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On Saturday I was privileged to call my first official college games. Had the first game behind the plate. I felt completely comfortable from the beginning. It really helped that the starting pitcher and catcher for the home team were kids that I've called their games 10+ times as a high schoolers. My partner calls SWAC, OVC, and AAC conference games. He was great to work with. He called me Sunday to tell me how much he enjoyed working with me. I was surprised and flattered to receive the phone call. Great first experience. Can't wait to do it again.

Guys, he's right...I would agree that 99% of the time, an umpire is to blame: the guys who didn't take care of business in earlier games.

Twelve below this morning and wind at 25 to 30 mph. After getting one of my Jeeps started I went by a field I regularly work on my way to the day job - somewhere near four feet of snow covering it. But the bugs aren't bad.

Not a clicker, its an indicator. Clickers are novelty noise makers, indicators are what umpires use. And umpires shouldn't use this, so it's a clicker.

Don't use items like scrubbing bubbles or household cleaners. They will cause your shoes to break down. Murphy's Oil Soap mixed with water leaves a residue on your shoes. It looks good at the time, but over time you'll have to work to get the buildup off your shoes. Hand soap, a scrub brush and water is all you need to keep them clean daily. You can also use saddle soap. You can get a big can of it next to the cans of shoe polish. Pick up one of those round shoe brushes, get the bristles wet, load up some saddle soap on it and scrub all over your shoes. Clean off with water and they will look brand new. These are the base shoes I wear - https://www.ump-attire.com/Baseball-Umpire-Equipment/Gear-Footwear/Shoes/MB1000BK_New-Balance-MB1000-UmpireReferee-Field-Shoes-BlackWhite?id=522 I had clay stains on the white & dirt stains on the gray cloth that I couldn't get off. I used saddle soap on them and they came clean and looked like they did straight out of the box. I'll also note, there is a thin black area just above the white on the shoes (between the white and the actual shoe). I started off using scrubbing bubbles and it took the black off of it. I'm pretty sure that's not good for shoes. Hand soap is obviously safe on your skin so it will work well on your shoes and saddle soap is made for leather. Use one of those "instant shine" foam pads and spray a little hair spray on your shoes and you'll have a good shine.

When the right fielder is trying to catch the attention of the cutie in the front row.

Any new guys on this site who hasn't seen this thread ....it's fun, and if you do tournaments .... this makes your life very easy!   No, it's not about mechanics, rules, or situations, but it's here in the equipment forum.  And, ...it IS ABOUT being organized and prepared for you to do the best job you can.   With it being mid-February, and a LOT of us are in the deep freeze, buried under FEET of snow, OR BOTH ..........well ....I thought this would help   Enjoy!

If they're going to combine a brush with anything, they should attach it to the toe of a plate shoe. No more bending over to sweep the plate;)

"During his decade as an umpire, Mike Nagorski found the indicator and brush he was using to be cumbersome and inefficient. Pocketing the indicator to brush off the plate was adding unnecessary time to games, but he had a plan to completely streamline the process. Mike created the Blue Plate Special - a combination of the indicator and plate brush that boasts the quality of the finest tools umpires are using today." Am I the only one who found this absolutely hysterical? 10 years and he never figured out he could hold the indicator in his left hand and brush the plate with his right??

Not a clicker, its an indicator. Clickers are novelty noise makers, indicators are what umpires use. I think he hooked you.

Using 9.01 ( c), I will rule that when two balls are in play, each runner reaching home counts as two runs.

They could think that I have a crappy zone... I don't care. I am confident and know that I am good....of course he apologized? Trust me sir that he could've very easily stayed quiet and not brought it up or even been an ass. You may think that he was simply kissing my ass and I think he was sincere... As an umpire I feel that the umpire failed also when there is an ejection. (99% of the time)... Coaches don't want to get ejected. Let me guess: You used to be a coach? Your 99% statistic is hilarious. Did I fail last year when a partner didn't toss an assistant coach after he threw his helmet then told me to "F*ck off" when I went to peel him off of that partner? Fine but does that happen OFTEN? In all my years in baseball, I have never seen something like that....yes, I played through college then I coached high school. Then I had two boys and coached them....if you are a decent umpire and know how to treat people. You should almost never have to eject a coach.... And there is the problem. Your are still thinking like a coach/player.

Torn? WTF? Did he say why? Kill it! Kill it! Kill it! No other answer is acceptable.

They would need a camera that would cost their annual budget...all in the name of cheating.

I completely believe that the 99% statistic is 100% true 63% of the time on Tuesdays with a 47% chance of precipitation.

One man's ugly is another man's sexy. Just sayin'......

that's why you need to treat your shoes properly.   cleaning your shoes is just the start, and also why that stuff is typically wiped off immediately after

After reading some of the linked threads, I am nervous of some of the products being advocated. Many household cleaners and polishers have ammonia or silicone or other chemicals that, although may produce desirable results, will ultimately harm the materials on the shoes. Maybe the shoes have been made with just as many chemicals and no ill effects will result.

PBUC or MLBUM has the reference.

When would this EVER happen?

OK, so let's get the rule right first: FED: all fielders except F2 must have at least 1 foot in fair territory at the time of the pitch. OBR: all fielders except F2 must have both feet in fair territory at the time of the pitch. In the case presented, the fielder is legal by rule in FED. In OBR, he would not be legal. Proper enforcement of this provision: Ignore until someone complains Then enforce equally for both teams By "enforce," we mean: don't let F1 pitch until the fielders are positioned properly Using proper enforcement, you would NEVER call a balk for this.

@Platejob29 Don't mess with Texas! They DO NOT fool around.

I bought the same model shoes last fall. Wore them a month in AZ. While there I cleaned them with scrubbing bubbles. Wiped with rag. Sprayed with water. Wiped with different rag. Then sprayed with aqua net hairspray. Shined great but not enough for me so this winter I Leather Lustered them. Love that look. Now I will have to just spray them with water and wipe off. LL isn't for everyone but I really like that look. The hairspray trick I learned on here two or three years ago. No damage to the shoes. Noticeable shine if shine not just clean and black is your thing.

That's pretty much an automatic ejection. It doesn't get much clearer than that. He said YOUR zone sucked. I doesn't matter what he said before or after that as soon as he said your he made it personal and that calls for an ejection every time. I get why some people want to only use an ejection as a last resort but that just doesn't work in the long run. That's a good way to lose control of the game and a good way to make things harder on your self when you have the same coaches or managers in another game. Same goes for restricting a coach or manager to their dugout. It useually only makes them more angry and then you end up having to eject them later anyway. The exception to this is if you're working somewhere like Texas where in high school if a coach gets ejected he as well as you have to go to Austin for a hearing where his job is on the line. In that case the coaches have a general under the table agreement with TASO that if they need to e ejected they get restricted as an act of good faith so to speak and they know that for all intents and purposes they have been ejected and they sit down and shut up for the rest of the game.

The definition of foul tip just says that this isn't one. The definition says it's a foul tip, thus a catch if it hits the hand or glove first but if it's a rebound it is not one and thus not a catch. People are trying to make this way to complicated. Why do you think FED (posted earlier) says the same thing? NCAA also says it's just a foul ball. NCAA: Foul Tip SECTION 8. A foul tip is a ball batted by the batter while standing within the lines of the batter’s box that travels directly from the bat to the catcher’s hands and is caught legally by the catcher. If trapped or not caught, it simply is a foul ball. Any foul tip that is caught is a strike, and the ball is in play. It is not a catch if it is a rebound, unless the ball first has touched the catcher’s glove or hand. IT"S JUST A FOUL BALL!!!!

Not a clicker, its an indicator. Clickers are novelty noise makers, indicators are what umpires use.

a "clicker" and "sweeper" in one?

They could think that I have a crappy zone... I don't care. I am confident and know that I am good....of course he apologized? Trust me sir that he could've very easily stayed quiet and not brought it up or even been an ass. You may think that he was simply kissing my ass and I think he was sincere... As an umpire I feel that the umpire failed also when there is an ejection. (99% of the time)... Coaches don't want to get ejected. Let me guess: You used to be a coach? Your 99% statistic is hilarious. Did I fail last year when a partner didn't toss an assistant coach after he threw his helmet then told me to "F*ck off" when I went to peel him off of that partner? Fine but does that happen OFTEN? In all my years in baseball, I have never seen something like that....yes, I played through college then I coached high school. Then I had two boys and coached them....if you are a decent umpire and know how to treat people. You should almost never have to eject a coach.... And there is the problem. Your are still thinking like a coach/player. If this is getting boring, begin reading the "you've got to get the player out of you" thread.

They could think that I have a crappy zone... I don't care. I am confident and know that I am good....of course he apologized? Trust me sir that he could've very easily stayed quiet and not brought it up or even been an ass. You may think that he was simply kissing my ass and I think he was sincere... As an umpire I feel that the umpire failed also when there is an ejection. (99% of the time)... Coaches don't want to get ejected. Let me guess: You used to be a coach? Your 99% statistic is hilarious. Did I fail last year when a partner didn't toss an assistant coach after he threw his helmet then told me to "F*ck off" when I went to peel him off of that partner? Fine but does that happen OFTEN? In all my years in baseball, I have never seen something like that....yes, I played through college then I coached high school. Then I had two boys and coached them....if you are a decent umpire and know how to treat people. You should almost never have to eject a coach.... I've been with you until now. Ejecting a coach does not mean that you're a bad umpire. Getting walked on does not make you a decent umpire. I treat every coach courteously and professionally. However, sometimes it doesn't matter how nice you treat someone because they don't reciprocate that professionalism. While ejection is a last choice, it is sometimes very necessary and should be used at times it is warranted. It has nothing to do with being decent or not.

I was making things up? I'm still waiting for @JaxRolo reaction. Not pressing the like bottom on other peoples comments. I want your comment on how I was making things up. He was kidding. Relax. Are you kidding? HIM? RELAX?!

The major problem with doofus putz coaches is that they are allowed to get away with abhorrent behavior by timid umpires who don't want to look like a bad guy. This isn't a popularity contest. Every time you let someone get away with idiotic actions, you are making the rest of our jobs that much harder when we do what needs to be done.

it's why we're here!    And, ... thanks for searching, even though your question was unique!

That's the weird thing about baseball and ad revenue. They can only advertise during pitching changes and half innings. Instant replay and injuries also allow for some potential ad breaks. Football can have several move opportunities for advertising. I would find it hard to accept that any organization associated with MLB is hurting for revenue. So many advertisers seem to have no end to the amount of $$ they want to shower upon television and radio outlets airing baseball. They can, and do, have spots read by the play by play announcers between batters in addition to what is aired during replay, pitching changes, and between half innings. Radio broadcasts also have sponsors like the Geico 15th out of the game, or the Lowes Home Improvement player whose stats show(ed) improvement. I used to enjoy listening. The number of in game ads highlight that the broadcast is more about the chase of the almighty dollar than it is about baseball. I understand it, I just do not like what has happened to the nature of the broadcast. Chicken-scratch, @Kevin_K... the advertising plugs during radio broadcasts are relative pennies to the stacks of cash the NFL summons out of their corporate partners. As I've written before, the industry buzzword is "metrics" (has been for awhile, but so much more so today). The NFL can guarantee that an advertiser's spot will run at X time. All baseball can say is "Well, we'll place it at the half-inning between the 2nd and 3rd inning, how's that?" With the prevalence of social media (Twitter, Facebook, etc.), advertisers can run an ad, and measure the amount of traffic to the ad's web portal (Twitter feed, Facebook page, etc.). On top of that, with Shazam and other audio-sampling-and-identification (tagging) apps, the app will actually tell you exactly what's playing at that moment on the TV, and will shuttle you off to the advertiser. It's not that baseball is hurting for revenue, they're just feeling... well... inferior to the NFL. The NFL tends to wave these stacks of cash around in the faces of the other professional sports, ala such events as "The Draft", and "Media Day", and the purported success of the NFL Network and Red Zone. We (the public) have been coached and coaxed into believing that our world revolves around scoring, and Red Zone will automatically switch to focus your attention on a game wherein a team is on the verge of scoring (in the Red Zone). Can baseball do that? Can Baseball say "Hey everybody, focus your attention on _this pitch_, it's going to leave the ya... okay... foul ball. Next pitch! Watch this next pitch for the... ball outside. Alright, we promise, this next pitch will... he drew a walk. (Yawn)."? People want story, people want content, people want action and drama. Thing is, though, they've been conditioned to want demand it _now_. Look at it! All of our "favorite" TV shows can be DVR'd, or streamed mere moments after they first-run broadcast. The only thing that still holds a novelty factor is LIVE broadcasts. The NFL has structured its broadcast model in such a way so as to hold the broadcast companies and advertisers hostage. Of the lump-sum of in-stadium revenue, who gets the majority share? Right, the home team. Of the game broadcast revenue, who gets the majority share? Ah yes, the league. In so many words, MLB has market envy of the NFL. It's not that they don't have enough revenue – it's that the NFL has that much more.

It is all ok... they were cheating and got caught but now the benevolent leaders of Chicago are going to honor the little 'champions' because they all feel bad that the big bad LL took their title away. Best idea ever: Cheat Get Caught Pay a price Have someone else in authority tell you that your being singled out because your just children or some other minority Get a new trophy or honor from local Government group Learn absolutely no life lesson Use experiences obtained to further game the system later in life and then cry foul when one day the big bad man actually holds you accountable for your actions. Repeat

I think we all know why runs per game are down and it isn't because of the strike zone. Personally, I try to call as many strikes as I can and that isn't going to change.

"Lets go to the bar"

I follow you, Maven, and you're not being dense. This is the "Ask the Umpire" section, and the "to whom" is our nice guest, who has asked a very good and legitimate question. He deserves a very good and legitimate answer, and Maven is just helping us frame our own inquiry in order that we give it to him, and possibly learn something ourselves in the process. We clearly don't have a foul tip (batted ball going sharp and direct from the bat to the catcher's body or equipment--and not his hands or glove--and first touched in foul territory--iow, the batted ball doesn't rise any appreciable distance above the bat and is also not a "foul fly ball.") If it's not a "foul tip" after it's secured by the catcher (rebound or not--say he trapped it against his body with his mitt and pulled it out with his other hand--that's a catch, and the ball didn't rebound anywhere). Our guest asks, why isn't that an out? The catcher just caught a foul ball in flight and it's not a foul tip. And if your answer is, "because it wasn't a "fly" foul ball, then how come it's an out when the 3rd baseman catches a line drive in foul territory--that ball went straight as an arrow ("sharp and direct") to the third baseman's mitt? I think it's a great question--and I see Mr. Maven socratically leading the discussion.

Guess game times might no longer be an issue. Legalize PEDs. That should get the offense moving again. Clowns.

The rocker step commits him to pitch, so that's "immediate" enough for me. Seriously, if you have to try this hard to find wording to make this illegal, then it's got to be legal.

FWIW: When working alone I find it helpful to imitate what I would do if I had a partner in the sense that I will (very) discreetly give my signals as if there was a BU out there to communicate with. We benefit from being creatures of habit so the more we can keep things constant the better.

Seahawks couldn't run Marshawn on their last play. He was just there so he wouldn't get fined.

It seems there is a strong reverse correlation between player age and parent/coach craziness. The younger the players, the dumber and crazier the parents and coaches. The older the players, the inverse is usually true.

I haven't posted anything but I have been following along. Pretty interesting read. It seems like it has flown by. I wish I could get away for four weeks and go one year just for the experience. Actually I wish I would have gone when I was about 21 or 22.

Way to much going on here. Talk as little as possible. "Coach, do you care to repeat that?" You're r baiting the coach. Whether it sounds like it or not. Also I've never been bumped but if it happens the first time will be the last. Never forfeit a game. Suspend it and let the higher ups deal with it.

Should be ok if it was between innings and had his back turned. :wave:

I know the story. You posting anonymously is cowardly. People with your views are the problem with this great country. Major and Minor League Baseball admitted they acted poorly and offered Jim back his Academy. He turned it down to take a job as an advisor. Less stress. Don't post your crap unless you know what you speak.