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OK, Here goes.... I've been doing this a while..16 years. 14 high school varsity, 7 Juco, D3. Without sounding overly cocky, I think I'm a damn good umpire. I've seen and heard all the horror stories about poor sportsmanship, confrontational parents, etc. Sure, I've experienced it, but it's been on rare occasions, and the overwhelming amount of the times, I've had respectful coaches, players, and to a lesser extent parents. Fast forward to this year. I thought it was me. I was starting to think my zone was inconsistent. Starting to think my judgement might be off. I know I'm getting slower. Maybe it's affecting my game. I've been talking with some trusted colleagues, and it seems it's not me. The umpire hate is reaching new levels. The overall tone of the games, attitudes, it's filled with anger. Dirty looks from hitters from every close strike, looks of astonishment from fielders on safe calls that aren't even that close. Batter runners stomping up and down when they're put out at first by a full step. Fielder yelling a runner is off the bag when I'm right there looking at a hand on the top of the bag, coaches looking for help on routine plays, (Not asking ..Demanding "You GOTTA GET HELP). Grief on check swings, no matter if I call a strike as PU, or go for help...As BU, whatever I call on an appeal, I'm gonna hear crap from the other side. I had to give a college coach an official ball/Strike warning in the 8th inning with his team leading 22-1. Another one a few days ago after his starter walked 7 in 2+ innings...Most were pitches his catcher couldn't even catch. Besides the ball/strike stuff, these aren't issues or actions that require warnings/ejections. Just ornery attitudes... No one's happy with anything. Yesterday, as we're leaving the field of a home team run rule win, a group of passive- aggressive Dad's start in as we pass loud enough to be sure we're hearing them "Every call goes against us, they all suck this year. They got it out for us. Where do they find these guys? They won by 12, yet they still found the need to make sure we heard them talking about how much we suck and that foul ball my partner called against their team in the second inning. ... Last week we're leaving a college field and after we pass a group of ignorant morons who were on us from the start we hear "Better luck next time, blue." It's taking a lot of strength to ignore. I thought it was me until yesterday. I got calls from two colleagues in the span of a few hours lamenting the sme issues, and questioning if they want to do this anymore....It's not been fun this year" is what I'm hearing over and over. Is it a bad stretch? Are attitudes worse? Am I worse? ....I'm rained out today. and you know what? Part of me is thinking "Thank God". I don't like feeling that. I want this to be enjoyable. It has been for 16 years, with the occasional misbehaviour here and there. This year it's rampant. The table has completely turned. The polite, no issue games have become the outliers. I'm going to put a big part of the blame on social media and the amount of umpire hate being spewed. From national media outlets, to Joe fan's ignorant hatred...It's trickle down to where players, coaches and parents all bring their keyboard warrior mentality to the field. Or.. Is this the way it is across the country, and somehow I've avoided it for the most part for 16 years?.

Thanks to all the replies. It all helps. I'm sure it's a bad stretch that will improve. (Doesn't mean I can see the end of the college road not fay ahead. Special thanks to those who have said I've made a difference in their umpiring career. That's the best compliment I can ever receive. ❤️

Took an 80-ish mph foul straight to the eyes wearing my Mirage with Cloud pads yesterday. Felt the impact, sure. 3-4 fans and both varsity coaches asked if I was okay. Honestly? It was a non-event. Thanks for a great mask, @DerekGDS and team!

Vanity, vanity... all is vanity. What difference does it really make? If the association you're auditioning for is a solely collegiate association (or, alternatively, led by collegiate umpires), I can venture an experienced guess why they perseverate on sartorial details like this. Insidiously, it's not someone who's 80 years old; oh no no, instead, it's someone younger... think mid-40s / 50s... What's absolutely maddening, is working for one particular association/assigner, who insists that we are to "look like the Big League guys", yet another association – often at the same or similar level of competition – insists, nay mandates, that we are not "Big League guys" and we will never wear that style of uniform (ie. shirts, shirt colors (ahem, Wisconsin just a few years ago), jackets, pants, etc.). Like that assigner / association head has a chip on his shoulder, or a grudge against the Big Leagues because he... oh... ohhhhhh... I get it. 😉 Again, if you provide the uniforms, then you have all the control and justification of directing what we wear. If ya don't... If you're too freakin' cheap or that much of a control freak over your little fiefdom...

I had the opportunity to work a HS game at Busch Stadium yesterday. 3-umpire crew. It amazed me how big the field felt and how small the stadium looked from the field. I started the game on third, but we swapped after 4 innings, and I went over to first. First play was a BANGER . . . they showed it up on the scoreboard . . . It was my day. Home team up to bat, down 1. R1. Batter hits it to left field and the left fielder misplays it. We are off to the races. PU rotates up, and I rotate to home expecting this to die at third base. It always dies at third base. There is a reason this is the Holy Grail. It never happens. Roundin' third and headed for home . . . no idea what color his eyes were . . . but here he comes. Ball firing in, head first slide . . . and I get the BIG SAFE call on the play at the plate for the winning run. And yes, I did it. The plate was already dirty, so why not. I think I should retire now.

There's a rule in the NFHS rulebook I will never enforce. Sure, I will acknowledge it, and recite it if pressed, but you'll never see me "enforce" it. Never. It is the most useless and unnecessary rule in the book. There are several adjacent to it that are real eye-rollers, and when you're an experienced umpire – at any level – you can summarize them as, "Thanks for the reminder, Overlord Obvious". But this one – this particular one – rule is the best embodiment of pettiness, pedantry, and the frankly arcane thinking that members of the NFHS rules committee employed in the past, and its continuance in the book (perpetuity?) just shows me that the current rules committee isn't quite "with the times" yet. Here goes... <ahem>... Rule 10, Section 1, Article 9 – Umpires shall wear gray slacks, and navy pullover shirt or state association-adopted shirt. Are you purchasing the uniform items for me, or providing them to me? No? Until that day comes...

Another sighting…Nick Mahrley

There’s a confession – by the industry – to make on the Adams XV. The orange foam on that one? It wasn’t D3O. 😲 Yes, the Schutt XV was true-blue (err, orange), genuine D3O. Schutt was able to employ it on the XV, at a relatively scandalous price point (≈ $89), because they had sourced it from D3O for their football helmets and high-end shoulder pads. Schutt has had a terse, toxic rivalry with market-competitor Riddell, and has lost several lawsuits between the two. This put Schutt in a precarious position in 2018, when they were acquired by a private equity holding company. The PE firm restructured them, and their assets, and split their departments up (ie. sports). Officiating gear was relegated to the Adams sub-brand. As a consequence, Schutt lost its relationship with D3O, and their Adams gear could not use it. So, starting in 2018/19, the Adams XV’s were equipped with a generic EVA foam, dyed orange. Here’s where I need to disclose a secret, and confess – I didn’t use it. When my original Schutt XV plates gave out (cracked) in 2019, I was given a “new” set of plates from an Adams XV, sans the foam jacket, and transplanted my genuine D3O foam vest to them. To its credit, that D3O has lasted 10 years of near-constant use, primarily in SW-USA environments, and in MLB velocities. Not. A. Hiccup. So we’ve disclosed, the Adams XV is not real, genuine D3O. Only a Schutt XV from 2015 (debut) to 2018 has it. But even then, the D3O being used on the Schutt is not the same D3O on Davis gear today. It has evolved, of course. Same “mechanics”, but it has certainly improved. One of the big telling points, as you’ve noticed, is pliability. It’s less springy, more… spongy. More like putty than trampoline. That allows it to conform to the user’s shape more/better than simply sitting atop it. Someone a page back mentioned heat-bending the plates, and the XV wasn’t particularly good at it. Like its football pad cousins, the XV’s plates were primarily cast in ABS, but with a twist – because they shared the same molds as shoulder-pad plates, Schutt had “perfected” their shape to be as low profile, curved, and thin as possible, and likely optimized the recipe with a hardener so the resulting plate held its shape instead of creeping (flattening out). That, or they might have used polycarbonate (which is used for football helmets), which would explain the high-shine gloss finish on a brand-new XV. Note that Douglas, Wilson, Champro, Champion, and pre-Cobalt All-Star CPs all were… semi-gloss… more like satin. Telltale ABS (without an additional lacquer or finishing spray). Point is, polycarbonate is a b!+€h to heat-shape. I know… it took me many, many hours to shape my original XV, cycling between a heat gun and a freezer. Yup, the freezer. However, the +POS Cobra, the All-Star Cobalt, and now Davis DX-family CPs use HDPE (high density polyethylene), which while more expensive, retains its shape better with less material required.

I took my first glancing blow in my Enduro on Saturday. Varsity ball, batter fouled one back off my arm/shoulder guard - I didn't feel a thing beyond the impact! CP fits great, is aerated for cooling, is comfortable to wear and protective. Everything that one could ask for in a great CP!

Stunted growth. At 19 years old, it should have grown up to a full 6" by now.

Too bad those plate shoes/brush combo that ump-attire put out as an April Fools joke weren't real! I saw do whatever you need to do and to hell with how it looks. It's a miracle you're back out there!

Like it or not, those platforms are the way people are communicating, connecting and “learning” and that’s not going to change. If you want a new generation of umpires that are educated in the field, I’d suggest some of the excellent knowledge, experience, and talent on these forums be apart of that future and join in the conversations on those platforms. Heck, if @MadMax were smart, he’d start a TikTok channel. He’s got the knowledge, the personality, and the looks to be a REAL benefit to the profession as an “influencer”. A good chunk of the information being shared by “umpires” on the gram or tt is just crap and, outside of myself, its rare to see anyone respond with actual rule book quotes. There is almost zero information on gear. Zero information on positioning. Heck, half of the umpires on those platforms don’t even use obstruction/interference correctly. I try to steer some of the young ones here but they don’t understand forums, to them they are all boomer Reddit trash. Believe it or not, umpires are generally well liked on those platforms (more tt than gram), coaches and parents do make very positive and supportive videos and comments about us, far more than you’d imagine.

said Gen-Z umpire here, You are correct that a light comes on when they are recording; however, some products/businesses block/drill through the light, disabling it. The same goes for the Oakley Meta AI glasses.

I have had worked several games with @Richvee this year and probably close to a hundred with him in total. He and I are good friends and I enjoy working with him, poking fun at each other, and sometimes getting dinner after games. He and I have had the "Is this worth it?" conversation this year and I am beginning to think there is merit in considering hanging 'em up, especially for those 9-10 hour DH days for JUCO. Rich is a very good umpire who is technically sound and has good judgment on the field (I did say we were friends, so off the field judgment may be suspect). I think I do a pretty good job on the field as well and I am seeing a lot more of the stink eye, the histrionics from pitchers, and catchers shrugging when the dugout asks about location. I also officiate volleyball and I have issued more yellow cards this year than in several seasons combined. Perhaps the solution lies with the tools at our disposal that maybe we need to use more often. Rich and I were working a bad JUCO DH when there was an unnecessarily hard tag at 3B from a team that had been getting its ass handed to them all day and of course the runner had to come up shoving F5. I got in both of their faces and used language I probably shouldn't have but my aggressiveness immediately got their attention and the situation was diffused. I also had to issue my first official ball/strike warning this year to a team losing by 15 runs in the third inning. Truth told, I kind of relish doing those things sometimes. Like @SH0102 just mentioned and @BigUmpire used to say frequently, shooting one monkey usually gets the other to fall in line. Maybe that approach will work. Maybe not, but at least you may have the chance to work on your ejection mechanics. And fans aren't worth anything except the check they write for teams to pay our game fees. I treat them like red-headed step children (sorry gingers). Keep at it Rich. You enjoy this too much to let the rats take it away from you.

Not sure if others are seeing this, but “by me” there’s a lot of turnover of high school coaches and you’re getting younger and younger head coaches who don’t have relationships with umpires and/or “don’t know how to act.” The days of the 20-30 year head coach by us are really over. I think that feeds into a lot of the chirping, complaining, and problems.

Congrats on the regionals. Have fun!! D3 playoff implication regular season DH Saturday, Juco finishing off the season Sunday, and a Juco playoff next Saturday. That finishes off college for the year. I'm also struggling with what the future holds for me. I'm getting slower, aching more. I'm not sure the travel and grind of college ball is worth it much longer. Weekend Dh's mean out at 9AM the latest, probably 1-2 hour drive, home around 7-8 PM. It's wearing me out. But the ball and money is good. It's the northeast, and especially this year, the weather sucks.(we're still in the 50's..low 40's at night) Being out there in 25-30 weather makes me question my sanity. The friendships and comradery of college ball is second to none. Weighing the pros and cons....I need to figure it out.

This is my biggest gripe with the original version of the DaviShins. While I don't have a simple solution, it is a big factor in the updated design we're working on.

Exactly, even worse when it's a volunteer based organization. I'm looking at you Little League. Until you want to buy the shirt and the patch you want me to put on, there will be no patch on the shirt I purchased. Same goes for our HS association and their gaudy oversized 1970's-esq patch. Love it how they mandate the uniform we have to purchase and what to put on it. Oh that's right, we're independent contractors. I almost forgot.

I do think interference should have been called. F2 stepped right on the bat, and even if it hindered him for a brief moment, it still hindered him. Think of some obstruction calls that are made in MLB where the runner is barely hindered and those calls are still made. However, I do not think the protest will stand unless the crew's explanation was that the batter-runner didn't do it intentionally or something else that showed the rule was misapplied.

When’s / Where’s your next game? I’ll bring my (infamous) clipboard! And I promise to say much, much more than, “Guhr, your timing was good.”

Straight forward FPSR violation. Should wipe the smile off R2 as it looks like F5 was not trying for a DP but R2's violation puts the B-R out also. "This is a safety and an interference rule. Whether the defense could have completed the double play has no bearing on the applicability of this rule."

Tell me you are over the age of 55 without telling me...................

Agreed. Intent not required to call interference by a retired runner. Get two here.

IMHO this is an underappreciated quality of the Enduro. With both my previous CPs (Champro then AS Cobalt) I would have to pull them up regardless of how I had the straps, because they'd slide down (I swear I nearly broke my collarbone one year, but that's a different thread for a different day). The Enduro has no such issue in my experience.

Same experience for me with the Mirage frame on Sat in a Varsity game. Fastball fouled straight back to the middle of my mask. Mask on ground at my feet and dead silence from the crowd, waiting to see if I'm good or not. Coaches start telling F2 to walk the ball out, but I just tell my partner he jinxed me because he asked me how it felt to get hit in the new mask prior to the game and I hadn't had it happen yet of course. So he's apologizing from C and I'm laughing it off behind the plate and calling F2 back so we can keep moving. Buy the best and stay safe out there!

In our association, we are told to be "coachable". Listen to your chief during and after the game and make note of their feedback. Yes, sometimes you will receive incorrect feedback. If you aren't sure about feedback you receive, run it by your mentors. If you don't have a mentor, run your feedback by ANY member of the Board. As described, your partner made a mistake...three times. As described, you gave accurate direction AND...you were diplomatic and professional about it and not personal. He decided to take it personal. You can't control what he does so, you're answering your own question here. I don't work with people like this U1. I just don't. If I have to be on the field with someone for 2-3 hours working a game, I want a professional and respectable vibe. We don't have to like each other. We do have to respect each other. Block him in Arbiter and be done with this hump... ~Dawg

Anyone see that shot to Scott Kennedy this weekend? I wonder if a skullcap would have prevented the knockout? I know I’m sold on wearing it. After four years, I won’t go without it.

NFHS Varsity game, bottom 1st. The starting pitcher had been using the windup legally for 2-3 pitches. On a 2-strike count, after stepping back with his non-pivot foot, he came to a complete stop -frozen like a marble statue for 1-2 seconds - before continuing his delivery. Probably trying to disrupt batter's timing. As the base umpire in A, I called time, called an illegal pitch, and added a ball to the count. When I walked toward the mound to explain, the HC - a coach I've had a good relationship with over several years - immediately said, "He's been doing that all year!" I honestly believe him. I'd bet no umpire had addressed that pitcher completely stopping mid-windup. And while that's not my problem - prior non-enforcement doesn't change the rules - it got me thinking about the broader issue. There must be rules that coaches are justifiably frustrated about, not because the rule may be unclear, but because umpire enforcement is so inconsistent they genuinely don't know what to expect. A few that come to mind right now: Pitchers wearing white or gray below the elbow / white or gray on the glove Fielders wearing play sheet wristbands on their belts Running lane violations What rules do you think belong here? And do you think inconsistency is more of an attention problem (umpires not noticing violations), an ambiguity problem (the rule itself is unclear or isn't covered well in local meetings or clinics) or an appeasement problem (the umpire doesn't want to be the "bad guy" by enforcing it)?

The 20-seconds between pitches... not between pitchers. The batter and pitcher have the same time limit... because of that it is unenforceable.

Rich, All good stuff shared here, and glad to see someone mentioned you’ve made a difference for them; that’s the highest compliment. I agree no single act mentioned in the quoted post is warning worthy but persistent actions in a game are. Kinda like how the first snarky comment to the other team doesn’t get a bench warning (unless it’s real bad). But if it keeps going, here it comes, even though that single comment isn’t awful. The point is to prevent the other team from reacting and now it goes back and forth except now you’re the other team in your situation. “Hey bill, none of your guys have said anything horrible, but the constant questioning of every pitch and call is making it hard to stay focused on the game, can you help me out here and tamper it?” Now, if it happens again, you give the warning , then again, eject. If they’re dumb enough to get to the eject after a kind “help me out here” and official warning, oh well.

I'd just like to say that as a 3rd year, 57 year old umpire with aspirations to be better, you have been a helpful and inspiring voice on this forum for me since I started and I'm sure thats been true for others. Sounds like you are in a tough stretch and I hope it gets better. But you should know that what you do and share has a really meangingful impact. Thanks.

Early in the year, I was hearing quite a bit of umpire grumbling for being grumbled, but it seems to have dropped off. That or I'm just not hearing it as much. I've been lucky this HS season . . . probably because I've been much more selective on what I will do. I have cut out 2 of 4 assignors, and that eliminated a significant percentage of the local schools for me. Many of them were places I wasn't being sent anyway. I'm not sad to see any of those go. OK, maybe a couple of schools. I really cut my schedule back this year. I have not done more than 3 nights in a week, and that 3 night week only happened the week I was on Spring Break. I am saying NO daily, even as I watch 5-10 e-mails a day begging for umpires. In recent years, I have been at the point you are at, @Richvee, and right about this time in the season. I don't know what the future holds for me, but I'm not hating it at the moment because I have taken steps not to. Physically, I am questioning myself. I'm 51, so I know I am younger than most umpires, and I still move better than them. However, I don't want to be them. I don't want to be 70 and standing in one spot "because we need umpires." If I can't give it my best, I don't want to be a detriment. I know I need to lose some weight, but I am not any heavier than the last few years. That said, I am not moving like I used to and I am sore far more often. I think I am not going to work as much summer ball, and may work on losing some weight to see if that changes things. Just some theories of a rambling old man: As for the general attitudes around the game . . . Are we at the point that the generations of entitled travel ball kids are reaching JUCO? I'd think we would be well past that, but we know it got worse and worse each year (just like my freshmen classes get lower and lower when they come in each year). Has it just aged up? Add to that many JUCO teams are glorified HS teams, and mommy and daddy still come to the games. Social media? Sure, that's part of it. I would say the general state of the world is going to make this a bad summer for baseball umpires. Not just the ABS system in MLB, but just the depressing state of the country and world, a crumbling economy, and gas that has jumped $1 here in the last few days. People look for somewhere to take it out, and isn't that what their check and gate fee entitles them to do?

Rich, I don’t know you but I know what organization you work for. the comment “nothing warrants an ejection” is not accurate. USC warnings are team warnings, use them, and use them early. guys stomping, throwing arms up, saying things are demonstrative actions and are USC. Shut it down, give that official warning the ncaa loves, and then eject someone if they don’t stop. also, If you feel you’re almost done who cares? I won’t say where but I had a series this year, first 2 games were church (blowouts), third game was competitive and got very chippy. We issued warnings to both teams, half inning later we had an ejection. Rest of game 3 and game 4 were church. Shoot the first monkey, the rest of the barrel falls in line. I know those tests and answers make it seem like we can’t warn and eject much, but our job is to control the game. i am not saying go be a red-a$$, but if the grind is so bad you’re miserable, you’re at the warn and eject if it continues stage. fans, nothing can do there; try to find humor in their ridiculousness best wishes for last couple weeks

@wolfe_man on your F3’s remove the Velcro padding and move it up just a bit higher…. Problem solved.

If they were creased well enough that wouldn't happen.

Fit for me (for the alternatives) is: Easton EvoShield Rawlings If i recall correctly EvoShield had the most vents but I think its ugly. All-Star is superior in every way besides the shape compared to all of them though.

I eagerly await the Insta/Snap/FB/Tik/What/X/etc. posting(s) that are sure to come of this, and you to get branded a killjoy. Happened (in)famously to me! And that was for a tiny "finch" camera on the visor of the batter's helmet! I'm surprised you didn't hear the "but they're prescription, Blue!! How's he supposed to see out there?! It's a safety thing, ain't it??"

We need to remove the term 'hybrid' from ours and coaches' lexicon. There is no such thing as a 'hybrid.' It is either a pivot foot parallel to the rubber for a set position, or it is not. And, the pitcher is only allowed to do certain movements from either position (college and pro's with the exception of 'declaring' what movement they will use ).

Thanks for bringing that up. I help my local association with clinic training and local association meetings. I'm coming up with presentation topics for next season and one of them is consistent rules enforcement from a coaches perspective - with specific examples. While coaches whining "that hasn't been called all year!" isn't always believable, coaches get frustrated when legitimate and obvious rule violations that have NEVER been called are then addressed by an umpire mid or late season. Then it really can be an issue in the playoffs, especially the later rounds with officials are under added scrutiny.

It's a term all veterans will know. BCG = Birth Control Glasses = Glasses whose frames were so thick they were practically indestructible. Also made for highly effective birth control because absolutely no one thought they looked nice. The female versions had a similar name that I won't go into here.

I have low expectations for the movie.

FWIW - my understanding is that a Batter or B-R can be protected from interference when he accidentally contacts a misplayed pitch. In the OP he is not a B-R, rather a retired player and therefore does not enjoy any protections from being called for interference. Grab both outs.

One suggestion before pulling the plug, is there video of the game available that can be shared with him by someone in a position of "authority" in the association? Perhaps seeing his mistakes on film will allow it to set in. If he is not interested in the feedback, then perhaps post season is not for him and he will make that abundantly clear to an assignor. Otherwise, it sounds like time to blackball him.

It's good to see Hunter (Wendelstedt, for those who don't follow) back on the field as a full participant. I see he's wearing a hardhat ("skullcap") on the bases. I suppose it's good to be preventative. I wonder if anyone's called / been calling him a sissy, and if any supervisors are telling him "It's a bad look." 🙄 #WearWhatYouNeedTo

How timely. Not to be too preachy but if you have a PU partner that is knocked out cold on a pitch, you do not allow him to continue the game. First, go single. At a minumum, take the plate if your partner is a stubburn fool. Take his spot. As an board, mandate your concussion protocol for members and remove assignments for ones not following it. As a umpire conference/state association, do the same. Mandate teams report umpire concussions to state associations. Maybe allow on-site team trainers to make the decision of removing the umpire in this situation. Independent contrators? Who cares if one's brain is involved, especially older concussiees. Get them off of the field. Seems like common sense to me, IDK. Rant (personal feelings for a real situation that I found out about last night): You are such a FF PD that you wont complete a game by yourself, when your partner sustained a concussion. Take the selfish cape off and do what is right for someone else. And you wonder why and complain you dont get plum assignments after not giving two pucks about your partners. No one wants to work a game with you because they expect to have to cover your ass. Been there, done that. Rant off.

🤨 Then what about... Ah. Yeah. These guys. Now, while I don't disagree, nor do I give any less respect to these (let's face it, Little League) umpires, I do not give any more, unduly. Why? It has nothing to do with them (the umpires), it has to do with Little League as an institution; there is no way – no way – that you can expect your officials to produce high-quality work, unpaid and voluntarily, while your institution has media deals and revenue streams that rival several financial institutions.

I'm not coming at you, but curious how you saw him. On most of the fields I work, once they leave the dirt circle they're getting out of my direct line of sight as I tend to keep eyes forward towards the pitcher and the field. I've found that I might get to see/hear more than I really need to/want to if I keep looking into/towards dugouts too often. You may have had a good reason to look over, so I'm not judging, but I would encourage you to be careful that you're not looking over too often. It can lead to paths that we would prefer not to go down.

How can you tell an MLB manager from a Muppet? If there is a hand up their ***, it is a Muppet. If it is head up their ***, it is a manager.

Well you're never getting from HS to MLB with that attitude!