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Lou, you must not know many umpires at all. … … … or you live in a “Navy’s all ya need!” state.

I have worked on this for Gibby a few times and can confirm it is an original Douglas WV

Misplaced the comma. Thought you were looking for a long, lasting pen.

Why, because the sofa-cushion foam is rather insulating, and you're kept nice and warm like a blue sea lion on these chilly winter night games? The great big yellow "W" stands for Walrus.

This needs to change. Below Major League Baseball games, the Plate Umpire is the only entity that can make a dead ball Live, and the only way they can do that is to either point and/or (audibly) call "Play". Umpires must understand this is very much a requirement. Exactly. We (umpires) don't call a Balk because we were mistaken, or deceived, or embarrassed for feeling negligent in our job of knowing the location of the ball. For a more thorough discussion of this, check out this topic: To reiterate... you/we/any umpire cannot Balk this. It is simply "No Play". Because the conditions / requirements to make the ball Live were not met, then the act of making the ball Live was never valid.

* just my 2 cents "The Wolfe Man" is probably one of the best at how he handles sales. Not that I am anyone here, just noting what a great person Wolfe is.

It is difficult to really understand all the rules of baseball and situations that can arise. (For me) reading the words in the rule book can only go so far without examples of the application of the rules and the nuances that come up. So thanks to everyone on here for helping out and taking the time to answer questions. I've become a better coach, and now a decent umpire, because of this site. Toggy

I use this. It takes a little longer to write the changes, but the penmanship is exquisite!

I'm not an umpire, but for a creative writing class I wrote a short story about one. The profession is interesting to me. This story isn't based on any real person or event, just a figment of my imagination. Wanted to get the opinions of real umpires, though, to see how I can improve the story. Please only reply with constructive feedback! I understand I probably got a lot wrong, as I know very little about baseball. short story.pdf

Is this the s#!tty end o’ the stick?? @834k3r, would that make The Wolf of Wall Street a Leonardo DiCaprio film… … or a Margot Robbie film?? 😍

OFF TOPIC, but this cannot go uncorrected. Looking at the catcher, dugout, playcard while off the rubber is not a balk in any code.

Is this sarcasm? I think this is sarcasm... ... ... at least I hope it's sarcasm.

I heard this from another supplier also. We all figured it would be coming, but it hasn't happened - and now it's here. It just doesn't make sense for TW to keep making mask pads, there's not enough profit in umpires when they can make millions in military, law enforcement and fire department products.

https://www.barcodelookup.com/045888460188 I'm a fan of the Sarasa gel pens. I've never had a problem in the wet. High school coaches, being teachers, will bring out their lineups in black, blue, green, red, purple, or whatever. Oh yeah, well I have BROWN

I second this. Active voice. It's hard, it takes work, but it makes a difference and the reader won't even realize why. Kind of like umpiring. 😉

I'm an amateur Grammar N@z! so I'll help...I think. Some comments: Personally, I would delete "had" and changed the tense of the verbs that followed and revise the passive voice; "the kid at bat hit the ball, ran to first, but the first baseman tagged him out a split second..." I think here, the long form (as opposed to the contraction) works better: "[i]n this line of work, you are your own team." The rest of my comments are more about style than outright errors. It was enjoyable, and I could find myself in Jeremy's position.

Hey, cut me some slack. Lol. I am only 16, I don’t know any better.

Yup! You can see the edge of that floating plate looped over the lapel of the coat.

I personally write only in MontBlanc… Ok, all seriousness, the PILOT G2 07 pens are the best pens ever. Always write with them, writes in all weather conditions (including the cold). I like red ink the best, so I can see it better from the coaches writing. It dries fast and write extremely well! A lot of MLB guys use it too. Do not waste your time, send a extra 4 bucks to buy these pen, it does not run out fast! They write very similar to your old sharpie fine markers too!

Yes, that's OBS. I won't change the requirements on R3—touching HP in a certain time frame—because F2 obstructed him. The entire need to go back to touch HP is (as I read it) the result of the OBS. Again, as I'm reading it, at the time of the tag (which presumably would be the end of playing action, as it would be the 3rd out), I'm calling time, ruling OBS on F2, and awarding the touch of HP to nullify the effect of the infraction. This OBS call is essential to make. The runner properly avoided F2—and I usually make a point of telling him "good job" for that—and failing to get OBS here penalizes him for proper base running. Even had R3 gotten back to touch HP prior to the tag, call the OBS when it happens and let R3 know he played it correctly. Not sure whether you are an umpire, but runners 'touch' bases, fielders 'tag' them.

"Goo goo, ga-jube.." does that make the platinum wearers The Eggmen? I can vouch for the Cobalt as well. Though I do not use the extention. So it is not a problem.

This is your second post recently that does not make any sense.

If you intend to enforce the rules as written, you'll call a balk if the ball is live and there are runners on base! Also, FYI, the reason the rule says "within approximately 5 feet," is because many high school fields do not have a grass infield.

Correct. You can't balk with a dead ball. On the OP -- the wording is to prevent some sort of "accidental balk" where F1 happens to cross (or be on) the mound within 5' without the ball. Play" F1 throws to F3. F3 fakes a throw back to F1 while F1 is still within 5'. If R1 (nearly) immediately moves off the base and is tagged out, it's an out. If f1 move farther away from the rubber, not a balk. If F1 pretends to catch the ball and stands near the rubber, it's a balk. As always, dont' be a plumner on this (don't go looking for s***). Make this balk call itself.

I am at 5‘11“ and while I don’t get a lot of hits, the two or three that I get are worth the price of a solid plate that is made properly, interested in seeing new ones like the picture above

"Catch Me If You Can" is the only Leonardo DiCaprio movie I'll watch.

Nope, I live in Florida, it's too hot to wear black!

You're kidding right?

Back when Wendlestedt and it looks like J-R said the order of appeals didn't matter if the force existed at the time of the miss others argued that the order did matter and in fact NCAA has it in their rules other than live action. Others argued that a team should know how to appeal in the correct order. I argued that a team's fielders might be appealing one runner in the wrong order not knowing that the spotter from the dugout was just telling the coach about the other miss so you should allow "incorrect" order.

Kyle .... (kylejt)

I just think of a wet-suit when I see the word neoprene, but ... it's just something I have in my head I guess because it is light, and it is great for obsorbing shocks, so ... there you have it! 😉

I too am... or was... a champion of the Pilot G2’s. I actually would prefer getting them in oddball colors (teal, orange, sky blue)... or pink (memorial to JS; also – “Hey Coach, can I have my pen back?”) because of how well and vibrant they write... Until... I bought a batch of Write-in-the-Rain notebooks for the umpires in my League, since we have to record defensive & offensive conferences, coach challenges, and my boss needs details on any warnings or ejections given. I thought I was being all slick and genius... until the first wet game I encountered... oh sure, the paper held up great! But the writing... just melted and dissolved away! Stupid me, gel pens are water-based! 🤨😰

https://www.relay.fm/penaddict some of you guys ( @BT_Blue ) need to listen to this podcast

Alright everyone! Here are some photos! Getting it all sewn together tomorrow! With the cover, and attachments getting attatched!

I prefer purple. I have never seen a lineup card filled out in purple.

I use the Dollar General Zebra Sarasa Gel in red. Just $1.

I want to see what everyone thinks about this very common situation, basepath during a rundown or pickle and basepath in general, that I have seen called both ways multiple times. Rule set OBR Case A - A runner coming home and is about 6-8 feet away from the catcher when he sees the catcher catches the ball. At that point the runner takes a huge turn around to go backto third, he would deviate from the alleged basepath by about 4-5 feet, but the catcher at that point is not close enough to attempt a tag but is running toward the runner. Do you call the runer out for being out of the basepath or not since he is not officially avoiding a tag yet? Again there are interpretations. New Baseline Rule (2017) Changes Umpire Interpretation "A fielder’s movement toward the runner is sufficient. The rundown rule has not changed. During a rundown, the runner’s restricted 3-foot baseline starts the moment the rundown begins. It is a line to the base he is going to and a line to the base he came from-and he has 3-feet in either direction of those lines. The baseline changes with every throw. A tag attempt is not necessary." Base Path & Running Lane "It gets tricky in a pickle. When a runner is caught between bases and fielders have the runner in a pickle (a rundown), each time the fielders exchange the ball and the runner reverses direction, the runner has created a new base path . Each time you have this reversal you have a new base path because you have a new fielder attempting to make a tag (and therefore a new "straight line to the base"), and so you have to adjust your view of the base path accordingly. (On a side note, obstruction also comes into play in this scenario.) This clip shows a really good example of a pickle that goes on for several throws. Notice how, after each throw, the effort each fielder makes to get out of the way of the runner to avoid obstruction." According to them, once the rundown starts the runner will be forced into the basepath, the latter is described as a 6 foot wide hallway from one base to another. So if a fielder with the ball, who is simply chasing him, is considered a tag attempt. But I thought that just chasing the runner, even during a rundown, did not constitute a tag attempt. So 3 feet violation only applies if there is a real tag attempt, am I right? I mean if the fielder is far enough to not be able to apply the tag, even if he’s running towards the runner, then this is not considered an attempt tag and therefore even if the runner moves more than three feet is not punishable. Actually the fielder must be close enough to realistically tag. If he is far from being able to apply the tag should not count. In addition, the sites declare that the basepath is recalculated whenever the ball is thrown and exchanged by the fielders. But this is completely wrong. In umpirebible, the basepath would change every time the ball is thrown by the fielders, but this is not true. "each time the fielders exchange the ball and the runner reverses direction, the runner has created a new base path . Each time you have this reversal you have a new base path because you have a new fielder attempting to make a tag (and therefore a new "straight line to the base"), and so you have to adjust your view of the base path accordingly. " Although this is not true, the false myth is also perpetuated by baseballacademyrules. "The baseline changes with every throw." But actually the basepath would disappear during a launch and instead it changes every time the runner changes direction, not every time the fielder throws the ball, I think so, am I right? "They have a direct line from that point to either base, and then once they start heading towards that base, that's what they're heading toward, and now once they turn and head the other direction again, they have a straight line from that point to that base." GET OUT OF MY WAY! Umpire Coaching Podcast #2 As this podcast explains, the runner changes the basepath but only when a tag attempt occurs, neither before nor after. Running out of the basepath In this video, also, they explain that the basepath appears only in the point and moment of the actual tag attempt. So during a rundown a fielder chasing behind a runner with the ball isn't a tag attempt, or is it? I mean if a fielder chasing behind is far away from the runner is not considered a tag attempt, am I right? Other scenario: Case B - The runner is chased by a fielder with the ball, but the latter is 6 feet away from him, so a tag attempt is impossible at the moment, immediately after the runner moves sideways by 4-5 feet not to avoid the tag of the fielder behind, which would still be too far to tag him, but to adjust his physical position to avoid the possible and future tag of the fielder who is in front of him and who at the moment does not have the ball yet. What's the call? Is out of the basepath? I think he isn't. Ask UEFL - Out of Base Path Considerations in Seattle "A base path, on the other hand, is a direct line from the runner to the base being tried for, and is established at the moment of a tag attempt." But when does the basepath reset? For closecallsports is: "The base path "resets" or must be recalculated from the runner's new position every time the fielder throws the ball to someone else or makes another play. For instance, the base path resets every time a fielder throws the ball to a teammate during a rundown." The last sentence is partially incorrect, I think. Actually the basepath resets whenever there is a tag attempt. So let’s get to the last scenario. Other scenario: Case C - If the fielder has the ball but is far from the runner, let's imagine he’s six feet or more away from him, a distance such that an attempt tag is not possible to do, the tag attempt shouldn’t exist and runner is free to go where he wants, right? Case D - The fielder attempts a tag but the runner avoids it legally so the fielder remains unbalanced and starts chasing him again only after the runner is already 6 or 7 feet away, At this moment the basepath would have disappeared and would have to be recalculated again only when the fielder will be close enough to the runner again to realistically try to tag him, right? I mean a runner's base path is not established until the tag attempt occurs (begins) and the runner is restricted by the three-foot provision in OBR 5.09(b)(1) until: A) the runner arrives at the next (or previous) base, B) the fielder loses possession of the ball (e.g., by throwing it or dropping it), C) the fielder stops the tag attempt (e.g., to play on another runner or simply stops and does not stay at close range.). The tag attempt is valid only when there is a reasonable chance that the tag could be made, the runner’s basepath is established at that moment, as a straight line from the runner’s position when the tag attempt first occurred to the base they are attempting to reach. If the runner moves > 3 feet out of that straight-line basepath to avoid the tag, they are out. But if the fielder is far enough, so there is not a reasonable change that the tag could be made, there is not a basepath, am I right? I mean a fielder chasing behind a runner with the ball is not a tag attempt, correct? However, the official baseball rules do not specifically delineate such a tag attempt's timing. OBR's Definition of Terms specifies that, "a tag is a touch of the base/runner with the ball/glove," so a tag attempt, logically, is an attempt to touch the runner in this fashion ("attempt" is not defined). Easy way to think about this…would the runner have been tagged out if they hadn’t veered way ? Yes. So I think the answer could be that if the fielder is far away the rule does not apply. Am I wrong? As regards cases C and D As long as that same fielder who has attempted a tag still has a potential tag play (the fielder must retain the ball and must be close enough to tag him, i.e. a potential tag play on the runner), the runner is restricted from trying to avoid the fielder by running more than three feet to the left or right of the established base path. But if the fielder makes a tag attempt, fails, loses his balance and meanwhile the runner ran away and is now 6 feet away I think the tag attempt is gone. The other point of view on the subject is this: When the fielder with ball starts chasing the runner, although the latter is very far from him or anyway so far away that he can’t make a tag attempt, the runner is constrained in basepath. So they say that If you allowed this, then the runner could run all over on the field since the the fielder can’t yet physically reach them yet. In a rundown, a fielder is running at the runner, directly behind them… is the runner then allowed to veer way left or right to avoid them? I think if the fielder is near with a reasonable expectation to touching the runner, yes but if the fielder is 7 or more feet behind him, no. It is a simple enough rule, but it lacks needed specifics. What needs to be within 3 feet? Anything? Something? Everything? When does a tag attempt really start? When the fielder conceives of it in his mind? When he is 7-10 feet away? I think only when actual possible contact is evident and imminent, am I right? On 11/4/2023 at 4:20 PM, Senor Azul said: Here's something that might help you. In 2017 OBR changed/clarified its interpretation of the term "tag attempt." A fielder no longer has to have ball in glove or hand extended toward the runner to restrict his baseline. A fielder's movement toward the runner is sufficient. I, too, have read the "skunk in the outfield" blog analysis. The reminder that a runner must move directly toward a base is a good one. The Jaksa/Roder manual puts it this way, "A runner must prove by his actions and the way he positions himself that his intent is to reach a base safely (and to stay on the base if it cannot be overrun)." I don't think running away (backward) from the base meets that requirement. I’ve also read this from baseballaccademyrules : "Prior to the 2017 season, a runner’s baseline (excluding a rundown) was restricted by the fielder’s tag attempt with ball in glove or hand and extended toward the runner. This season, however, there is a rule change. A fielder no longer has to have ball in glove or hand extended toward the runner to restrict his baseline. A fielder’s movement toward the runner is sufficient." What is the rule that would have been changed? Where? Where can I read this rule change? Finally, my curiosity: Case E - If a runner, for example R1, tries broken mirror play, he runs to the pitcher and stands at a spot near the pitcher’s mound but slightly towards the path between 2B and 3B, in this case, I know it’s absolutely bizarre, would R1 have considered that he miss 2B? So could a fielder appeal?

Oops... never mind... I didn't know... I didn't realize... I was never here...

Ask yourself this: Why was the runner tagged out? Answer: He was tagged out because the catcher blocked the plate without the ball. That is obstruction. Result: Obstruction, score the run.

I KNEW you were going to go there!

I am stealing this line to use with coaches next season.

It does. Older brand, not made anymore of course.

I think the tag says Medalist Gladiator.

Hello All! I am Looking for Douglas Black Shin guards... preferably in size 16" or 17" Does anyone have any they are looking to get rid of?

What’s the point in the mag chin guard? Nothing. Same with the Nike 😉

No -- because all runners will have scored after three balks at the most.

Unsportsmanlike conduct, deviated from pathway to initiate contact. Auto EJ

Hey all ..... Well, .....I did it, and I gave it a shot, but ....... I MUCH prefer the Douglas padding compared to the TW padding. I had my Douglas TW retrofitted but as you can see, ... I don't really like it, so .......here it is up for grabs. This TW retrofit is only for the chest portion (not the shoulder cups). I wore the TW's w/ the Douglas about 6 times (at the most) Again, this is for the retrofit TW padding only that will fit a 15" Douglas. PM me, .... Paypal only (friends & family) $110 + shipping or, make a reasonable offer

OBR - Rule 8.01 Pitchers shall take signs from the catcher while in contact with the pitcher’s plate. Rule 8.01 Comment: Pitchers may disengage the rubber after taking their signs but may not step quickly onto the rubber and pitch. This may be judged a quick pitch by the umpire. When the pitcher disengages the rubber, he must drop his hands to his sides. Pitchers will not be allowed to disengage the rubber after taking each sign. FED - 6-1-1 (the pitcher) shall take his sign from the catcher with his pivot foot in contact with the pitchers plate In both OBR and FED there is no penalty for this infraction. Generally, tell the catcher to go out to his pitcher and at least simulate taking a sign from the rubber. The point of this (as clarified in OBR comment) is to prevent the pitcher from taking the sign off the rubber, and then stepping to the rubber and immediately pitching, thus catching the runner(s) and/or batters off guard. IF a balk is called, it should ONLY be for the quick pitch.