I can honestly say, you are going to be disappointed a lot during your kid's TB career if you're that fired up about a rainout. It happens. I know it's frustrating. I've been there more than once. But none of us know if there were other circumstances in any rainout we've experienced. Some parks have contracts that only their employees can make that call, not the TD. There are parks that don't allow anyone but their employees to work on the fields. For instance, one rainout we had a couple years ago was at a park where only their employees could work the fields. They had 7-8 fields running, but only 2 employees. So the park owner called for the cancellation. There's nothing a TD can do about that. Before you hang the TD, consider that maybe his hands were tied. I know at Sunny Lake, the city does all the field work. They don't allow teams or TD to do it. At least they didn't used to. I don't know about Streetsboro.
Ill preface by stating I'm new to this softball stuff (daughter is a first year 8u player) but that I was the parent volunteer to take care of our field and I'm an MBA... So I have a tiny knowledge of crap fields and a lot of knowledge about managing an event (not necessarily softball events, but the logistics translate)
I agree with all those upset, because frankly this whole thing sounds like a clusterF and like the "solution" was come up with on the fly. It just sounds like there was no contingency for rain or if the field owner couldn't get the field ready... Both of which would be things I'd plan for for rec league, yet alone for a tournament where there's this many people paying good money.
I get with that many teams and games to be played it's a huge undertaking, but frankly by what's been described it sounds like they went it assuming good weather.
I'd also want to know the definition of "lost the field" because that seems to be different all over.
I also get that the TD has no control of the field operator says no... But would it be unreasonable to contact some of the community fields in the area and have them in your back pocket. You could check them for specs, but most would not care at all if you did the prep work yourself and most are close to drag and go condition given the time of year.
Sounds crappy, but which is worse, having to get last minute directions to a community field 5 minutes away or paying for a softball tourney and getting a coin flipping contest instead?
as for "10 minutes of rain" I'm pretty educated in upset person speak to know that means more likely a half hour downpour after a wet night. That being said, as a volunteer for my kids team on a community field that is one of the worst in our area for rain... I've taken a field at 3:30 where the home plate area was under 4-5 inches of water and made it ready to be lined and played on with these tools: a shovel, a rake, a push broom, my lawn tractor and our field's drag (made of a 2x6 with lag bolts drilled through it and a 4 foot square piece of old rusty chain link fence)
Was the field a 10? No, heck to be fair to myself our field on its best day is a 7, but I'd say it was a safe, very playable 5.
as for the outfield grass... Well if the grass was unplayable after "10 minutes of rain" the TD didn't do a good job vetting the facility they rented to play the tournament.
Just my opinion. Take it as you will.
(BTW, if I'm managing a tourney and I contact a facility that has 7-8 fields and only 2 people to care for them and won't allow coaches or tournament officials to assist in the case of rain... I move on and find a different facility.)