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It's like it was MADE for the belt clip!

I always try to remember to pee before the game starts.

A friend of mine shut down a pitching coach in a college game recently. He heard some comments from the dugout, looked at the guy and said, "Who ARE you? The message being that he's not the head coach and needs to STFU. It was also a message to the head coach that he needs to take care of it. The coach turned tail and headed to the back of the dugout. YMMV.

And it comes with that magnificent top handle so you never have to worry about dropping it!

That is one sharp looking rig! Who knew ole Champies would step up like this? I’m impressed! Damn!

I took coach’s advice and bought a couple of these sets. Nice pads at a low price, and easy to remove the Rawlings patch with a seam ripper.

I agree with keeping DH to 2 7's. Especially in the D2-3 Levels. We have a conference playing 2 9's in D3

I think that you have told us 2 really great pieces of information: A. You feel you have lost a step which is great self awareness. B. You still love to call games. Here are my thoughts and to be honest, they aren't strictly for Senior Umpires.......I think they apply to all of us. Get an Evaluation- Not from a buddy and not from your regular partner. If you cant get an official evaluator, then make it an Umpire whose skills you recognize and admire. Tell them you want a serious evaluation. Don't take offense at any recommendations or observations. We all need to know where we fall on the list. Level of Baseball- After your evaluation, determine the level of baseball you feel the most comfortable calling games and enjoy the most. You may find that its time to consider stepping down a peg. You may find that the 60/90 field is too large and be more comfortable at the 54/80 level. You may find that JV and Freshman ball is more enjoyable than Varsity or that Recreation league ball is more enjoyable over Travel leagues. There is a happy medium for all of us. Scheduling- Determine how many games a week is optimal for you to call. Critical to focus is not being overused. You may find your sweet spot is 3-4 games. You may prefer weekdays versus weekends. But being fresh will help greatly in maintaining focus. There was a time when I took any game that was played with a white ball and red stitches. I did too many levels and too many games. Now through the season I prefer to do no more than 3 games a week and none on Sunday. My son plays a DH on Sunday.........I will watch him play over anything. Travel Boundaries- Set your "games accepted" boundaries. Not facing long road trips and getting home at a decent hour helps. Rules and Mechanics Study- Some might find this one odd, but a refresher course on rules and mechanics can instill a confidence level that makes you more cognizant of the applicable rules and current methodologies of Umpiring. Umpiring is not a static avocation. If we aren't continuing to learn, we aren't as effective. Relying on acquired knowledge from decades ago is not enough. Confidence in rulings gives you confidence on the field. I never met an Umpire who wanted to be wrong.....but I've met plenty who don't do enough to prevent it. (Some of the biggest raps on older umpires is not their physical efforts or experience but that they don't use current mechanics, don't like NFHS rules, use their own rule interpretations etc.,) I'd be remiss if I didn't mention these last two. Conditioning- Make sure your body is ready for the season. Preseason conditioning even more important as we age. Stretching before talking the field!. Wear supportive gear. Compression wear and braces help. If your body hurts your focus is less. The days when I could work 8 hours then drive to a game, change on the fly and run straight on the field to chase 16-18 year olds is long gone. Hydration- Summer is here.........Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate.................the first victim of dehydration is focus.........then you. Hope this helps.

Adam Dowdy. He worked several hundred MLB games as a call-up umpire. He also happened to be the lead instructor for plays at the plate and being a 360 degree umpire at the Black and Blue Umpire 3-man Camp last year in Riverside, CA. Dude is a straight up badass. And a super nice guy to boot.

As in all such rules -- just document what happened (player #14 used a -5 bat; his coach claims he is 13 so this is allowed; the opposing coach claims he is 21 and this not allowed) and send it to the league to determine the penalties.

He didn't make a football move...

But "the foot came down!"

Lock it up @Thunderheads

"He comes all the way back in. The foot comes down, the glove is on the railing"......How many other insignificant events can they tell us about?

Hey it looks nice, I’m sure it can serve more than one purpose!

I believe I would pay to see him head butt that d-bag with that shiny new helmet. Can’t stand how he treats umpires.

Why would it be discussed? Pretty obviously a correct call.

Not since the last email I got from Mr Yamaguchi a few weeks ago. I’ll reach out to him as soon as I can here, and see if he made any headway with his potential supplier.

Find somebody to catch for you and go see some pitches in a cage. Ask a local team if you can work a scrimmage or if you can visit a practice and see pitches during side work or a simulated game. Look up a local pitching coach and ask if you can see some pitches during lessons. Whatever you do, though, SEE SOME PITCHES. It's fantastic for your confidence to see pitches in a low-stress environment. Then go to your next game, relax, trust yourself, and do a great job.

Every other sport that last more than an hour or so has a break in the middle just so the officials can pee. Baseball needs one, too.

Weirdest...plate meeting...ever

Last summer I had perhaps the worst game I have had in years, ain't that right @Richvee? Since that game, as @Stan W. has mentioned, I take every pitch on its own. Pre-pitch, I make sure my feet are right, my gig line is properly aligned, my eyes are focused on the pitcher, and I adjust my breathing so that I can exhale on the release of the ball. Every pitch I find the pitcher's release point, track the ball the whole way, and allow my brain to process whatever may come before I say or do anything. If I miss a pitch, I don't let it bother me. I go get the next one. I realize that I am an amateur umpire just like the players are amateur athletes. Every one involved in every game will make a mistake now and again. Its part of the human condition. I also have cut back on the number of games I work. No longer am I on the field 10 of 11 days. Its down to maybe 6 out of 11. In fact, today is the first game I am working since May 31. I am really enjoying my games and it makes things so much better.

And if not... directly PM @MadMax

It may be inside the "new masks" thread on the Professional area.

My starting lineup; Starting from bottom to top; Nike Ti with TW pads and Japanese throat guard. Wilson Aluminum with the Team Wendy pads and it has a Diamond sun visor. the Nike uses the original harness.

What maximum level of ball do you call? I’ll start you out on the narrowest hardshell CP with the tallest range of sizes – the Champion P2xx series. This CP has rapidly become the favorite of MiLB umpires because of how it makes you slim, trim and athletic. Also, it is less than $70 retail, which is a huge benefit to MiLB umpires who have to purchase all their gear instead of having it comp’d to them by Wilson (whose WestVests are $150+) in the Big Leagues. The advanced, modern foams used in the P2xx means it is half the thickness of the bulky Wilsons, too. The P200 is 17” tall, the P210 is 15” tall, and the P220 is 13” tall. I would recommend a Schutt XV, but even I acknowledge it’s a bit broad. The All-Star CPU4000 “System 7” might be a great option. It’s already got the Flex-style harness, the pre-curved carapace plates, and advanced foam to tic all the boxes for protection, performance, and (low) profile.

Nice collection there! Looks like you blacked out the W on the bottom pad of the Wilson Ti, if so how did you do that? Looks great!