JonWessel

I took a foul ball off the throat guard in a Palo game. The throat guard flew off and I sustained a minor cut. I can only imagine how bad it would have been if I wasn't wearing that throat guard.

He was in the A position watching the whole thing take place. I honestly don't know why he didn't come over to help. He's been umpiring for many years and I would think he should know better than to stay away when one of his partners is in a situation like that.

I worked 3 tournament games on Saturday and the second I worked behind the plate. In the bottom of the first, a lefty comes up. He stands with his right foot on the front line of the batter's box and swings at the first pitch, sending the ball into right field for a double. His foot was on the line when he made contact, but the defensive coaches in the first base dugout were saying his foot was completely outside the box. I had all three coaches yelling at me, saying things like, "you're taking the game away from the kids", and one of them actually came out and put his foot in front of the box and said, "You can see where his foot was. Right here." He continued to walk towards 3rd base and the other two coaches were still complaining. After a few moments, the coach that head towards 3rd base came back and drew a line with his foot in front of the box and said, "There, now you can see if they step out again." Should I have tossed him after he drew the line with his foot? Do any of you think that that was call for an ejection? Also, should I have insisted that only the manager come out and argue, instead of him and the two coaches yelling from the dugout? BTW, I didn't have any problems with them after that. The rest of the game went smoothly. Thanks.

I start fall ball Saturday with the possibility of working two games back-to-back. I have been struggling with decisions on what equipment to buy. I get almost all of my equipment from Ump-Attire and have talked to Mr. Kirk several times concerning the type of cp to get. I finally decided on the Wilson WV Gold. It fits great and isn't bulky. In two days I will get the chance to use it and we'll see how it works for me. BTW, I would like to put in a plug for Ump-Attire. They not only have good deals on top-of-the-line equipment, but they also have great customer service. They ship quickly and I usual get my stuff in 1 to 2 days. They are very courteous and prompt. I highly recommend them and give them 5 stars!!

I was at a Mets game against the Mariners a week ago and I noticed that when there was a runner on 3rd, the 3rd base umpire actually had BOTH feet in fair territory. I was specifically looking at his positioning throughout the game, and he used that position in several situations. Other times he straddled the foul line.