TBrown

I was doing a LL Juniors game that we had a BOT situation in a few weeks ago. B9 should lead off the inning, but B1 bats instead. B1 strikes out and then DC appeals the BOT. I call B9 out and bring B1 up to bat. DC "Why does their leadoff batter get to bat twice? BOO is supposed to result in a penalty for them." Yes coach, the penalty is an out - for the proper batter. You shouldn't have said anything. He couldn't comprehend why the leadoff hitter "got 2 chances" even when I explained that the proper batter is called out (B9) and then we bring up the next batter (B1). When B1 came back up as the proper batter, he hit a double into the outfield.

Sent you an email

I just picked up 2 pairs of poly-wools (plate and base) after reading on here that many people don't dry clean them, but instead was them on a cold cycle and then hang dry. Is ironing necessary using this method? How do they look after being hang dried? My Honigs shirts (old style) usually don't look very good and have to be ironed after being hang dried. Currently I wear the Smitty charcoal grey pants which can be put in the dryer.

I have a tag, but after the runner has touched first...

Thanks. I was thinking it might have been the twitch of the right arm after he turned back. I was confused the first few times I saw it

"Coach, do you want me to watch the pitch or the batter's feet?" If you're watching the feet, you can't be tracking the pitch in.

Over the years I have heard many different answers to this question. I'm hoping the great minds here can help me reach a consensus. When a RH pitcher is in contact and turns his body to look at first, would you balk him (under LL Jrs/OBR)? I've been told: A. Only if he is set B. Yes, it's a fake to first C. Only if it's a quick turn of the shoulders Then there is also this at the end of 8.05: "Umpires should bear in mind that the purpose of the balk rule is to prevent the pitcher from deliberately deceiving the base runner. If there is doubt in the umpire’s mind, the “intent†of the pitcher should govern." This makes it sound like it's only a balk if the pitcher turns his shoulders to fake the runner back to first, but it's fine if he just turns them slowly to look at the runner? Did Angel Hernandez balk the Dodgers for this the other night? Or was it the twitch after the shoulder turn? http://mlb.mlb.com/v...ent_id=13825659 Then on this one it looks like he was allowed to turn his shoulders and then was balked for the move to first when he twitched his front leg first and set it back down before stepping to first with it? http://mlb.mlb.com/v...tent_id=9307143 I know that there are a lot of balks called at the MLB level that we let go, such as the little twitches, etc.

I currently have the WV Gold and the charcoal/platinum shins and love them. However, I am looking at maybe picking up a lighter weight CP to use on hotter days when working younger divisions. I was wondering if anyone has any experience with the Gerry Davis CP vs the iX3. I'm looking at the Davis-Wilson (http://www.gerrydavi...uct/B17PR126675), not the DaviShield as I've heard that one is terrible (and overpriced). Also, what about the Charcoal vs these two as far as heat goes? Thanks!

I have yet to see K-zone be accurate.

I'm 5' 9" 145 and have a LS Medium that I wear with my West Vest Gold. It fits comfortably.

Yes they are worn. In fact, I wore black twice this week working LL All-Star games. I wear black when working with guys who have purchased their own. The LL I work in issues the powder blue to its umpires so I wear that most of the time.

I found this post on "my .02.....Long two cents" interesting and have nominated it accordingly for "Post Of The Month July, 2010"

Sounds fine to me. As long as he stepped towards the plate before throwing then I have a legal pitch. There is no rule that says the pitcher must use the same motion every time or that he must lift his knee. As long as it is a legal delivery, then I have a legal pitch. I am assuming 50/70 rules use balks? Then the answers from my previous post stand.

I have what is known as a "train wreck". In other words - I've got nothing.

What level is this? Since the runner broke for home when the pitcher started his windup I am assuming it is on the 90ft diamond. The penalty for an quick pitch is a balk on the 90ft diamond. A quick pitch is called when the pitcher delivers the ball before the batter is ready in the box. Just because the pitcher hurries his delivery does not make it a quick pitch. This is really a HTBT play. If the batter was ready in the box when the pitch was delivered and the catcher did not interfere by jumping forward to catch the pitch, then I would call the runner out if he was tagged before reaching the plate. If the batter was not ready in the box when the pitcher delivered the ball, then I would call a balk. If the batter was ready, but the catcher jumped forward to catch the ball taking away the batter's opportunity to hit the pitch, then we have catcher's interference.

I have always worn one and this season alone I took two off the throat guard that were hard enough to unbuckle one of the straps that holds it to the mask. In another game this season that I was in the field for, my friend was working the plate and took one off the throat guard that unbuckled the straps also.

We have more Little League teams this year and are playing games on Sundays now due to the extra field demands. Last year we did not play games on Sundays.

My league uses 1 hour 50 minute time limits on all AAA/Majors games. The time limit also in effect for playoff and tournament games unless the score is tied.

I am 5'9" / 140 and I wear a Medium since they are oversized for plate work. I wear a WV Gold and it works fine for me.

I have found that the plate shoes are very comfortable and do not hurt my feet at all. However, while the base shoes are much more comfortable than the NB 995s, I find they hurt my feet if I wear them for a long period of time.

I know someone who really likes those, but I have never used them. Just so you know though, they are coming out with a new version on March 1.

At a Gerry Davis clinic led by Scott Higgins, Joe Burleson, and Bill Speck we were taught "NAP". N= Necessary - Is it necessary to move the bat? Is it in the way? A= Available - Is the bat available to me? Is it close or far away? P= Possible - Do I have time to move the bat and not get in the way of a play at the plate? We were told that if we have all three parts to keep our eye on the ball and slide the bat behind us between our legs.

I worked with a guy once who wore guards on his forearms and made sure that his hands were tucked all the way into his shin guards on every pitch so that no part of his body was exposed. I wouldn't be surprised if he had bicep protection as well. He also wore a HSM (which by itself would be fine, but combined with the forearm guards told me that he was afraid of being hit anywhere on his body) with a giant throat protector.

Haven't used that one. Let us know how you like it though. I might be ordering a few of these for my league to use for juniors games.

I have the Gold and love it. I previously had the longer model Platinum, but it was too big and would not stay in place. I love the protection on them and am think that both (depending on which works best for you) are worth the investment. I found the Gold (Small) to be less bulky than the Platinum and fit better, but I know another umpire who found the Platinum to be less bulky than the Gold (L/XL). I think that the Gold fits smaller frames better because it is sized to your coat size whereas the Platinum is only manufactured in one chest size. It really comes down to which one fits you the best, but they will both protect you very well and are worth the investment.