I've mentioned once or twice on this blog that I sometimes dream about the stadium. Prior to the season opening week in April, my dreams are sort of reunions. I find myself at the stadium, usually encountering changes I'm not prepared for or imagining fantastical outcomes of the season about to begin. But this is the stuff of nightmares.

The article says that about 200 ticket holders stayed until the end of the game. With their eyes on the cost of keeping stadium staff on the clock, stadium managers probably closed most seating areas, and fans were allowed to move to seats of their choice, most probably where one or two ushers could keep an eye on all of them. Beer sales would have long since been discontinued, perhaps one concession stand with food and coffee might have stayed open. The rest of the usher staff and probably all but one usher supervisor would have been sent to clock out.

At Coors Field, the lobby door would have been locked and the crew I work with would have headed home for bed after about an hour.

BUT - field security staff, at least a couple of cops, the information booth staff, a skeleton ticketing staff, and the egress staff at at least one gate - probably the one closest to the parking lot - would all have been told to stick around. Parking lot staff; clubhouse attendants; behind the scenes security staff; game day staff in the press areas; and also the crew up in the control room who manage the scoreboard displays would all have stayed on the clock.

The various news articles I've read have concentrated on the travel schedules of the umpiring crew and the teams involved. But I immediately began to translate what I was reading into the consequences for those who are game day staff only.

Because of the scoring situation, as a baseball traditionalist, I think the umpires got it right. That doesn't mean it wasn't the stuff of a really, really bad dream!