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Article #2: Runaway Ump
Surprise Ending for HardBallers II Game
June 13, 2007


Sunday featured a rare weekend match-up for the HardBallers II as they were up against the Upper Deckers. The game concluded with a surprise ending that left both teams in shock.

We take you to the seventh inning. The Upper Deckers had just tied-up the game with a late come-back run in the sixth. Both teams tried to break the tie, but the best either team could do was match the run production of each other in their frame. With the game running past the one and a half hour limit, we head to extra innings. In the eighth inning, the defenses on both teams were rock-solid, denying the other team a chance to get anything going. And so, it’s off to the ninth.

Now here is where things get interesting. Before the final out of the eighth inning was even called, the umpire had dashed off the field and headed to his truck. He then got in and drove away. And no, we are not joking: the umpire literally left a live game, got in his vehicle and left without saying a word. In fact, he left the game so fast that the HB’s photographer did not get a chance to setup for a quick shot of the fleeing umpire.

“I don’t get it”, said Coach Corbett. “That ump is usually responsible.” In disbelief, both teams discussed what happened and agreed that the ump should have called the game a tie because it had run over its allotted time.

Why the umpire left a live game without saying a word remains a mystery. Perhaps the umpire was hungry. Perhaps he had to go to the bathroom. Perhaps he wanted make a cheap “run away!” reenactment from a Monty Python movie. Whatever the reason, this “runaway umpire” made the ending of this match-up memorable.

Andy Wolan is a reporter and photographer for BWCS. This story was not subject to the approval of the league or its clubs.