catoblue

Our LL has kept a small bucket of turfus speedy-dry in the home dugout for several years now. We only get 2 game balls, so whenever one gets wet or goes out of play (gets really wet), it goes in the bucket and stays there until it is needed. It only very slightly discolors the ball, but get's it almost as dry as new quickly. This can mean the difference in suspending a game or not when there is a drizzle.

I guess that for me, when I overhear players and coaches on both teams say something like " cool, look who the umpire is", it tells me they know I call a consistent game and they like the way I call a game. Since I only ump LL, this might not seem like a big deal to some of you guys, but to me, knowing that both teams in a game value the way I call a game means a lot. Other times, I think the biggest complement comes when nothing at all is said - when I don't hear any grumbling and griping from "Little League Parents" after a game.

Umping local LL games, my best, and most frequent complement is being the first guy the coach calls when looking to line up an ump. Right after that, comes visiting coaches asking if I'd be willing to travel to call their home games - after they lost a game I called! As a guy that also coaches, the most important thing I look for in an umpire is consistency. If an ump has a huge strike zone or a tiny strike zone - I don't care as long as that strike zone is the same for both teams and doesn't change as the game goes on. Pitchers and hitters can make adjustments if the ump is consistent, but if he's inconsistent, everyone gets frustrated, and the game stops being fun.

Our LL has a fall ball, I'll probably call a couple games. It's completely instructional, they take the kids who show up and split them into teams and play a game. Great time for a guy like me to work on mechanics.

For sure!!!! My stepson was always the smallest kid on the team, but he was also the quickest. I'd start him as catcher, and see a look of horror on the ump's face when the little guy walked out of the dugout in equipment that was really big on him. That look of horror was my queue to to walk out and let the ump know that it'll be OK - "he's good". And he was too. He made the tourney team every year as starting catcher - almost nothing ever got past him, and being we're talking LL here, he caught and blocked some really BAD pitches during the regular season.

IFF all the way. Based on the description, all the criteria were met. An INFIELD FLY is a fair fly ball (not including a line drive nor an attempted bunt) which can be caught by an infielder with ordinary effort, when first and second, or first, second and third bases are occupied, before two are out. The pitcher, catcher and any outfielder who stations himself in the infield on the play shall be considered infielders for the purpose of this rule. When it seems apparent that a batted ball will be an Infield Fly, the umpire shall immediately declare “Infield Fly” for the benefit of the runners. If the ball is near the baselines, the umpire shall declare “Infield Fly, if Fair.” The ball is alive and runners may advance at the risk of the ball being caught, or retouch and advance after the ball is touched, the same as on any fly ball. If the hit becomes a foul ball, it is treated the same as any foul. If a declared Infield Fly is allowed to fall untouched to the ground, and bounces foul before passing first or third base, it is a foul ball. If a declared Infield Fly falls untouched to the ground outside the baseline, and bounces fair before passing first or third base, it is an Infield Fly.

I'd say it depends on the level you're going to be umpiring. My gear is all stuff I got on ebay. Mask and shin guards - most all brands are OK at multiple levels of play (double/triple knee preferred for big-boy ball), but the CP... that's where the level of play will dictate how much you need to invest. I only do LL majors/minors games, and my Richardson inside cp is sufficient. When I hang up my coaching hat and join the state association, you can bet I'll be getting myself something along the lines of West Vest for protection in big-boy games. Collar bone is a biggie - I know guys that only umpire softball now after broken collarbones from baseball. I also know that my next CP and SG purchase will have removable, washable components - because when it gets hot out, your gear will get really ripe, and febreeze only helps a little.

Agreed... Since all I work is LL games, I'm used to being outside when in B or C. On a field that small, a grown-up standing on the grass can screen much of what F4 and F6 can see. There just isn't a lot of open space on a small diamond. Safety is a big concern too and BigDog aludded to it when he mentioned that those 11 & 12 year olds can really stroke the ball. Being on the outside will give you a little more time to get out of the way when a hot line drive is screaming in your direction.

What's the Gerry Davis Stance? I'd be interested in trying different stances to find the one that's most comfortable for different levels of play. Currently, I use the Slot Stance: Feet more than shoulder width apart, batter side foot one shoe length forward from the other foot. Eyes even with inside edge of the plate. To lock in, (calling 12U games) the insides of my elbows are behind my thighs, a little above the knee. This gets me down low for calling kiddie games from the top of kiddie strike zone, while being easy on the back and legs. To adjust the height of my stance, I'll move my feet either a few inches closer to raise it, or a few inches apart to lower it.

Handled correctly. You guys got the call right and that is the important thing.

Welcome aboard!

It's nothing... the umpire kicked that one. Like UIC said, per LL rules it's only IF if it hits the runner before passing an infielder other than F1 (actually LL doesn't even specify the except F1 part, it just says fielder). See 7.09(k)

I'm going to have the opposite problem the season after next. I've been calling LL games on the 60' diamond for 25 years - never called a game on a 90' diamond. I expect I'm going to have to learn to move a bit quicker :)

As I was reading through this thread, this is the thought that immediately came to mind, only worded "anticipate the play, not the call", combined with the "pause, read, react" mantra, only I learned it "read, pause, react", where read comes first: read what is happening, pause to evaluate/think about what you just read, then react with the proper call. Anticipating a play based on the sitch will help you get into a good position to make a call. One item that has been discussed in clinics and on forums and anywhere umpiring is spoken, is timing. Never rush to make a call. Let your eyes see what happens, replay it quickly in your mind's eye, then based on what you saw, make the call. It all comes back to "Read, pause, react".

Thanks for the welcome! That's the main reason I've always steered clear of coaching Little League tournament teams. The tournaments take the competitive nature of the sport to a level that is no longer fun. Coaches and parents turn into monsters and set a rotten example for the kids - I want no part of coaching that kind of baseball with kids at Little League ages. Save that competitive aspect for when the kids are older. However, I regularly UMPIRE tournament games. It gives me an opportunity to remind coaches why they're there, and if they don't take the reminder to heart and act like animals, off they go to the parking lot and as an added bonus, they get a one game suspension for getting themselves tossed. I'm involved with LL for the kids sake and for what things that LL stands for. When I played (years ago) we used to recite the Little League Pledge right after the National Anthem before every game... I'd like to see that come back into fashion - just as a not-so-subtle reminder.

As much as I don't like tossing coaches in youth games, both of those coaches would have been tossed well before the game was over. ESPECIALLY in youth ball, I have zero tolerance for coaches setting a bad example for young kids. They get their one warning, then they can go to the parking lot.

I coach AND umpire LL. Before every offensive half of inning, I tell the kids "no golf and no duck hunting". It has turned into a team joke with my 9,10, 11 year olds. If a kid swings at a roller, you'll hear the bench all yell FORE!!!! If they take a hack at a pitch over their head, the bench starts quacking. This little bit of goofiness actually helps keep the kids in the dugout focused on the game (which can be difficult, especially with the younger kids). Now while at first glance, this might sound like the kids are being mean, but it's a had to be there situation... the other half of what the kids are doing when they're not quacking or calling FORE!, is they are cheering on their teammate during their at-bat. They all know it's being done in fun and that nobody is exempt. Many times it's just the thing to get a batter to relax (after a chuckle) a little in the batter's box. I've found that relaxed kids do better on offense and on defense. You should hear some of the nonsense jokes we call out to our pitchers when they get so tensed up that they lose the strike zone. All it takes is a good one-liner to get them to laugh and suddenly they find the strike zone again.

I've seen these things many many times. I just finished my 14th year of coaching LL, with one more to go until my youngest ages out. My umpiring has been limited to 1 or two games in divisions I'm not coaching in during regular season play, and district tournament games for the last 14 years. This year, the league we play in posted a list of "Baseball Rule Myths" on their website. I doubt many other coaches have read it, because I've heard coaches recite these myths as gospel throughout the season. If you want a good laugh, check them out at http://www.ncllbaseball.com/RuleMyths.html In a perfect world, all LL coaches should have to not only have to take the umpire exam and pass it, they should have to umpire 2 or 3 games before they can coach. Since we don't live in a perfect world, and coaches are always in short supply, we just have to deal with it. UIC, good luck coaching your son. As they move up through the divisions, the commitment grows as fast the kids do, but if done in spirit of what LL is supposed to be about, it's can be a very rewarding experience I've had years where we've done exceptionally well in the win-loss columns and years where we did terrible. When you think about what LL is all about, however, there are two questions to ask in gaging your personal success as a LL coach: 1) Did the kids have fun win, lose, or draw? 2) Did the kids improve their skills and level of teamwork? If you can answer yes to these questions at the end of a season, you have successfully coached your LL team. The best piece of advice I can offer a new LL coach is 3 words: "Keep it fun"

Our state association mandates the heather gray by either Flecheimer or CK as the only acceptable pants, and shirts are the Navy, light blue, or red by CK (U126?). they also specify the jackets and T-shirts must be navy or red and both partners must contact each other the night before a game and agree on everything they will be wearing so that they match. Honestly, it looks much better than some of the mis-matched crews I've seen over the years.

I've been using our local Little League's equipment, and after a game I want to febreze the daylights out of my self, or have my wife hose me down!!!! That got me shopping on ebay for my own gear. So far, have a CP and mask, still looking for that awesome deal on SG's. I expect to have my own set of gear complete in time for next year's LL season.

when I'm coaching a game, I use a four dial, but behind the plate I like the 3 dial - makes it easier to use my left hand to remove my mask. I own probably 5 of the 3 dial and 2 of the 4 dial. I always have a spare 3 dial in my back pocket when working a game.

Not a stranger to wearing blue, been calling LL games for about 25 years (started as a high school kid). Have one more year before my youngest ages out of LL and I can hang up my coach's hat for good (15 years is plenty) and start calling more games. Planning to follow a friend's advice to join our state association and start working big-boy games once I'm done coaching. I'm involved in umpiring forums simply because you can never learn too much, and you will always come across situations that you've never dealt with before, and having other umpires to discuss these things with makes everyone better. Joe