire came early this year!

[SeeingEyeDog]

Greetings brothers...I've been "feeling those negative waves again, Moriarity" so, I need to take a moment here and reset myself with the kindness and goodness that baseball can bring us every once in awhile. (That quote is a reference to the 1970 cinematic masterpiece "Kelly's Heroes" featuring Donald Sutherland in one of my favorite roles as "Oddball" a dirty hippie tanker in WWII trying to "liberate" the town of Clermont in France. An all-star cast...check it out.)

Yesterday, I'm working a 13U youth travel double which are always a challenge for the players because for most of them it's their first experience on the big field and their first experience with playing a double header. Temps were up and players were clearly not properly hydrated so, they learned that lesson, too.

Santa Umpire brought us not one, but TWO gifts yesterday...we had the red team versus the blue team and blue only had 11 players while red had 15. Red quickly established their dominance in the first game. We are playing 7 innings and no new after 2 hours. Fast forward and we have finished 4 innings (not bad considering) and we are 12 minutes from no new inning. Blue Team are the visitors and their HC steps on the field and says, "Yeah, let's move to the next game, please Blue..." No objection from Red's HC and we tell them we're going for a break and to change and we'll be back as quick as we can and get it going again.

We get back 15 minutes later, get game 2 started and we play for about 50 minutes. We had Blue's F2 totally beet red in the face with exhaustion, complaining about knee pain who was then swapped out followed by a series (7 or 8?) of routine fly balls and ground balls that should have resulted in outs being made. Again, Blue HC steps on the field and says, "Line it up! I've got ice cream for you in my truck..."

I love baseball. I love umpiring. And I hope all of you do, too. Do I like extra inning games and not getting more pay? No. Do I like working scholastic scrimmages and not getting paid for 5 hours of work plus the drive? No. Do I like waiting out ran delays? No. Do I take the field hoping that something like the above happens so, I can get full fees without working full games? Also...no.

Brothers, never forget that this life and our existence is all cosmic, man. Totally cosmic...and that includes baseball. Sometimes we (the umpires) take care of The Game and sometimes, if we are patient and we work hard and give our best...The Game...takes care...of...us. Hey, you might even get an ice cream from a kind and generous coach who knows how to read a room.

~Dawg

[Aging_Arbiter]

Well, there IS such a person......and I know him.  @Umpire Santa

 

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[SeeingEyeDog]

3 hours ago, Aging_Arbiter said:

Well, there IS such a person......and I know him.  @Umpire Santa

 

🤣

🤯

(sheepish) Sorry, @Umpire Santa...I am a believer, I just didn't know you had the time for Umpire-Empire! Peace and love, brother!

~Dawg