It rained yesterday. The rain began about 4:30 in the afternoon as I was walking in from the parking lot, and continued for most of the evening. For the first three or four hours, it was intermittent, and the expectation was that we could get a game in. The Washington Nationals are in town for a four game series. They won't be back, and before they leave town this evening, we need to play two games. But eventually, the game was called, and rescheduled for part of a double header to be played today.

We can always expect a lot of calls to the Rockies administrative line - although technically we are the switchboard for the baseball administration staff and other office positions, the phone number is listed with online directories, and we get some ticket and game information related calls on a routine basis.

BUT, and this is a VERY big "but", there also is a phone number we call the "rox fans" line, which rings on one of the desk sets near our seats. This is intended to be one small piece of our overall customer service plan, and the calls are usually from someone requesting a beer or snow cone vendor to visit a specific section. On occasion, a guest calls to report disruptive behavior, or ask some inocuous question about the ballpark. This number is displayed in occasional scoreboard displays during a regular game. But last night, with the rain delay, the series of screens which includes that piece of customer service information scrolled on the scoreboard over and over without any break or interruption. That phone began to ring incessantly, 2-3 times a minute. Everyone with the same question, and a question we did not have the answer to. In fairly short order, my co-worker and I began to feel like we were under siege.

In the event of steady rain, the decision to call, suspend, or delay a game, is made by the ballpark operations staff, personnel from both teams, and the umpires, with input from a link to the National Weather Service. I know from prior experience that it takes a lot of consultation and discussion. I also know that most stadium staff will remain out of the loop along with everyone attending the game. I can easily understand why this situation might seem mysterious to someone wondering if they should stay or go. But if someone asks me a question, and I don't know the answer, the honest responsible reply is: "I don't know."

I only lost my temper once, with a caller who simply refused to let the issue go and would not stop asking me, in as many ways as he could devise, how long the rain would last, when would they call the game, and if they did play, when would they schedule the first pitch.

The wierd thing about this is - anyone attending the game who lives in the Denver area should have been turning handsprings. We badly needed the rain. Out of town guests had more of a point. And to top the evening off, there was one family of profoundly deaf individuals who waited for awhile to see if they would qualify for a refund, since they were returning to Florida today. When the game was finally called, they got the refund form, and brightened my mood considerably by shaking hands and hugging everyone who had struggled to help them, not an easy endeavor when they could only sign and we could only speak. Since we had been pestered almost beyond endurance by literally hundreds of people who were talking to us, to be hugged by someone who was QUIET was a marvelous treat.

I still love my job!