(First, a public service announcement via the Nats: The club will be collecting gently used or new baseball equipment -- gloves, tees, baseballs, softballs, bats, etc. -- before the games Saturday and Sunday at RFK Stadium. The equipment, plus a $5,000 grant from the Baseball Tomorrow Fund, will be donated to the National Black Church Initiative Youth Baseball League. Collections will take place at all stadium gates from 1 1/2 hours before gametime through the second inning.)

Now, back to the topic of the day: The umpires' handling of last night's monsoon at Dolphin Stadium. For those who weren't watching, it absolutely started pouring during the top of the seventh inning, yet crew chief Tim McClelland allowed the game to continue for a good 10 minutes. At one point, Jesus Flores hit a routine pop-up to third with runners on first and second. Marlins third baseman Miguel Cabrera looked up, had no idea where the ball was, and threw his hands into the air. None of his teammates saw it, either, nor did Wily Mo Pena, who got caught between second and third. The ball landed just behind third base, at which point comedy ensued. Pena bolted from second base, Ronnie Belliard from first, Flores from the batter's box. Cabrera picked up the ball and tagged Pena, who rounded third still unsure what had happened. McClelland (one of the game's most respected umps) said he called "Infield Fly," declaring Flores out and Pena out for running at his own risk.

It was an embarassing moment on many levels, but that was only the beginning. At the end of the play, it was obvious to everyone in the stadium that the game should have been halted. McClelland, though, said he was told by the grounds crew that the storm would be brief, so he allowed play to continue. Finally, after two pitches to Shawn Hill, McClelland signaled for the tarp as players went scurrying for cover.

I don't want to get into too much of a rant on umpires here, because I don't like shooting fish in a barrel. But here's my question: Has baseball gone too far in instructing umpires to do everything they can to keep games going and to get the full nine innings in? I understand why it's important to try to limit delays and force makeup games. But at some point, they're risking serious injury to a player. It would have been easy for someone to get hurt last night as the game continued under torrential run. Was it worth the risk just to keep the game going a few more minutes before they brought out the tarp anyway?

I'm interested in anyone's thoughts on the subject.