A running thread of local umpire frustration

[El Oso]

Without providing a lengthy treatise on 1 man mechanics, I'll just say, you move more. About 1.5 times more (and yes, I have quantified it - I put my smart watch in my pocket for games, it tracks steps).

More steps from having to run down the foul lines to make calls at the bases I presume?

 

[radness]

It's an interesting discussion. You should be paid more if it entails more work IMO.

Except that...
There are quite a few jobs that take more work that get paid less.

What people see of umpiring in games is that one umpire can get it done. Even though more seems better.

Similar to when Starbucks started their stores and they had enough employees on each shift to efficiently run everything that needed to be ran and that dwindled down to where it was only 2 employees... pressure packed. Without change in pay. And the general public have the same efficiency expectation even though there is only two people running a store and a 30 people line that was still supposed to be gone through in 3 minutes. From cashier to building the drink to handing it in their hand.

 

[El Oso]

There are quite a few jobs that take more work that get paid less.

Yes but this is a different subject. This is doing the same task as you usually do with 2 people but now doing it with only 1 person.

 

[radness]

Yes but this is a different subject. This is doing the same task as you usually do with 2 people but now doing it with only 1 person.

Same subject.
Different example!

Something that was done with more people but now can be done with less.

Cost cutting!

 

[Dabears17]

It's an interesting discussion. You should be paid more if it entails more work IMO. The teams will ask "Are you putting out the same level of quality product that you would if it were a 2 man crew?".

My DW accidently annoyed/embarrassed a relative of the CEO of the company she worked for. They waited for her to make a mistake to justify demoting her to a lesser position. She once worked 36 hours over president's day weekend (she was salary), then took 3 days PTO to do what she was going to do over her 3 day weekend. They demoted her over the silly offense of sending a letter to a customer that wasn't on company letter head.

They had to hire three people to do what she was trying to do by herself. The problem is the company/managers assigning too much work to one employee and not properly staffing the company, not the employee/contract worker. The issue is with the leagues/tournament directors/AD's, not the umpires who work their butts off to deliver the best service they can to their employers and employer's customers.

 

[radness]

My DW accidently annoyed/embarrassed a relative of the CEO of the company she worked for. They waited for her to make a mistake to justify demoting her to a lesser position. She once worked 36 hours over president's day weekend (she was salary), then took 3 days PTO to do what she was going to do over her 3 day weekend. They demoted her over the silly offense of sending a letter to a customer that wasn't on company letter head.

They had to hire three people to do what she was trying to do by herself. The problem is the company/managers assigning too much work to one employee and not properly staffing the company, not the employee/contract worker. The issue is with the leagues/tournament directors/AD's, not the umpires who work their butts off to deliver the best service they can to their employers and employer's customers.

Can remember telling my dad the extra job tasks I was assigned to at my work, no raise.
he replied
the reason they give you more duties at work is because you get it done.

These are examples of individual efficiency.
Think is a great part of this conundrum with only one umpire per game. Where one person is capable of being efficient and multitasking.
Another person may not be.

Pay scale is not reflective of that.

 

[ang2bmd]

Is it a lot of extra work when you work games by yourself? Why would you deserve time and a half?

Think of it from the other perspective. Your customer, ie... the teams playing. They are getting the short end of the stick and getting an inferior product when they get a one person crew. Why should they pay almost as much as they would for a 2 person crew?

It’s a tremendous amount of extra work to do a game alone. If you’ve never done it you should do it so you know. IMO games done alone should get double.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[MoJo]

Last season I started a thread about umpires and referees.

I will add to the frustration discussion. There have been A LOT of bad calls in MLB this past week. There have been a lot of bad MLB commentators too that perpetuate baseball myths v. real rules.

All that moves down to the local level. You have umps that make bad calls, coaches that don't know the black and white rules and bleacher wanna-bes that think they know it all. Bleacher Dads are the worst when it comes to the "RULES".



Video is a good example.
I have seen FU make the wrong/bad call of players over running first. I have sat in the stands and had to listen to everything under the sun EXECPT the correct ruling.