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I'm not great with geometry...but I feel like all of the bases would need to be bigger. Yes?

I can see how/why you’re reading it this way; instead, I’m reading it from a different way, wherein the (permanent) presence of 18” bases – including 1B – does not disqualify a venue (field) and prohibit (or prevent) a game from commencing. You just know there are strict NFHS Apologists (as umpires) who will take the strict letter-of-the-law to its full degree, and will not let a game start – or worse, will forfeit it – if a double-base isn’t installed / installable at 1B. By including this optional provision, and codifying it, this allows High Schools to use neutral-site, professional or contractual venues without burdening… resources… to accommodate this new HS rule. All that is how it should be. Hopefully they update 1-2-9 appropriately to allow 18" bases at 2B/3B.

Play in question. I read this is "Yeah, I saw him do it. Don't want to call it since it's ticky tack but now that the Offense called it out I have to call it." Like a slight F1 shoulder turn after set in a 12U game. That the pitch then got counted (as a strike) and not wiped off, only to then have it turn into an a K, and have to be unwound is where the real issue and EJ came from. Balk Undclared Coach Called it out SF vs Colorado 2026.07.11.mov

And more exposed to rolling ankles when you hit raised (or mountainous) grass-dirt lips. I used to wear flat soles shoes exclusively off field. Got away from it with back/hip issues (that they probably had nothing to do with) but am now getting back to them now as my year winds down.

goodness gracious, double bounce effect, sprains/strains/sore joints, you are getting decrepit/aged/elderly/ancient/etc now. u didn't worry about that stuff at a certain phase in life. pretty soon comes the dinosaur or the i'm not as good as i "once" was, but "once", i'm as good as i ever was, phase. what about that old Vann's pair i have heard mentioned before.

since it is that former dirt ball D1 coach to the D1 guys every year and that was a PITA to the D1 guys, i think requesting a crew review for a balk and getting one (just like a, did the ball hit his hands or foot on a pitch, or did the ball off the bat hit off the player's foot crew review situation) was a neat idea. he got his answer and then used his cheap shot on an umpire walking away (and where does that line always come in - umpire walking away, just like player walking away). ejection could not happen to a nicer dirt ball guy.

I favor Brooks Glycerin 22's, use Nike Air Zoom Terra Kiger 7's (trail shoes) on "deep grass / traction needed" fields, and still have New Balance VAADUs just for wet games. I'm on the verge of getting Brooks Cascades (again, trail shoes) and something else from Brooks that are... flatter... so I can wear them without strain on turf. The Brooks Glycerin, like Hokas or New Balance 1### shoes, are so plump and plush, they can create an untrue, double-bounce effect on your legs, potentially causing sprains, strains, and sore joints.

I do personally think most of these could be left up to state associations to adopt or not depending on what works where they are. For example, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana don't have sanctioned High School Baseball. South Dakota has had High School Club baseball, but it's not sanctioned and is just a preseason to the American Legion season. American Legion is the much more popular baseball. It uses mostly OBR, with a few things that they haven't adopted, (expanded runners lane, bigger bases, coaches mound visits). They do already have delayed dead ball balks. So when the High School season starts, we have many more people that get confused as to what happens when a balk occurs and a pitch is thrown or it's on a pickoff than not. (Yes, it's simple to all of us/you that have worked a ton of games. But, the boomer whose been doing American Legion for 20 years, watches the MLB on tv 7 nights a week, and now has some High School games, it's harder to grasp.) I just think that so long as states aren't playing high school games against each other, most of these liberal rules can be left up to state associations.

But still on the release. Correct?

Nobody has replied to my challenge to show me a sideways pitcher who you could not tell if he was going to windup or pitch from set. I found one. Mahle. But it's not a pretty story. SG - CR Saturday 7/11, T3, R3. Mahle F1 is the pitcher who even I can't tell if he is going to windup or set but his windup is a miniscule free foot stutter step to HP. He delivers like that for a swinging strike and 3B coach asks why wasn't that a balk, he didn't declare. Umps get together and balk it. Looks like a crew I don't recognize except for PU but you gotta focus on the little things a pitcher does. Calling the balk after the 3B coach asks does not look good. 3B coaches are looking for tells to send R3s and umps should be looking for those also. So score the run and let everybody know that was a no pitch. Didn't happen. PU called a second strike which had two fingers and called batter out after third strike. Somebody asked and batter went back with 2 strikes. Ejection followed. 👍 🙂 😀 💯 😄

Here's a perfect example of calling for common-sense umpiring. Call the strike, call "time" and have a short conversation with the coach about him calling "time." The first question would be, "What was that all about?" I would then politely warn him that he would be restricted to the dugout if it happens again. Since there was no advantage gained since the pitch was called a strike and nothing else happened, I believe just warning the coach would be the best route.

I have the Jordan TRunner. I like them. It’s a running sole not a turf sole.

Honestly, I have heard nothing but bad things about those. I’m wearing mizuno running shoes on the bases right and they’re great

Have you tried the Mizuno Ambition 3? I saw them on ump-attire and liked the look of the mid cut. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Nike Air Max 270 golf shoe They were on sale a couple of years ago 2 for 1

Mizuno shoes are the most comfortable I’ve worn. They’re always on sale too. usa.mizuno.com

Local umpire on plate https://www.mlb.com/press-release/press-release-umpires-announced-for-2026-all-star-game-presented-by-mastercard?msockid=3211c333866860543bead4a087ba6109

If you search Hoka or New Balance on here you'll find threads discussing base shoes. Only thing I'll add is running shoes are fabric so early in the year dew can be an issue (large or small, your call). As for keeping them clean, @The Man in Blue gave the great suggestion of throwing them in the washer (though my wife wants to have words with him about that).

NFHS allows you to put him on the bench Max! If he is one of those ass hats who thinks his own rise to the show allows him to act like a two year old on a sugar high, the restriction will likely be far worse because he can no longer become the center of attention for all to see. Only the other rats in the dugout will be the beneficiaries of his antics. As an added bonus, the first time he tries to come out you get a a second opportunity to call him out as a tool by halting any further peacocking in public view

Same tightness, just have to grab your helmet and frame at the same time, kind of right at the top corner of your mask and it’ll just come right off

Patrick with Umpire Classroom usually has pretty good info and covered the changes: According to his coverage, the 18" is for first base only. Also, not in the press release but he says there is supposed to be an editorial change to the rule book that RLI requires the throw to come from behind the runner.

Oo! I stand corrected… Drake’s not wearing a DynaTite… that’s a black @Whosyourcaddy -supplied Icon Ti (which I nicknamed the Boe-Ti … get it?).

Ah, he’s one of those type-of-coaches. These ex-pros (and recently, too) who are part of, or form their own academy/travel-ball team. Occasionally, they’re control-freaks, and have their players (trying to) do(ing) all these complex things in situations so as to exert “pressure” on the opposing team. They count on having local umpires who either kowtow to their having been a pro, or are old (or “way too young”), and they can “outfox”. While I like @Velho’s and @Coach Carl’s interpretation and imposing a penalty reflective of the “crime”, I can also see @Richvee’s point. What if the pitch had been a ball? What if the pitch had hit the batter? With runners aboard, what if the pitch had been wild, and allowed the Runners to advance? The offense should, in no way, benefit from this shenanigan. So, with this being amateur baseball (< college), it’s best practice to call No-Pitch, with the penalty of a strike because the batter left the box during the pitch. Then, just lay into that “coach”. I’m not going to let him even get that far. Whether I’m on PU or BU, I’m going to verbally chastise him, starting with he can’t just “call Time” (coaches request Time; Umpires grant / call Time), he can’t just walk in the field during Live ball, he can’t interrupt a pitch like that… need I keep going? I’m going to throw it all on him, right up front, and there won’t be any “wriggle room” for him to even argue anything. The only reason I wouldn’t outright dump him, is in that environment, he might be the only “coach”, and if dumped, his team likely forfeits; I wouldn’t want to affect his players so drastically due to his attempted antics. It’s bad enough when a coach makes a mistake and leaves his pitcher in longer than (limited) pitch/inning count, and we’ve got to forfeit the game.

Charlie is wearing a pretty unique combo. The lower pad is our Tango2 Universal and the upper pad is the Shear3 in the pad sock.

I can see how/why you’re reading it this way; instead, I’m reading it from a different way, wherein the (permanent) presence of 18” bases – including 1B – does not disqualify a venue (field) and prohibit (or prevent) a game from commencing. You just know there are strict NFHS Apologists (as umpires) who will take the strict letter-of-the-law to its full degree, and will not let a game start – or worse, will forfeit it – if a double-base isn’t installed / installable at 1B. By including this optional provision, and codifying it, this allows High Schools to use neutral-site, professional or contractual venues without burdening… resources… to accommodate this new HS rule. If we really think about it 🤔, this “covers all the bases”, to employ the pun; a HS could use a college ballfield, and it would have the double-base, whereas a pro ballfield, of each level from inde-pro thru MLB is going to have the 18” bases. As an example, we would have a HS “game of the week” at Chase Field in Phoenix; you better believe they’re not going to put a double-base in just for a HS game. Even the NAIA and JuCos using the 15 MLB/MiLB facilities we have around the valley use the 18” bases.