All Activity

The Force 3 shin guards seem to be the default that I see in my crews. I've had them for the last two seasons and they're pretty solid. It does feel like this is the next area to see some innovation if a new product can maintain the protection, reduce the profile and likelihood that your pants will catch above the knee. I'm betting on the market will figure that out before I need to purchase my next set. Run, don't walk. You won't regret it. This is the only area where I wish I had a brick and mortar store to shop in. I'm confused by all of the available options. The Smitty pants are being bought by most folks and its not because they're the best.

It’s pretty love or hate fit. Not for everyone, but a regular fit is coming.

Really really like the BFX Pro (have the base pants) in terms of material, stretch, and color but think they are cut too thin and skinny. Just my $.02.

We actually have three different pant series now. The 94X is what most people reference as it is our oldest line and does use a heavier fabric. Our two newer lines, are both lighter. The Core Lightweight will probably overtake the 94X in popularity next year and is about 30% lighter then the 94X and slightly lighter then the Smitty Poly/Spandex line. This line doesn't use Spandex in the primary fabric like the rest of our line, but does have a Lycra crotch gusset for good flex in the right spots. The BFX Pro has been discussed here before and that is the most expensive pant in our line up, again newer models have the Lycra crotch gusset, its weight is between the 94X and Core Lightweight and has the best colorfastness to UV exposure. The 94X and BFX Pro are both getting refreshes in terms of cuts, features, etc. for 2027 as well.

Hey everyone, I finally got my left knee replace a week ago (and will get my right one done in September). Thus, my season ended early but I had some success by getting picked to do the State Quarterfinals this year. Still got the goal of getting the plate on the championship game but that will have to wait a year or so. So since I am laid up and bored and achy, I started thinking about getting a tattoo on my scar (not really going to go get one, just thinking about it). I came up with one and asked AI to produce the picture. The description first base umpire down in a stance straddling the first base line looking at the foul pole and we only see his back and butt -- with my scar being the foul pole. Hey! my balls would always be fair! AI still has a ways to go. What I got was: Anyone got a thought on what their scar tattoo would be on a knee replacement scar? lol

Does anyone have an update on the 2027 NFHS baseball rules?

you remember that old drivers ed test of pulling 2 objects together by strings until they were exactly even that i heard about from the old days to check depth perception. sounds like depth perception may have been off. if that is your first and only time with that issue you are living amongst the baseball gods and out of most peoples leagues. instead of moving straight up in the exact same path the ball is taking, you might want to go more towards the side to get more of some type of "angle" on the ball hit to right center if possible, and not get straightlined so to speak, like on a play at first with the foot. many times fielders dont like that ball straight at them, they want it a little on one side or the other. and sometimes crapola just happens and you kick the crap out of the play as jim joyce said. at least your miss was a 1-0 game and not a possible historical making call like Joyce's was, as he so aptly described it himself, with humility. and joyce was a pitcher himself collegiately in the same conference at the same time with Orel Hershiser.

In this particular situation, I knew he was in no position to give help. If I appease the coach, and come back with the same conclusion, two things can happen....A, the coach knows my partner had no look and it throws more gas on the fire, or B, now he believes BOTH umpires got the call wrong. I chose to own my calls. This does not mean I'll never go for help but not this time.

3rd year here and when starting tried a bunch of different stuff and stocked up on the various new gear you talked about. So my beginning covers your gap. Don't have the context of the older stuff for the most part but maybe the "starting from scratch" perspective is helpful. I hope so. I had the budget to choose among the gear, so leaving that out as a factor. Varsity/mens leagues on down in ages. 1)pants GD feel a little heavier than the Smitty Polypro V2 (?) but both wear pretty light. Slight edge on smitty for the heat, slight edge to GD for the non-wrinkle capacity. Like em both, good sales often. 2) Went from the Wilson WV which seemed to be the standard mass market high end one for 2 seasons to the GD enduro. Much better fit, comfort breathability and I don't feel like I've lost any protection. Love it. 3) Again went with Wilson after using diamond and found them the most protective. Then went to Force 3 for sooo much lighter, lower profile and more comfortable feel with the same level of bullet proof protection. I've forgotten they are on sometimes. They seem to be the most well liked among the various options among a broad spectrum of umpires Feels like in general its a true statement that light tech (foam, magnesium, kevlar etc) has been able to supplant bulk in the last bunch of years.

OK. So ... 1. R3 picks up a batted ball rolling 12" foul down 3B line. Judgment is likely a foul ball? 2. R3 picks up a batted ball rolling 2" foul down 3B line and spinning. Judgment is likely a call of Interference? 3. BR accidentally (umpire judgment) kicks a bunted ball rolling down 1B line ... still spinning ... about 2" foul. Foul ball? Lack of intent makes close proximity to the foul line irrelevant??

Again, contextual. I still espouse – to use your applicable term – no jackets on plates. Am I going to demerit or denigrate a colleague or a trainee for using one? No. I might scoop on some sarcasm, primarily to a colleague – especially one who subscribes to my way of thinking on most other umpiring ‘thangs’. Heck, I’ll peibably buy / supply a long-sleeve umpire shirt for him!! … especially if it gets me out of a sub-optimal plate on a bleary, dreary day. What does this matter?? Better, why does this matter??! Shouldn’t competency, integrity, and dependability matter a helluva lot more than sartorial choice??!! And if that sartorial choice, that “professional appearance” is so f#€ꓘing important, then why isn’t that assigner supplying the uniform items to his charges (umpires)??? I posted about them, but they’re not “mine”. They’re actually available via ThighPro ( @concertman1971 ). And, two of the three models have EVA foam padding in them to protect the forearms, because there are some colleagues of ours who endure despite bruising being hazardous to their health. The emasculating assigner that labels those guys 🐈 for wearing sleeves, or taking other protective measures.

We've had some threads before about "long sleeves under short sleeves". It used to be anathema. At upper levels I still espouse no long sleeves under short sleeves for cold weather. Use a long sleeve shirt for the plate and jacket on the base (current fashion being an untucked jacket). For our young impoverished HS umps we don't care what they use to keep warm. But any long sleeve shirt available now is not built for warm weather and probably would not look good if designed to wick and protect the arms. I believe I have posted before about the proper color that an assignor would like such as skin tone like beige but the best solution was posted if I recall by @MadMax which was the various recent MLB sidepanel shirts with a side panel color matching long sleeve. Whose assignor would not allow that?

He shouldn't "know" that if he knows that a BU coming in should not be looking at the B-R all the way down the line. It probably would be the case in this OP unless @lovejoy and @scubabob34's techniques were employed. In any case, the BU should not be on the runner all the way.

Interps regarding intentional touching of a foul ball by player or authorized persons use "chance" to determine INT or not. Nothing that I know of in rules.

Batter-runner bunts down 1st base line. Batter-runner's foot contacts ball (unintentionally) about 3" foul, but it was spinning and moving toward the line. Is there any language in any rules set that says, "The batted ball has to have NO CHANCE of going fair for the ball to simply be ruled a foul ball"???

First of all, don't beat yourself up over this. You did the best you could. As the saying goes, "Sometimes, despite your best efforts, you take one right between the eyes." The only thing I question is why you didn't ask your partner as the coach requested? Of course, your partner didn't see what happened. You know that, but the coach probably doesn't know that. He's trying to support his team. Give him that opportunity. Ask your partner anyway.

But but BUT, Jonny... It's not just any-ol' "people". To my hashtag, No One Really Cares. Instead, it's Assigners – those who hold all the control and governance over "their" umpires in so far as which games they work, how often (or how rarely), where, and who with... and "Evaluators" – those designated or self-deigned "experts" who impose an arbitrary, ambiguous, inconsistent, and oft-contextually irrelevant "Scale of Value". This is done under the banner of "improving (the) umpires" (whom they evaluate), but more realistically, the feedback they give is vapid, self-serving, and occasionally simply justifies the evaluator's role (or the lecherous fee they might charge). Bottom line – Do (or Wear) What You Need to Do to Do Your Job, "Evaluations" Be D@mn3d.

Unrelated: American Legion FTL!! We're right in the middle of American Legion country here. High school baseball isn't nearly as popular. While the rest of the country finishes their high school season and moves on to the more casual, "mess around/not serious/travel" summer ball, we're just getting into the heat of things where American Legion is the only baseball that really matters. It's a dying breed. Related: We aggressively train our umpires to go out on nearly any fly ball where the center fielder moves in, back, or toward right field, or when the right fielder moves at all. We do this for several reasons: 1. With nobody on base, what does it hurt? (As long as your plate umpire can move a little.) 2. We train for three-man mechanics, where we always go out with nobody on. Since we work three-man crews for all in-state sanctioned games and all postseason games, it's good to build that habit. 3. We have a couple of white billboards beyond the fence, a flashy scoreboard, and other background distractions that can make the ball difficult to pick up from a distance. I'm definitely not blaming your homie, but on a deep ball to right-center, I'd absolutely go out on it. He's going to be 150+ feet closer to that ball than you are. As Scuba said, from the field, when we have a ball that could potentially leave the park, we try to get a feel for where the ball is so we can glance at the touch, then get as many eyes on the ball as possible. Then, when the offensive coach comes out, we can get together and be confident in what we collectively saw. Likewise, when the defensive team says, "He didn't touch first base," our response is: "I did not have him missing first base." Not, "He touched first," or, "He didn't miss first." We intentionally say, "I did not have him missing first base," (or "I did not have him leaving the base early," etc.). You're not saying it didn't happen. You're simply saying you did not have it that way.

Dont disagree it’s obviously a takeover/control move by MLB

Timing wise in your OP it probably wouldn't matter but I see a lot of BUs come in looking at the B-R all the way up the line. They should be reading the ball until the B-R nears 1B. Develop a feel for when to pick up the B-R. Yes, I've had coaches nod in unison when we mention visibility issues for HR/GRD at the plate meeting for a certain field.

Here is what we do when working 2-man: We pre-game that in any time where it's less than ideal baseball conditions, any ball attacking the fence has 2 sets of eyes on it, and we give up other, less important responsibilities (i.e. base umpires watches ball and glances at br when he can). If defense decides to appeal br missing 1st, we tell them to pay for a third umpire. Note that plate umpire still has to watch the tag up at 3rd, so that mechanic doesn't change. 2-man is a series of compromises - it puts us in the best possible position for the most likely play. And we have to prioritize - possible home run is a lot more important than touch at first...

Hi, all, After a three-year hiatus, I've decided to again hit the field. I'm stoked! Unfortunately, I let go of most of my gear, and there's so much product out there nowadays, that I'm not sure where to start (besides the mask and plate shoes I'm after). The gear/attire has changed much in the last few years, so any recs would be appreciated. If this is duplicative of other threads, please flag for deletion. Pants: It seems like there have been multiple evolutions on this alone. I even saw that Mizuno has both plate and base pants out. Ideally, the type I'd get would last long, even if the price tags of these are a little higher. Before hanging it all up, I was wearing Honig's polywools for the most part, and I'd occasionally wear GD's poly-spandex. Any recs ? CPs: Speaking of GD, I saw that they rolled out two new ones: the DX Mk2 and the D Enduro. They're both very Power-adjacent, and so, they're catching my eye. I used to have the Cobalt nd Douglas and thought these were okay. Should I go back to one of these or try one of the new rigs? Shins: I was a Douglas-shins loyalist. Sure, they might have been a bit squeaky, but they got the job done. Has anything recent supplanted the Douglas? P.S. I used to fly under Sd181612, but I lost access to that account a few years back. So I profusely apologize if I never reached your message in my inbox. Thank you, all, SJD.

Intentional interference with a thrown ball.

To me, wearing those sleeves is just plain smart. I don't care what anyone would say if I wore something like this (and I do). I protect my skin from the sun ALL the time, not just when I'm umpiring. People think it's a bad look? F*#K off! I'd rather try and avoid skin cancer.