State Championship Game-Rain Delay Rules

[CHSUmp97]

It was a blinding downpour...

Yeah, I’m sure. A little exaggerated, maybe?

I worked a couple of State HS championship games when I lived in Virginia. There was no way in hell I had any authority on when or where games were played after a postponement. That was the state commissioner’s job. So don’t blame the umpires for that.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[CMMom1740]

Yeah, I’m sure. A little exaggerated, maybe?

I worked a couple of State HS championship games when I lived in Virginia. There was no way in hell I had any authority on when or where games were played after a postponement. That was the state commissioner’s job. So don’t blame the umpires for that.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

if you call having rain in your eyeballs an exaggeration, then ok fine. But if you were Head Coach of the team in the field during a freaking monsoon, I bet you would be singing a different tune. The batters were teeing up on our pitcher because she couldn’t manage a soaking wet ball.

 

[CHSUmp97]

if you call having rain in your eyeballs an exaggeration, then ok fine. But if you were Head Coach of the team in the field during a freaking monsoon, I bet you would be singing a different tune. The batters were teeing up on our pitcher because she couldn’t manage a soaking wet ball.

So it wasn’t a “blinding downpour”. It was a “freaking monsoon”. Got it.

In my experience, a pitcher not being able to “manage a soaking wet ball” won’t get teed up by batters because she’d be nowhere near the plate with her pitches.

But since you were there and we weren’t, we’ll just take your word for it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[CMMom1740]

So it wasn’t a “blinding downpour”. It was a “freaking monsoon”. Got it.

In my experience, a pitcher not being able to “manage a soaking wet ball” won’t get teed up by batters because she’d be nowhere near the plate with her pitches.

But since you were there and we weren’t, we’ll just take your word for it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

OK, thanks for your help.

 

[GoGamecocks]

Yeah, I’m sure. A little exaggerated, maybe?

I worked a couple of State HS championship games when I lived in Virginia. There was no way in hell I had any authority on when or where games were played after a postponement. That was the state commissioner’s job. So don’t blame the umpires for that.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

So it wasn’t a “blinding downpour”. It was a “freaking monsoon”. Got it.

In my experience, a pitcher not being able to “manage a soaking wet ball” won’t get teed up by batters because she’d be nowhere near the plate with her pitches.

But since you were there and we weren’t, we’ll just take your word for it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I was in Columbus yesterday and this is what I saw about two minutes after play was suspended. Not sure if that’s a monsoon, but it’s bad enough that some random internet stranger shouldn’t be giving you shirt about it.

 

[4KidsDad]

What's wrong with playing in the rain...?

From Seattle,

 

[CHSUmp97]

I was in Columbus yesterday and this is what I saw about two minutes after play was suspended. Not sure if that’s a monsoon, but it’s bad enough that some random internet stranger shouldn’t be giving you shirt about it.

Okay, let's take out the subjectivity on the subject. There's nothing that can be done about it now. The call on playing conditions is purely a judgment call on the umpires' part, and as we all understand, umpire judgment cannot be disputed or protested.

If a coach has a problem with playing conditions, they should request Time and try to convince the plate umpire that conditions are not conducive to playing the game, and if the umpire insists they are, then pull the team off the field and track down the next higher-ups at the game site to bring it to their attention. But if the coach accepts the umpire's decision to continue playing, then they are agreeing with that decision and cannot backtrack.

The umpires who are assigned games at this level aren't newbies who haven't worked pressure games before. I trust they know what they're doing, and as a fellow umpire, I'm going to assume that they made the right decision here. The other factor is that the umpires were probably directed to get these games finished at all costs, and were reluctant to call it. I just have a hard time believing that they would have played through a blinding downpour as described.

If that's the case, it is an injustice and someone in a position of authority at the game site should have gotten involved. I have to believe this being the state championship that there was someone there at that level. And as for what happens afterwards, that's purely the state association's call. The rules allow for state associations to determine their own game-ending procedures. Asking here what should have been done won't help because we cannot say what GHSAA should or should not have done. It's solely their call, and what they say goes.

 

[GoGamecocks]

Asking here what should have been done won't help because we cannot say what GHSAA should or should not have done. It's solely their call, and what they say goes.

That may be the case, but this website is discussfastpitch.com, not bowtotheumpires.com. This is a discussion.

And I do think you’re right. The officiating crews we’re almost certainly told they needed to do everything possible to get in those championship games. And I agree with you that OP’s HC should’ve pulled her girls into the dugout and tracked down whomever was in charge. From what I saw, by the time all of that happened, it would’ve been obvious to everyone that no one was going to finish their game (see my picture above). I do think it is really sad that the outcome of a state championship would be decided because of the weather, which is what this sounds like.

 

[MTR]

What's wrong with playing in the rain...?

From Seattle,

Nothing and actually the rain could be irrelevant. What is relevant is the condition of the field

 

[CoachKevin]

Would this even be a post if let's say, the team took the field and got 3 quick outs?