grayhawk

This was posted in Ask the Umpire as well. CCS came out with a post on it, and Lindsey said it's an 801(c) situation, but I would contend that it is covered, as least loosely, but the definition of Touch: TOUCH. To touch a player or umpire is to touch any part of his body, or any uniform or equipment worn by him (but not any jewelry (e.g., necklaces, bracelets, etc.) worn by a player). (Touch) Comment: Equipment shall be considered worn by a player or umpire if it is in contact with its intended place on his person. So if the helmet is not in contact with its intended place (his head) on his person, then is HE touching the bag? This is not like a fielder touching a bag with his glove while the ball is in his other hand. In that case, the glove is in contact with its intended place (his hand) on his person. Seems to me that he should've been called out.

I think it can be made much slimmer, while still retaining its badassness. I aim to find out.

On a more serious note, this is in Definitions in OBR: TOUCH. To touch a player or umpire is to touch any part of his body, or any uniform or equipment worn by him (but not any jewelry (e.g., necklaces, bracelets, etc.) worn by a player). (Touch) Comment: Equipment shall be considered worn by a player or umpire if it is in contact with its intended place on his person. So if the helmet is not in contact with its intended place (his head) on his person, then HE is not touching the bag. This is not like a fielder touching a bag with his glove while the ball is in his other hand. In that case, the glove is in contact with its intended place (his hand) on his person. That's my story and I'm sticking with it (until proven wrong, anyway).

Runner detached equipment on a thrown ball. Subtract 2 bases.

I was there last Tuesday and there were three chairs. Since I'm the crew chief, I will take it upon myself to sweep the floor! Gotta take care of the crew!

I'm thinking the AirGel would be better than the Gel Max Protect.

Jose? Thighpro?

ShockTec is going to send me samples of each product in the different thicknesses. That will help a ton with deciding which one to use. One option I am considering is just riveting (using the Chicago screws) the padding directly to the layer under the shell. I never remove the pads to wash them anyway (ick!) so being able to remove them isn't really important to me.

Mainly to make it slimmer, but it's good to know that the pads are still available.

Thank you @ArchAngel72. I appreciate you taking the time to do that. While the Cobalt pads would likely "work," I would like to do something more custom. Going with Umpguard or doing it on my own seem to be the two best options at this point. My last plate of the season is Friday, and then it will be time to knuckle down and start the process. I have a Force 3 that I can use in the off-season if it takes me some time to get this done.

I was thinking of buying the ShockTec pads and then using the fabric the existing pads are in. My fiance is very handy with a sewing machine, so she could sew them back and make sure it's a tight fit. Just not sure whether the 1/8" or 1/4" padding would be best. Probably the 1/4".

That's an interesting suggestion. I wonder how thick those pads are and if they would fit the S7.

Ahh yes, the Grayhawk mod. It has served me well. I do like working with my hands and would get a lot of satisfaction out of doing it myself.

Easy, if it's a single game, my partner gets the plate. If it's a DH, then I get the first plate.

Some genius on X insisted that the catcher "had his entire head on top of the plate" and said the rule is stupid because the catcher can just dive his head into the path of the bat on the backswing to get this call. I felt it necessary to remind him that catchers (or anyone, really) don't like to get their heads hit by large sticks.

Honey, I'm home... I've taken a few years off. Not from umpiring, but from posting online. Lots of life changes over the last few years. I lost my wife of 27 years in 2020 right before covid was sprung on us. I was blessed that we were able to have her memorial before everything shut down. I started dating about a year and a half later and have gotten engaged, moved from my home in Laguna Niguel, rented it out, and moved in with my fiance (Kristin) in Oceanside. We are getting married on July 20th. On the umpiring front, I stopped doing HS last year to focus solely on my college schedule. I work D2, D3, NAIA and JC. It's good to see some familiar "faces" when browsing the site!

I have an aging All Star System 7 (the most protective CP ever made, IMHO), and I am looking to refresh it with new rivets, which are rusting, as well as find some new, lower profile padding. This MAY reduce the protectiveness of the CP overall, but I'm willing to trade a tiny bit of that for a huge reduction in the profile. Here is some padding that I found that seems to be protective and reasonably priced: https://shocktec.com/product/shocktec-air2gel-lightweight-impact-protection-products/ Looking especially for any recommendations for padding that others have used to retrofit their CPs. Any thoughts you have would be much appreciated!

Hey there! Yes, I have been away for...well, for a long time. It's great to see many of the same names here! I'm thinking of retrofitting my All Star S7 with new, thinner padding and also replacing a bunch of rusting rivets. I figure if I'm going to do it right, there's no better place than UE to get some tips. Now I need to find the right size Chicago screws, or purchase a riveting tool.

What method did you use to remove the old rivets?

Wow Jeff, that time will come for all of us, but I'm glad you are hanging it up on your own terms. I thought 2018 might have been my last, and not even close to on my own terms, but I know it's coming at some point. Congratulations on your retirement and for being an umpire's umpire. Forever in the brotherhood...

If we are not handling baseballs and the teams are throwing them in, how are we supposed to ensure that every baseball has the NOCSAE and NFHS stamps and are fit for play? This is a requirement, not a suggestion. Fact is, we don't know what the hell the team is throwing in.

Interesting solution. A friend of mine has the same problem and he wears tights over his shin guards to prevent snagging.

As you said, it's the way it reads. My point is to take in the entirety of the play and use all available information to make your call.

Your task is to nullify the act of obstruction. So you would need to judge that the BR would have advanced to second if not for the obstruction to award him second base.

You made the call on the release? It worked out because he airmailed it, but you've got a huge problem if they just make the play.