Chance

Aside from new gear every now and then all of my umpire checks support my golf habit. 2-3 times a week when the weather cooperates. Currently plaing to a 9.

+1 on everything already mentioned Remember safety is always priority. I will also add that its not only safety for the players but for us umpires as well. The players are wearing cleats, obviously more traction. Unless they start making plate shoes with cleats we will be more susceptible to slipping before the players. If I cant clear the catcher and bust up the line without feeling safe, thats enough for me to stop play.

I have been wearing it for just over 2 years now and wouldnt get behind another plate without it. Wearing properly is key allowing it to float and move with your legs and body. When I first started with it I felt like it was sliding just a little too much, this could have been a result of me wearing Nike Dri Fit tights which seem slick at times. Either way all I did was add another jock which was suggested by a fellow umpire and it made the world of difference. Tights-nutty buddy-2 jocks.

It is inevitable when working summer ball weather on the plate or bases the heat will find you. My opinion changing cps will have minimum effect. I remember reading a thread last year on here about game prep dealing with the heat. You can not rely on a light / breathable chest protector to get you by on 100+ day, the preperation, for me at least, starts the night if not the day before. Knowing ill be working a weekend DH in hot conditions ill start hydrating the day/night before. More importantly stay away from the six pack of your choice. Take as many measures to help yourself and your body as you can. Reduce sweat by being clean shaved. Have more the one pair of socks, under shirts ( moisture wicking ), and uniforms on hand to completely change between games. Most importantly is trying to stay hydrated. As long as you are sweating your body is working the way it should, when you stop sweating is when the body starts shutting down. Some may say it is smitty, but if you are working games and unsure if there will be water provided, then by all means carry your own. I always befriend the kid / coach who brings out more baseballs so every inning or half inning im sure to get some water. And as a reminder in the heat, look out for the catchers as well. Maybe a little away from the op but imo taking steps to prevent/manage the heat will leave you better off then changing cps.

Rundown signaling is something I cover in my pregame. Whenenver the PU and BU are engaged in the same play confusion may ensue on the outcome of who has the call. Or worst yet, both signal and the signals are different, . For that one call thats right in the "middle" of the rundown where it could be either umpires call, its crucial to get it right. Some guys go with eye contact and either a shake of the head as in "yes I have it" or other guys I have been with like to have eye contact and a quick point / tap to their own chest, letting their partner know "my call".

To me drawing a line, offense or defense, is an ejection. Good call! Like uic said, maybe a simple "he got there" or "he was in there" would justify what you had without going into detail.

Check out Honigs they are currently having a sale. The K17's are great, I have three of them and have had no problems at all.

I would not recommend just looking at the back foot. There are other ways the pitcher can balk that you will not be able to see if you are just looking at their feet. Shoulder turns, flinches, hands breaking before they step off, coming to a complete stop, etc. With lefties you also are looking for them to cross their back knee to determine if they are going to first or to the plate, along with the whole 45 debacle. It takes a big field of vision to capture these motions. The more you see it the more you know what to look for.

Can not tell by the pic if you have removed this plate or are tucking it under the plate on the shoe. If you havent simply cut it off, with plate shoes it is not needed.

For the first time this season the baseball has lost its life. Worked with a new partner today. Top of first, second batter at the plate fouls one off of his foot. BU comes thundering in with arms raised as if he is at gun point screaming DEAD BALL DEAD BALL ! And if thats not enough the next pitch was clearly foul, landed behind first base dugout, and he once again lets everyone in the park know that its a DEAD BALL. What caught me off guard was our pre game was excellent, he dressed the part, I had no worries walking to the field. His second year doing HS ball after doing LL for ten plus years. I did let him know after the game what was appropriate, in which he thanked me for teaching him. The game went great but I was glad I had a mask on everytime there was a foul ball so nobody could see my slight laughter.

I believe what you are referring to is the Traveller's Crease. I took my pants to a local Jos A Bank store and got this done for 7 bucks a pair. The Traveller's Crease is a thin bead of I believe a silicone material run down the inside of the pants leg to form the "crease". Mine came with a lifetime guarentee should the crease become less permanent. Ive had this done on every pair of suit pants I own as well as all of my umpire pants and its great, really keeps a crisp sharp look.

Looking to find out the correct mechanic for this situation. -Thanks

The list on the NHFS has about 40 composite bats that are legal. Here is the list: http://www.nfhs.org/...nt.aspx?id=4155 The website has a picture and listing for the same bat at all legal lengths. Look carefully though because some bats are only legal at certain lengths.

OP does not give number of outs.

After witnessing what a bat can do to the human head of an umpire when the bat is accidently lost on a follow through swing...I can totally understand the HSM. It doesnt happen that often but when it does I dont want to be that guy.

Two innings?? Man I thought it was three. :lol:

While I am far from a veteran umpire I have learned many things that I can do off the field to better prepare myself both from this board and my mentor. This is more for rookie umpires but I am also hoping for more ideas to give guys to prepare themselves and feel more at ease once things get under way. First off, if you have new equipment, get use to it. Make sure it fits properly, make sure you can run in your shin guards, your chest protector is tight enough to guard against your collarbone area and is not moving around. Practice with your mask, putting it on and taking it off with your left hand while holding your indicator. For those that wear a HSM, practice making lineup changes. You do not want to make a change and look like your playing hot potato with you mask. Practice with your indicator to try to keep from staring at it on the field. I learned from people on this board to notch out my indicator so I know without looking when it is reset . Practice getting balls out of your ball bag, even though it may be your first game, look like you have done it before. Most of these things I practiced right in my own living room. I even went to the extent to gear up while watching a game on espn classic. I kept the count and even practiced calling the pitches while working on my stance and foot work. Doing all of these things gave me a little more confidence once the first game rolled around and definitly kept me focused on the game and not myself. Anyone else have anything to add?

Thanks guys for the replies. Off they go today to the seamstress.

I just received my numbers today in the mail from honigs and was wondering why they are different sizes. For the navy shirts/jackets the number is almost a half of an inch taller and wider then the others that i ordered for my black and polo blue shirts. I was just wondering if anyone else had experienced this or if its the norm. Any answers to this would be great as I am a stickler for things being alike.

We are contracted through the school system as far as pay. $70 Varsity $50 JV $5 Scrimmage Paid once at end of season with 3% going to assignor.

I have nothing in this situation no matter how loud the coach yells. Might say it was a HTBT situation but going by what the coach said he was simply directing his runners.

Considering its stated in the book that each helmet must have the NOCSAE stamp. As well as the warning statement, either in sticker or embossed form. I look at all equipment with the thought of saftey in mind. If I just walk through and glance at everything and then later in the game a kid gets nailed in the helmet and goes down, only to find out that his helmet was missing padding on the inside, I have to live with that and the fact that I deemed that helmet ok to be used. Helmets are the worst as most schools provide them and they are not new every year due to budget. Or in most cases JV will get the leftovers from varsity the year before. They are drug in a bag, thrown and sometimes slammed around causing the ear flaps to crack or padding to come loose. The best way to check a helmet is to hold it at the ear flaps like your about to put it on and flex it. Most cracks will be right at where the brim and ear flap meet. Also pay close attention to bats as I notice more players wrapping the handle with tape until it is flush with the knob, which is illegal. Just remember that checking equipment is not an action of over umpiring. Its simply a saftey issue. Even if the coach says " the umpiries last game didnt throw it out and let us play with it." Your the umpire for this game and if you deem it illegal then its illegal.

Im looking through my latest Eastbay catalog and the descriptions on the bats vary to the point of confusion. Some say NFHS approved, others BESR certified, and a few BBCOR. Nothing at all about ABI on the composite barrel bats. Which is my question, has anyone seen any of these ABI composites that are legal? How are they marked? A BESR silkscreen as well as an ABI silkscreen?

I understand that BBCOR will take effect for the 2012 season and until then everything must be BESR certified. However I guess im a little confused after reading on the NFHS website their list of approved composite bats, which are also meet ABI. Is this done just for certain areas who have adobted different regualtions this year or do all BESR bats also have to be meet the ABI procedure?

In many ways I wish the media would let this issue go however this is a great article and a fair recap of the entire situation. We all agree Joyce is a top umpire, hopefully with a new season starting soon this issue is laid to rest and he, like every other team, will start with a clean record. Jim Joyce Article, ESPN