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Did the same, just got it today. Seems to fit well. Will break it out next game. I’m over caring what people think and too old to care. I thought about it this way. Some people may think it looks weird or whatever. How many of those people would visit me in the hospital, or worse?

After watching the video and reading the posts I bought an All Star helmet. I honestly never thought I would go with one. I’m going to give it honest try. For me it’s like the dangling TG. Why take a chance? So far it’s been pretty easy to wear and get used to.

<not to hijack this thread> Interesting look on the pant length. Must not want to show his shin guards in the crouch.

Looks like a typical playoff crew that's working their first 3 umpire game of the year.

It means you need a Mirage as your one and only 😁

So as best I can tell I'm done with the HS season. The public school regular season ended on Monday and it's Friday and I haven't randomly been assigned a Catholic school, so I think I can call it now. Let's start with the basic numbers: worked nine games, with one cancellation they forgot to tell us about (half pay, woo!) and one rainout they told us about early enough where we weren't at the field yet, so 11 times I had something show up in Arbiter. I set up my blocks to be open for three games per week and basically always got two so that was definitely noticeable to me. My HS org is pretty big where I don't think they're lacking for bodies and I wasn't trying to bother my assigner, but definitely felt like I could've gotten a few more games in. My partners were always more experienced, as you'd hope for someone new to HS, and I had two partners that were also working some level of college ball, so that was neat. I also randomly managed to have one partner three times, which felt a little surprising for an org this big. As for the actual games, they were largely uneventful. Four of the nine felt particularly competitive and only one game felt like it could go either way entering the seventh. I managed to work four mercy rules and another game that ended 12-4 or something else that felt over by the third inning but couldn't quite get its way to the 10 after 5 threshold. The biggest issue that came up was "did that batted ball touch the batter in the box?", which was a point of discussion in a pair of games. I had plate and the fielding team coach came because he thought a single should've been a foul ball, but I didn't see it and my partner didn't see it so the fielding team coach definitely let out an annoyed "what are we doing people?" or something like that but when he came to me with a lineup change like 20 minutes later he seemingly got over it. Then I had a pretty obvious foul ball off the foot working base I saw, plate ump let it play out, we conferenced and overturned it in about five seconds lol. When I pregamed with one of the college guys he told me that if it looks obvious to you as the base ump, give the plate ump a second, and if it hasn't been called, then you can call it foul, which I found really helpful and will definitely be something I try to use going forward. I also had a runners lane correct no call, which felt nice to get right, actually managed to check off the classic "no white/grey long sleeves for the pitcher" during the windiest game I worked and I finally got to actually call an infield fly multiple times because I swear I never had one last year. I will say for all the emphasis the NFHS test places on the admin, non-gameplay rules like its version of the DH, CRs and the one-time reentry sub stuff, none of that felt like it was within 500 miles of coming up as an issue in any of my games. I don't think the test should get rid of them, but the ratio of "what happens if you pinch hit for the catcher then CR him?" vs "is this obstruction?" feels pretty skewed in the wrong direction to me. I definitely got helpful feedback from my partners, but right now my main thing is I wish I had ways to practice certain scenarios on-command with more experienced umpires offering the training. Like give me a group of HS kids fielding and running the bases and have someone hit fungos for certain scenarios for us to practice how exactly the mechanics should work at game speed. Like I know if I'm plate, my base umpire is in A and they're staying on the line to judge fair/foul down the RF line then I should take the plays on the bases, but it's something I'd feel much more confident in seeing it practiced in a controlled setting. I'd also love "is this a balk?" training where they just have someone do assorted weird-looking things on the mound and we have to figure out if it's just weird or an actual balk. Perhaps the camps offer stuff like that, dunno. As for the rest of the baseball season, I'm definitely fine with sticking with my local rec ball org I worked with last year. I told my assigner as professionally as I can "I'm a HS ump now, don't you dare give me any u10 games" and he's respected that. My HS org does have a bunch of travel, but none of it is in my county and I'm not exactly someone dying to drive over 30 minutes to a game. The HS org does have fall ball weeknight games, which intrigues me as something I'm pretty sure my county doesn't offer, but otherwise I'm prioritizing shorter drives and less intense games even if working travel with the HS org would probably offer more valuable reps. I think if I write any more paragraphs I'll learn if this site has a character limit lol but yeah, that's year one of working high school in the books! 😎

He's wearing the LE Orange version.

Today I learned that some masochist/sadist put together a 10U travel ball league that included balks.

+ Chad Whitson in a DX Kuta

I'm not sure on this one, that isn't an Enduro he's wearing in the pic. The one that he's wearing has a different neck pad and that orange trim appears to be plastic. I have heard that Chad Whitson has an Enduro also, but haven't seen him in it yet. It's hard finding recent pics and I don't get the opportunity to watch many games - and the highlights I catch seldom give me enough close views to notice umpire gear even though I'm looking!

Thanks so much for the insight!!

#3 - Call up Dexter Kelley

I've worked about a dozen games with mine. Still getting used to it. I still get the feeling that the mask is resting on the brim rather than secured to my forehead. That may be a function of the bulky padding and weight of the F3 mask. The UE-endorsed solution is probably to buy a different $300 mask but with high school season winding down, so are the game checks. So far, no strikes from a bat. Two foul balls have bounced off my head after hitting backstop netting extending over live-ball territory.

I get what you are saying, @834k3r … my issue lies on the printed page more than the execution.

@Dpayner, you can essentially "rebuild" that Carlucci part for part, provided you are, or work with, a tailor / seamstress of some care and competency. Each of those worn out straps can be unstitched and replaced with new material, like-for-like. That material is easily found on Amazon. For example, you'd need 1.5" heavy-duty elastic to replace the straps on the harness. Personally, I would change the anchoring system from one metal-wire clasp to G-hooks; I could talk / describe you thru the steps involved. There are several leather tabs and loops that could use a replacement. That can be done, again, with proper stitching, some rivets, and some new leather. Best bet is to plastic-weld that crack on the chest plate. It's not critical, but it's not something to ignore. All the (rusted) rivets can be replaced, either with new stainless steel rivets or aluminum Chicago screws. It's a beautiful piece, and CeCe really was a master craftsman on it. Now, restoring it would take some work and effort, but it's straightforward. However, you're pondering about taking it apart and using components teamed with a bullet-proof vest? Ehhhh... The problem with a bulletproof vest is that you're decreasing the breathability factor. I can see wanting to replace / improve / augment the leather-encased pad vest on your Carlucci, but by what you're suggesting, you're only making it functionally worse. To keep the "heritage" and spirit of the Carlucci, but technically improve it, I would deconstruct the leather pad vest completely so I have the two leather panels alone to work with. I would then construct a new pad vest core from either homogenous TPU-EVA foam, or perhaps make my own "foam sandwich", or retrofit a pad vest from another CP (such as a Force3 UnEqual V1), and encase it with one (or both) of the leather panels from the original Carlucci. Make sense? It would be some work, surely, but this is more of a labor-of-love-and-respect than trying to rush and make a functional CP of it.

yep, goat rope mechanics

Now, this poses an interesting question. 🤔 Because a HR is a dead-ball event, there is no "time clock running" on how expediently a Runner must run the bases; it simply states he must run and (presumably) touch the bases in order. Additionally, a Runner can be substituted for, and can assume / resume the Runner's circuit of the bases. The Runner does not have to run/touch the bases prior to be subbed out (yes, of course, the Substitute now has to run/touch the bases, in order, from the point of substitution). If we call an Out for Passing, then we are calling out BR (at point / time / instance of passing), and disallowing the/his run scored... yes? I can see you all nodding, yes... okay... However, if/when we make that call, it's likely that R1 magically reappears and resumes going to Home plate and touching it. On the other hand, if we still allow BR to complete his circuit, and score, that means we're not calling an Out on the BR for passing... which means that either we have R1 out via some other means, or we "observe but do not yet rule" on R1's failure to touch HP (and legally score). So, we have to wait for an appeal. Which is it? PS: PU did himself absolutely no favors, not only by not rotating to 3B (like he's prescribed and supposed to), but by turning his back on R1's location. R1 is his responsibility. If you watch the video, he observes from 90 feet away as R1 touches 3B, but turns his back at the critical moment when R1 disappears, and doesn't complete his circuit to HP. How do you score a run that never actually scored?

... And it's a 3-man crew?? ... And there's a kid out-of-uniform (green T-shirt and shorts) prominently amongst the congratulatory Smash Group?? I can see why PU "took it" it went over the fence between the LFFP and F7 running that way. However, U1 wouldn't / shouldn't be slashing in. The rotation should have been PU continues down the 3BL to 3B, judging F/F (Fair) and HR. Stay at 3B for both R1 and BR. U1 would / should then watch touch at 1B by BR and "ROTATE!" down to Home to replace PU and watch touches of Home by R1 ... who... dis... a... pearred...

No, dead ball, R1 out, Batter awarded first base and runners return unless forced which didn't happen because R1 was out.

These are really hard without video. Use the rule book as your supporting document...does the batter make any movement to hinder or impede? Unfortunately it seems as though the F2 has gotten poor instruction from somebody who things they "try this little hack that umpires don't want you to know"

I felt like I was in bazaro word today. JUCO DH. Plate for game two. Pitch just below the knees. “BALL” …. I’m waiting…. Nothing…..few pitches later, “Ball that’s out”…. Nothing again. Close pitches all day…. And not a word from either side all day besides the occasional oooh or aaah. Maybe I broke the streak? Maybe I just didn’t suck today?😁… either way it was nice hearing crickets for a day. 👍

The bench jockeying nonsense - where teams are more concerned with dissing the other team than just cheering - is filtering our way. They think they can laugh after calls, chirp us etc. The problem with baseball is we have limited tools. There isn’t a penalty box, a flag to throw, or a technical foul to assess. Those are easy things to toss out there. Immediately hurts the team and/or player. Gets everyone’s attention. In baseball…you can remove them from the game. Nothing else matters. If I don’t remove you from the game, you’re going to hear back from me. No, I’m not ignoring it. I can’t believe the number of players that will chirp at umpires. And if the coach is a moron, going to him isn’t going to help anything. I wish we had something else. Removal for periods of time. You’re next at bat is an out or forfeited. Your team loses an out or the other team gets a runner. I don’t know. But we need something.

Alex/Ken, I'd like LL 4.06 and or LL 9.01 prohibiting coaches and players from making a mockery of the game...for $100, please? ~Dawg

I think there is a "ready to hit" requirement somewhere. He can't be ready to hit without a bat. Regardless, if you've got two brain cells to rub together and an IQ above room temperature you shouldn't need to find explicit written instruction before quashing this kind of bullSH*#. I've not seen, but have heard about an asshat coach who did this exactly for that reason - 'cause the kid struck out looking the previous at bat. As a coach on the opposing team, I'm doing "something"...and that may end up being a full report to any appropriate league/association, but I probably won't do only that. I'm not interested in that farce. I'm asking the ump to make the kid bring a bat, and/or asking the ump to dump the coach. I'm either intentionally walking the kid, or if he did get a bat then we're grooving him a bunch of meatballs. I will literally fight the coach if he takes exception to my position. I'd be admonishing his team's parents for allowing that nonsense too. I'd implore any umpire to recognize that this is wrong, at any level high school or lower, and that you're the authority figure and you CAN do something, including tossing the coach.

Another sighting…Nick Mahrley

We’ve talked about it. The thread usually ends with “We’re never gonna see this anyway” Well, here it is. For those without FB. Second inning. R1. HR R1 rounds third and heads to the dugout?! https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1CrbvydUwC/?mibextid=wwXIfr

I’ve got a force 3 and a mag. I use the force 3 for HS, and usually flip to the mag for travel games like a 12u. Anytime I put the mag on after a string of HS games, I definitely notice that the sight lines are far worse in the mag. I don’t know if that means the force 3 is that good, the mag is poor, or somewhere in the middle, but it’s significant.