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Maybe he's worked with 250 partners because nobody will work with him twice.

I wrote this about 6 weeks ago for catharsis. I wasn't sure about posting it, but what the heck. I've been at this umpiring thing for 25 years. I have seen a lot of baseball and a lot of partners. Yesterday was a whole new experience for me. Yesterday (Friday) actually started out on Thursday when I texted a new-to-me partner with my introduction, when I would be arriving and "Bring black!" because I like wearing black. About five hours later I received a message from my partner referencing his military career as a captain in the US Navy and that he only takes orders from superior officers, his assignors, and his wife. He has worked with 250+ partners and I was only the third person who presumed to be above his station because I was assigned as the plate umpire in a children's baseball game. When we met prior to the game I mentioned that my text was not intended to be an order as a way to break the tension, which was followed up with him advising my that he had been to 3 umpire schools, umpired in the Armed Service League, and he worked with 250+ partners (again). He said he never really understood the whole hand signaling thing, so we went through the typical pregame discussion about coverages, rotations, and hand signals. During the game he did things that suggested that he really didn't have a good understanding of proper positioning, communication, or, for that matter, how high school baseball was played on the field and off the field. As an example, when the bases were loaded and the infield was in with less than two outs, he was in on the outfield grass Little League C. A couple of times during the game I offered a suggestion and was summarily ignored. In about the 5th inning he said that the home team was acting unsportsmanlike because they would occasionally make some noise as F1 was delivering a pitch. If it was that bad, I said, I would have put an end to it. I told him that I didn't think it warranted any intervention and he once again referenced his credentials and how I had nerve to presume that I knew better than he did. (in retrospect, if he thought it so egregious he should have squashed it) The game went into the 9th tied up at 2-2. The visiting team got a couple of runners on and became loud, especially since their JV team joined them (their game had ended already). They began to do things to distract F1 as he would deliver a pitch and I told them to knock it off. Visiting team scores five in the top of the ninth. Between the top and the bottom halves of the inning my partner came in to tell me I should have done something sooner. Home team goes quietly in the bottom half. Game over. As I am handing baseballs back to HTHC and shaking the hand of VTHC, my partner approaches VTHC and advises him that he will be sending a report to the state organization about the other team's behavior. The coach is confused and says there is no need to do that and my partner insists that there is. As we begin to exit the field, my partner tells me that I was played by the HT and I should be embarrassed. He tells me that he will be reporting me to the state as well and I stop walking with him. I then tell him to get my name correct and I spell it out for him. As I walk to my car I have a lovely conversation with one of the parents for the home team about the game, his son, and how beautiful a day it was. When we are at our cars I said that he seemed to take offense very easily and that for someone who went to 3 umpire schools he was out of position a lot, didn't communicate at all, and seemed entirely overmatched in a midlevel HS game. He then asked me if I wanted to settle this like men. I asked him if he was challenging me to a fight. He asked me the same question and reiterated that he would be sending a report to the state. I told him to go ahead and to make sure he sent me a copy as well. He said he wouldn't, I called him a punk, and he drove off. Anyone who knows me will probably tell you that I am fairly low key and there isn't much that gets me all revved up. This guy did it because he was, as my eldest son would say, aggressively stupid. Not only that, he was not good as an umpire. He struck me as the kind of guy who has to hold the upper hand in every relationship he has. I spoke to my assignor about the pregame text, the in game performance, and the post game antics. Apparently this is not the first time this has happened. This person is only the second person I have asked to never work with again. All of my umpire friends will know what to expect should this name appear on their schedules. Thanks for the therapy!

One of my huge pet peeves when I meet a new partner is when their first words are their resume. "Hi, I'm Ed and I'll be your partner today. Nice to meet you." "I've been umpiring for 38 years." "Nice career. What's your name? Or should I call you Blue?" "You may call me Steven. I've started umpiring at 14." Often this same guy is the person you described. Has their own brand of mechanics, isn't in position, makes it about himself. I'm not the best umpire. I never will be. But I try to be in the right position, hustle, and make the calls as I see them. And above all, make it about the game, not about me.

Funny conversation with my son (senior on varsity) and Mrs. Beaker was had a month or so ago. My son was complaining about a strike called on one of his teammates during the regional tournament. "It was at his letters," exclaimed Son. Me being me, I pulled out Ye Olde NFHS Rule Book and read for the edification of Son and The Missus the definition of a strike. Needless to say the conversation ended pretty quickly thereafter.

Yes, but it will be available in another limited color scheme. This is just a render, colors may be slightly different and this is still subject to change.

I’ve just joined your ranks. I’m honored to say I have been hired and begun training with the United States Capitol Police. Though I have a long road ahead of me, I will give it all I’ve got. I guess when I became obsessed with umpiring at age 15, it should’ve been an early warning sign for those around me that I would get into law enforcement 😁. Shout out to all law enforcement and veterans on the site, and wish me luck!🍀

It’s highly likely that I can call an ABS zone a lot easier than they can pitch to one. Be very careful about what you want. You might just get it.

I’ve known Kevin a long time. He’s one the most cerebral, even keeled, personable people you’ll ever meet. To know him makes this story even more mind blowing. To hear him tell the story is even better.

Call more strikes. 😆 Just kidding.

He was shopping for a call. When you put up the "Sorry, We're Closed" sign, he gave up. I call that a win!

I get this look too when I call the actual rule-book strike zone in Varsity baseball. Players look back at you, coaches and parents huff. Why? Because I called a strike above the belt and below the letters? I don't respond to them, but I have found out that you have to swing the bat to hit the ball. If you don't hit strikes, it makes it even harder.

Often times, parts of officiating are not a one size fits all approach. Sometimes you do what you have to do and what works best for your game and situation. I think sometimes we as officials are very stubborn in our ways and reluctant to think of a different approach to certain situations. I do realize that some procedures should be set in stone, but often times there are better ways to handle a situation than the "accepted" norm. I appreciate your thought process on this one. To paraphrase a welder I watch on YouTube, "this is not a how to do it repair video, this is how I did it." 😄 Sometimes the "wrong" approach turns out to be the right one.

Wristwatches were and should be anathema but the current wrist gadgets seem acceptable and I believe I've seen stuff on MLB umps wrists. I was a fill in on an Indy League game a while ago and my crew chief kept asking me the time while we were rubbing up baseballs so I forget to take it off my Casio as we headed out. I'm plate. After the game my partner told me during the game two players asked why I was wearing a watch. He told them I had a hot date that night.

Congrats! Not a LEO here but a first responder. Fire police officer (traffic control at emergencies basically). Stay safe out there!

Congratulations and thank you for serving!

I’m 6’2”, 215lb, and can wear a 44R, but the 44L makes it drape on me properly while wearing the fabulously low-profile DX family of CPs (shameless, shameless plug). My first-ever plate coat was a Fechheimer 46R, and while it did fit me (and the Schutt XV I wore) well, I was… “treading water in it”. In a 44R, with the CP on, the cuffs ride up a bit for my liking, so YMMV. The 44L turned out to be “just right”. If you’re going to a liquidation sale to track one down, or heck – just to determine your size, take your CP along; no shame in that.

With great respect for Mr. Madmax, I don't think it's a ridiculous question at all. I recognize we don't have jurisdiction beyond the fence, but we do have a game management role. I had it in a JV game with very few around in the stands except for a clearly-close-to-the-team parent who was kinda/sorta coaching the players informally doing this right behind a short cramped backstop, so about 3 feet from me and the players. Isolated, rough and ready city field. Two very rough teams, though with excellent, development-oriented coaches. No admin for miles Ridiculous and distracting. Same as relaying signs by someone in the crowd, and I think appropriate to stop. I did address it. Was going to say something to the coach like "Is that a coach over there? If not, please ask your parent to stop signaling the hitter before we continue" and he would have done it, but I opted for the low-key direct approach. Its a neighborhood where there is a LOT of back and forth at the games. "Hey man, do me a favor, can you not call out the catcher position before the pitch?" "hey I"m I'm being polite!" (which come to think of it is a slightly odd response and indicative of someone who may have had similar discussions before) "You are being polite, and I'm not asking you to move. Calling out positions is a little different and its distracting, and I'd appreciate it if you can stop" He grumbled off and I heard the coach ask him what was going on a little later, parent said "yeah, I get it actually." So, it worked. Which I recognize does NOT mean its the right approach. But I think it was right for this game. My other/next step would have been to go to the coach and say I'm going to treat your guy as a coach since I've seen him interacting with you and the team a lot today, and I need you to tell him to stop this, Or I've gotta restrict both of you. Lets not go there. I'll hold the game till he stops, and you go talk to him. Again, this approach felt right and in keeping with the vibe of the day. Have at it.

I have a Davis DX Kuta, bought back in March, wore it 6 times, for sale. $150 and I’ll ship it.

I trim the edges and ride the rest, it's actually closer to 1/2 acre. But good points!

I try and call more of an egg shaped zone. Around the thigh area, you can get away with calling the channels, maybe a ball inside and out. I try and use more of the upper part of the zone, as well. IMO, the high strike is not called enough. A high strike in and out will often get more chirping, as opposed to right down the middle, in my experience. Same on the lower pitches, hence the egg shaped zone. I didn't invent this egg shaped, I learned it from other people and it works well for me. YMMV

@JonnyCat absolutely nailed the meat of my point. I'll get down to the bones of it... What you speak of, here, is context. Within the context of the specific game you were working, considerate of level, ages, location and everything else, and using the authority you are vested by the rules (and, rules that fit/match the context), you adjudicated it in that way. You used authority; you did not impose authority. There's a difference. In no way am I against what you adjudicated on that (singular) game. What I am against is codifying it as some kind of overarching generalization, or worse, campaigning for it as some kind of imperative protocol... to use in all cases. Case in point: Imperatives in bold. And who is this "trainer", and what makes him an authority so as to dictate what's "correct" and "incorrect"???

Welp, looks like I'm buying another chest protector.

That color scheme is nice.

I am required to bring a time piece on the field with me when I officiate collegiate ball since none of the fields I work have operating clocks when these games are played. In fact, I carry two. I have the timer for pitch clock violations and a stopwatch for between innings and pitching changes.

Ultimately, we all work for our state associations, not NFHS . . . so . . . no issue if that is what they are re-writing the rule to say.

I agree with the consensus for Option A. That said, I disagree with MadMax's premise. If the players are 18 and up, yes, it's a ridiculous question. But 13U-17U is not adult baseball. The umps in the video chose A, but the commentator (an umpire trainer) strongly disagreed and said B was correct on game management grounds. The stated rationale was (paraphrasing) "this is still youth baseball; we DON'T want the defense to 'take things into their own hands' and possibly start a sequence of retaliatory HBP. Address it now so it doesn't become a s-t-show later."

I don't know where that Google link has been. I'm not putting it in my mouth, and I'm certainly not kissing my mother with it

I fully believe his "3 umpire schools" were the two mandatory high school association meetings an a cadet on field training day.

Just like the casinos. The dealers make squat and the house always wins.

My wife's nephew was playing at a new complex where we live, so my wife wanted to go watch. It cost $45 for the three of us to get in the gate for a single 14U game (which was cut down to a 1:15 time limit due to weather) at the end of the night. I should get into putting on tournaments.

$65 is low. Especially with that revenue income. Tony Stark can afford it. The outfit I usually work for pays $75/game. Just checked their team fees, and their tournaments run anywhere from $700 to $2,100 with 3 to 5 game guarantees.

It is important to calibrate how it records distance to your steps and it isn't always perfect (though they fixed finishing your steps while driving in a car 1/3 of an acres is 14,518 sq feet. Walking that back and forth (depending on lawn mower deck size) could be around 7,000 feet which is 1.3 miles (7000 / 5280). Unless you've got a riding mower in which case, um, yeah...

I never considered keeping track though, one time at bandcamp, sorry, one time I had my phone tracking and it said 6 miles of movement in the field for a few games. That seemed high as does the 3k squats considering, maybe, 300+ pitches. What does it consider a squat, I wonder?

In all my years of umpiring, I have blocked 2 people. TWO. Both of them very well could have been the guy you are talking about...........................

Samsung Galaxy Watch 7. Had a Fitbit before this and it was good as well.

17U Perfect Game championship. I'm PU. Double play ball with R1/R3, 1 out. Easy out at 2B, banger at 1B, my (very experienced and savvy) BU calls the BR Safe, R3 scores. From my angle I thought BU got it right. DHC walks out of his dugout - towards me. I call time and meet him at the circle. He says, "What did you see?" I replied, "You need to ask [partner's name], it's his call." Instead of approaching BU, he does a 180 and returns directly to his dugout without saying anything else! Go figure.

This is a really interesting topic. I work 13U-18U only for a respected regional organization, and I call as close to the MLB "strike zone box" as possible, as if I could be ABS-challenged. In practice, most of my partners call a flattened oval. Coaches (and parents] are surprised when I ball the outside/inside chalk, but just as surprised that I call strikes up to the letters and down to the kneecap.

$3,500 for Regionals, $2,000 for Supers and now $10,000 for CWS, transportation provided, room provided and $45 per diem. also food in locker room. crew chiefs get extra $300 for working Regionals, Supers, or CWS sighted so far in first 3 games, by box score. not the entire list which was on here but then taken down, which included alternates etc. will add others as they appear in box score. Jason Bradley, Rick Allen, Kevin Sweeney, Billy Van Raaphorst, Derrick Mollica, Brian Miller, Mark Wagers, Brandon Cooper, Linus Baker, Jake Uhlenhopp. sorry for grammatical errors.

thank you. and an article on one of the umpires chosen. https://www.theblacksheartimes.com/article/11597,pchs-alum-bradley-headed-to-the-college-world-series

Many thanks, potential significance noted.

And they never* will. It's just not important (enough) to "them". Huh! What a shame! Wouldn't it be nice & effective to have a device that did exactly what we (umpires) needed it to? With digital interface? And reprogrammable to the intervals that "they" keep changing / futzing with / modifying? 🤔 Huh! Maybe it's something the NCAA/NAIA/NJCAA could look into, or commission?

So I'm looking at getting a plate coat. Living in cold weather northeast. What would you recommend? Which one is better? I assume someone like @MadMax would be an expert in this, as he is in all things equipment.

I'm sure that is not what I meant by any stretch of the imagination.

You mean the "whoops, sorry about that fastball to the ribs"? That's how we handled stuff like that as kids. Not condoning it of course.

A. She's only hurting her own kid in the long-run.

Another formula (I find easier) If the total runners (including batter) is more than outs to get, it’s a time play. In your situation, 2 runners and a batter is 3, which is more than the 2 outs needed, so time play. I always find it humorous when time is signaled with r3 only and 2 outs. It technically is but only situation it could happen is if r3 blew a hammy and crawled to plate as batter is tagged out after acquiring first and going to second. But alas, it isn’t wrong to signal it

If you are not currently an MLB umpire, and maybe a big time DI guy who has been around for a long time, don't do it. They're grand fathered in (it used to be common), but it should not be emulated

Always remember – this is the mask that caused an evil empire to quake, and to finally act. Yup, this was the darling of MiLB umpires, since it's as lightweight as titanium, nearly* as strong, and at a fraction of the premium price (of titanium). The iX3-UMP has that squared XCG so as to easily support a wide array of DTGs, while also featuring an Extended Crown Guard as well, that protects the top of the head from grazing "skull taps". It employs solid I-beam aluminum bars instead of an odd aluminum alloy tube that the Wilson DynAlum is comprised of. The DynAlum has a tendency to shear and fracture more often than the iX3. If the iX3 has an achilles heel regarding impacts, it is the welds "popping", but this is no more or less prone to happen than titanium. The pads are improved over the old default pads that the original iX3 came with. These are double the volume of foam, and are encased in a soft, pliant leather. * - titanium has better ductility than aluminum, meaning that it deforms (bends) rather than shears (breaks). Aluminum has been difficult to implement for catchers' masks, because catchers' masks are constantly experiencing impacts from "secondary and tertiary sources", such as being tossed on the ground, banged on the dugout bench, or crammed into a gear bag. An umpires' mask only (should) experience primary impacts, as in baseballs and bats impacting it from the front, which it's been designed and tested to endure.

Picked one up and it’s quite impressive. Very low profile and the padding is thin. It’s a hard/firm padding (not exactly like the Team Wendy retrofit chest protector padding but nothing like the soft Wilson and Douglas padding either.) I was surprised how light and comfortable it is. The G hook attachments are a bit difficult to work and I worry about them not lasting.

The stop sign strike zone. Wider in the middle. Narrower at the knees and letters.