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From the horses mouth:

The first game of today's double header The second game of today's double header Yesterday's game Tomorrow's game

All .... I'm thinning the herd and wanted to throw these out there ...... 1. Old West Vest (Dyna Lite) w/ the throat guard removed, powder coated medium gray by Tony @ Mask-It. The TW pads shown should probably be replaced due to age. Throat guard and visor not included. (2 photos, one of the frame only, one dressed) 2. All-Star FM4000 powder coated matte black by Tony also. The Navy All-Star pads should probably be replaced due to age.(NOT SHOWN IN PHOTO but can provide one) Throat guard and visor not included. 3. Nike Trainer 1 cross trainers. Size 11. Got them used, wore them once, still in impeccable condition! Each mask $40, shoes $40 + shipping PM me please w/ any questions!

Umpires give leniency around any base, not just the plate. Most umpires think of this "base path" rule as only between bases, not the immediate area around a base.

I cannot find any discussion on this question for FED or NCAA but there is help for OBR which I think would also apply to FED. The following interpretation can also be found in the MLBUM and PBUC manuals. From the 2018 Minor League Baseball Umpire Manual (section 5.44, p. 60): “…It does not apply to the ordinary play where the runner misses the plate and then immediately makes an effort to touch the plate before being tagged. In such cases, base path rules still apply to the runner (i.e., he may not run more than three feet from the base path between him and home plate).”

I think it depends entirely on the individual umpire. If you're someone like myself or @Heave-Ho, then stuff like: - City/League Championships - HS Playoffs (one day...) - Legitimate Travel Ball Tourneys for us, at least, IS a big deal, especially when you consider that we're not far removed in age from the kids we call, as opposed to decades or generations in other umpires' cases. Personally the game I am most proud of is my plate game for a travel tourney championship game this past summer that was a 7 inning pitcher's duel between two of the best teams in the age group in the NTX/DFW area. I think I rung up at least 15 kids, which was a total blast, especially since I had started ripping off Alan Porter's 3K call a few weeks prior. So, yeah, it's absolutely true there's almost always something bigger to get to, but I think it's also important not to forget that we aren't all at the same place, headed to the same place, or have the same aspirations. -BR

So, ... at camp over the weekend doing field drills in a field house. The instructor putting the ball in play throws the ball down the first base line and it hits one of the basketball nets that has been raised up out of the way. He says, sorry, do over, but the instructor that's with the umpires in line to work the field says " ok guys, let's say that batted ball hits a bird " fair our foul? I step up right away and say "HANG ON .......the ball hits a bird, ....doesn't it have to be FOWL??!!" LMAO I know, boo hiss, boo hiss !!!

According to the Appendix E Section 1.b: An umpire is urged to seek help when his view is blocked or positioning prevents him from seeing crucial elements of a play. An umpire is also encouraged to seek help in instances when he has any doubt and a partner has additional information that could lead to the proper ruling. If I am PU and I am not sure, I would ask my partner(s). If my partners had information for me I would hope that they would embrace Appendix E 1.c and approach me unsolicited to alert me to such information. I know I would do the same. The philosophy has definitively moved toward getting it right rather than sticking with the initial call.

NCAA is getting better, and work each year to improve...but consistency across the country is still a work in progress.

I've completed the test. I got 4 wrong on the NJSIAA section, 2 wrong on the; 2 on the rule changes...I mixed up the answers when typing;2 wrong on points of emphasis. All of the rest I got right. I tried to do the re-take and it's being worked on by Arbiter. They say it should be fixed in a couple of days. Please share the text of the questions....they are always classics. I'll open a topic...

There’s some classics this year my friend. I’m sure we’ll talk about them soon.

Aw c'mon Rich! Are you really going to keep everyone else from partaking in the joys of our annual grammar and baseball test?

because they get drilled in the ribs if they do.....