semper_fi_72

My SWMBO has started a fund raising campaign on GoFundMe to help pay for fees to allow me to adopt her three girls and complete our family by making everyone a Santoni. This is very important to us and any help my umpire brothers can provide would be appreciated. Please use the Go Fund Me link below to go to our Campaign. gofundme.com/vfb5d5d4 Thank you for any support you can provide.

1. Jumping over a player is not legal in High School baseball. 2. High School baseball is not MLB. 3. Unless you can put on the gear and call a game, please do not rag on the umpires. Unless you can umpire and am a experience umpire you have not qualification other than being a parent to judge a umpire.

I have reached the point where I must say good bye to Umpiring and Sports Officiating. There are several factors that have influenced my decision. Family. I just don't want to sacrifice one or both of my days or evenings off to officiate and lose that precious time with my step-daughters and wife. I/We are also in the process of filing adoption papers to make them my daughters. May be a little battle with Biological Father but don't think he has a leg to stand on to contest it. Work. Last September I started working for The Home Depot Part Time. At the end of February I was made Full Time. I love working with the group of people we have at our store. Living in a small town community you get to know a lot of people and our store is a strong Team and Family environment. It is always fun to go to work. Even though I didn't start till September last year and only Part Time, I was given a 2014 Customer Service All-Star award and a bonus that went with it. There are only 7 given out each year in a store. Medical. I am having a issue with my Right Foot. I have been having nerve pain in my foot and it has been painful at times on the field and at work. May be related to my back injury and surgery last year. Doctor has me on a med now that is helping. Haven't had any real bad pain since I started taking it. Also have been having some real bad allergic reactions to something. Have to drive 2 hours today to Provo to see a allergy doctor and go through that testing. Those who have been around on this forum for a few years will also remember that I have sustained several concussions. Having turned 60 now, I am not ready to get another one. Also my body does not recover as fast as it once did. I am still having a problem with my left thumb with was Hyper Extended/Jambed back in November. While I may be stepping off the Diamond, Grid Iron and Court, I will be around here occasionally to check up on you guys. Keep calling Balls, Strikes, Safe and Outs. Always remember you and your partner are the Best Team on the field. Semper_Fi

I believe those are sent out randomly to various officials across the country. I believe the survey was ment for you and not for you to distribute and share. IMHO

U or You along with other words is a sure way to get ejected.

Remember Little League is not baseball. It is about teaching Life Lessons. So glad Williamsport taught a Life Lesson to the US Champion Team.

Hey Guys Haven't had much time to get on the forum. Been busy with work and basketball games till a couple of weeks ago. Now just busy with work since I went from part time to full time at my job at The Home Depot. Our HS baseball season started last week here in South Central Utah. I was scheduled for one game but had to turn it back due to work. I believe it was snowed out anyway. Well I kick off my HS season today. Got some administrative requirements out of the way this morning by completing the online clinic and taking my online exam. Scored 97% So back on the field after the longest break I ever had between baseball games. Like 7 months. Work, football and basketball did make the time go fast. Don't ask how many games I worked as I stopped keeping count. I can say that I generally did 2 basketball games on nights I worked. Ended the season with a Saturday in which I worked 5 Girls Freshman games for a tournament. I know I am in shape for Baseball. The only thing I track any more is payment from one school district. They take weeks to pay while most the schools pay you as soon as you arrive for a game or you find it in your mail box with in two days. So two games this evening Varsity and then a JV game. Both on the bases with a good partner and friend. Currect Temp is 37 degrees. Game time temp 61 degrees dropping to around 52 before we finish up at sunset. Will be trying out my nice new Therma Base jacket today. Mostly only gong to be available about one day a week because of work now. But hey, 2 years and 2 months I will have lots of time again when I start collecting social security. Anyway this 60 year old body is starting to revolt and not do what the mind wants to do any more. lol Babe Ruth and Cal Ripken State tounament also coming back into out area and already been asked to work and possibly run the 13/14 year old tournament again. Something was said about more responsibilty for the tournament. That better equal more money with more responsibility I just want to wish everyone a great season. Probably won't have much time to get on the forum but know that I still think of the many friends I have out there in the Umpire-Empire world. Call em as you see em and always get strikes and outs. Stay healthy and have a great season. PLAY

Trevor Where in Utah? I live in Aurora and we are looking for umpires for the Salina, Redmond, Richfield area. Welcome to the dark side.

So let me bring up one point that I do not believe has been mentioned. Employees are issued W2's at the end of the year to report Wages and Taxes withheld. 1099's are issued to Independent Contractors and others who are not employees who are paid more than $600. I have had a couple schools issue 1099 for as little as $75. Also who is withholding State and Local Tax, Fed Tax, Unemployment Taxes etc etc etc. So if the IRS says you get a 1099 instead of a W2, where is the issue?

Baseball schedule!!!!!! We are still looking for Basketball Schedules and assignments and season starts next week. Actually have my first HS Basketball game Friday Night. Girls JV game with a great partner who I have worked Baseball and Football with. He even worked the State Football 2A Championship game last Friday NFHS Rules test passed. State Online Clinic taken and passed. New Uniform ready to go. Whisle Ready Mechanics studied and coached on by friend. Signals down. Ready to step on the court and have some fun, inside, with a roof over my head on a nice warm basketball court. 9 degrees this morning and we had snow a few days ago. Guess I will have to update my game count to include Baseball, Football and now Basketball. On second thought, I don't need game counts to tell me what I have done anymore. Just need to know I am having fun regardless of the sport being officiated. Will look at Soccer and Volleyball next year

Umpiring is like a box of chocolate. You never know if your getting a good game or bad game today.

Are you saying that you could umpire your own school's games? Yup. The guy in charge of our high school umpires quit the association without a word other than "Bye, guys." So now they're scrambling around trying to get umpires for everything and there's only eight of us, seven next spring because one guy's taking a season off for paternity reasons. Basically our association is about to completely fold and collapse and I wind up getting the small benefit. Do not umpire your own schools games, if your still attending school there. Never umpire games of schools where you have kids attending. It is a set up for disaster. It is a conflict of interest that needs to be avoided.

Personally I would never use the stuff. I used it a long time ago on a pair of boots for inspections when I was a young Marine. Didn't take long before it caused the leather to crack and requiring me to buy a new pair of boots. Good Luck with it. Even before patient leather I have always been old school. Polish and a brush are leathers best friends. I am not going to ever spit shine anything ever again....lol Perhaps they changed the formula since Major Dave says he has used it and worked for him.

If you follow Rolo on Facebook it is obvious the only reason he likes to get out to games and clinics to to eat at every restaurant in Florida. The man never misses a meal.

It has been awhile since I have been on the site. Well baseball ended in July and I have now completed my first season of High School Football. I was fortunate enough to work as Linesman, Head Linesman and 3 games as Umpire in my first year. If you think you get a ear full from dugouts some times, try working the Sidelines with your back continually to and close to the coaches and managers. You will not only hear about your calls but questions about calls made by other members of the crew. It was fun and I really enjoyed it. It was fun traveling to games outside the local area. The crew would meet up and car pool to the game. A great time discussing rules and situations and then after the game a diner before driving back. In that aspect football is a lot more fun then showing up at a field to meet your partner for a baseball game. It is a closer bond between officials. Now I open the next chapter and attend the first association meeting for High School Basketball tomorrow night. Already know most the guys from Baseball and Basketball. So now my closet contains uniforms for three sports, although most the space in the closet belongs to baseball. I also had to find some work here in Utah because of the reduced income from not working Baseball all year like Southern California. I was fortunate enough to get hired by a Great Company at the start of September. The Home Depot. The Ops Manager is a Combat Medic in the Utah Guard and when he interviewed me and realized I was Retired Military the interview ended and he said you are now the 12th Veteran working in this store. So I am getting 29 hours a week working in the Plumbing Dept. For PT work the pay is great and it is a Team Environment with everyone working together. The also have been accommodating with my scheduling. If I am assigned a game first, I request the hours off I need for that day and no problem. They also assign your weekly schedule 3 weeks out (it always changes) so it is easy balance work and officiating with plenty of notice. It is actually fun to have a job again and be only semi retired. Well that is the update. Basketball will get me through the winter till Baseball starts in March. If your not working other sports during the winter. I encourage you to look into it. It is a lot of fun. Also to my fellow Marines out there. Nov 10th. 1775 Happy Birthday Devil Dogs Semper Fi