boyinr

Pete: "Umpiring for me is a business. No different then being a plumber etc. When you hire a plumber I doubt you are going to bring out a plumber's manual and tell him that he is installing your boiler incorrectly and that he should do such and such. You can but chances are he will bill you for the time he has spent and then tell you - ok install the boiler yourself. That's similar to a coach bringing a rule book onto the field. Contrary to what some may think, the coach does not get tossed for bringing a rule book onto the field. He gets tossed for unsportsmanlike behavior which is supported in the rules." I completely disagree with your analogy. In my professional life part of my responsabilty to hold the consultants that I hire (and pay) to following the "rule book". This is not sport or fun and games. If your plumber installs your boiler incorrectly people can and have died. If in fact he is wrong, he is more than violating an "unwritten rule of behavior" I am not sure how you make the leap that the mere presence of a rule book is unsportmanlike behavior. I challange you to quote from some manual, casebook, interpretation, etc..... I been involved in a game when a coach brought his rule book out to ask a question about a base award. I asked him politely to put it away and I would explain it to him. He was a rookie HS Frosh coach (but an experianced player). I also used this as a teaching moment about the rule book "manners". I was also once restricted to the bench myself by an umpire when I confronted him about a ruling he had made. He told me to go back to the dugout and to not come back with out my rule book citing the exact rule I asking about. When I did what he instructed me to he used that as the ammo to restrict me to the bench. I was a little to "green" to realize that I was being setup by someone who was not following the rulebook but also arrogant. He was wrong about the rule and its enforcement. He chose to insert his own judgement in place of the rule. BTW at the level we were playing there was no option to be "restricted to bench" either. A better analogy is this.....If a student answers an exam question correctly but the teacher marks it wrong on the exam should the the teacher should automatically give the student a failing grade for committing academic unsportsmanlike conduct? "It is a long way to the ground when you ride a high horse"

I would never use this but I have used iScore to keep the books and stats for my daughters softball team. I highly recommend this app for anyone that is interested in that sort of thing. It completely automates the process and is a huge time saver. I keep a regular scorebook during the game and rescore the game at home. Takes about 30 minutes and the stats that it produeces are top notch.

Here is the "after" photo. This is the first one. The lighting and the close up make it look a little rough but, I am pretty pleased with the outcome. Even more so considering how unhappy I was halfway through after I thought that really goofed them up. The product I used is NSF Plumbing Epoxy. I used masking tape around the holes and then filled them in . Let it dry/cure then you can sand it smooth with a fine (150 grit) sand paper. The epoxy will shrink a little as it cures so do not worry about getting it exactly smooth before it cures. Really these should be held on with a flush nut screw so they are easy to remove (Wilson/Joe West?) . I have not seen too many people who really needed or wanted the metatarsal plate. It seems to me most people either cut them off or live with them as is.

After wearing my Wilson Charcoal shin guards for a season I decided to take off the metatarsel plate as I wear high top plate shoes (NB450). This plate was redundant but not in the way. I wanted to do a neater job than simply cutting these off. I also wanted to save them in case I wanted to reinstall them (I am not sure why I thought this). I thought that it would be easy to simply drill out the rivet. The heat of the drilling melted the plastic and the rivet started to spin. This made the hole less than perfect. I had to use some plumbing epoxy to close up the hole. The epoxy is light grey and now the hole is closed and barely noticable. If you are inclined to do this either cut it off and throw them away (what I should have done) leaving the rivet in place. If you are determined to remove the rivet use a small grinding wheel to take the back side of the rivet off and punch it out. I do not recomend drilling the rivet out.

I sure hope not. This board has always been a place for friendly discourse and sharing of opinions in a respectful manner. If your post is anything other than that please take it to the "other place" and you can be insulted and chided by the amaturer umpiring experts and waterwalkers. We have all had partners that do things or bring items to the field that we ourseleves would not do. If my partner asks my opinion on their on field mechanics or behavior then I will give him my opinion. I am sure that I have done things in the past and will continue to do things that others may find amatuerish or smittyish. I always learn and sometimes change (after seeing one partner with his cheeks puffed out like a chipmonk, I no longer bring sunflower seeds on the field). I have never used a plate brush to clean the rubber or the bases, I don't go talk to the new pitcher. I will catch the ball if it is tossed to me at the end of the inning. I do wear sunglasses and sometimes they do end up on the top of my hat. I will move a bat if it is the way and I will hand it to one of the coaches at the end of the inning. I will bring a bottle of water to the field. I don't wear white socks that are visible. I have never worn my hat backwards or my shin guards on the outside of my pants. I don't converse with fans or spectators. I show up on time with a clean and pressed uniform ready to do the best job I can at every game. I take this hobby seriously (as most on this board do) but, at the end of the day it is simply that. Just becasue I will never be a professional does not mean that I can't act professionally. I found this board and come here often to learn and to share with others of a similar mind who enjoy the same things that I do. I have made freinds that I will likely never meet. I hope that it remains that type of place. Happy Thankgiving to everyone!!!!!

Okay lets all just face the facts. Some folks are going to carry a cell phone and others are not going to. Nothing that anyone says is going to convince either group that the other should do something differently. Personally, I have never done this nor do I expect that I ever will. I do not call public works, the weather service, the newspaper, the fire department or the police. If a phone call needs to be made someone else better make it. I am there to call fair/foul, ball/strike, out/safe and adminstrate the rules of the game. If there is a need for a watch on the field (to time lightening/weather delays or a time limit) I will carry a stopwatch on the bases. "And that is all I have to say about that" Forrest Gump

Association logo on the hat, patches on the shirts and jackets here.

Thank you Andrew. Well put. As a trade off for near instant communications we have lost the ability to think for ourselves and solve all but the most simple problems without needlessly involving others. The best example of this was this summer. I saw a SB umpire wearing a bluetooth device during our game. When I asked why he responded "I am the alternate site coordinator. If there is an issue at one of the other 3 fields and the site coordinator is busy they will call me." :TD:

I have a spare remote fob that I carry in the velcro pocket of my ball bag or my pants pocket. Other than that I leave it all in the car. If I feel I need bring water to the field, it is in a "disposable" bottle that if the post game situation dictates I won't need to feel the need to retrieve it in order to make an exit to avoid any further drama. BTDT (Been there, done that).

My association only wears navy blue and powder blue during the Federation (HS and MS) season (April-June) and the navy therma base would be great that time of the year. During the rest of the year we can wear black and cream. I would rather buy one for the spring and take my chances with a regular pull over for the summer and fall.

Hokie: Agreed. I thought that when I was a coach that part of my duties was to know the rules. I learned them and knew the rules better than most and my teams benefited from that. I THOUGHT I knew the rules until I became an umpire. It was then I realized how little I understood.

I typically read the Fed rulebook, Fed Casebook, OBR rulebook or PBUC Two Man Umpiring Manual (Red Book) for 15 minutes or so each night. I am waiting for the Jim Evans Maximizing the Two Man System to come in the mail and when I am done with that I will likely buy a J/R manual to get me through until spring.

Just ordered the Jim Evans two umpire manual and will buy a copy of the J/R book this winter/spring. I already picked up a new pair of base shoes. I would really like one of the new navy Majestic Therma Base Jackets for next season (Santa/SWMBO can you hear me?).

Likely a cobbler will sew a new piece on to the part that is attached to the shoe and rerivet that piece on to the metatarsal plate. For the $10 or so it might be worth it to have a spare pair. I like low cut on the bases and mid cut shoes for the plate. Not sure why but, thats the way I have always done it.

That is the weakest part of the NB 450. A single layer of unreinforced leather with 4 rivets. If you are looking to have them repaired try a local cobbler/shoe repair store. I have a local guy that is super talented and has repaired everything from baseball gloves to luggage. He has also fixed some shoes. IMO that does not look like too tough of a fix.

D62. I think this is about 19 ounces all in. I wrote a pretty detailed first review under the reviews section. It is a significant upgrade to the traditional mask design. The biggest feature is the design of the frame eliminates the chance that the frame could come in contact with the forehead without the bulk of wraparound pads. I will say that I have not used this in a game yet but, the testing that All Star does is top notch.

Other than the fact of having something that is no longer made and its value as conversation piece for a select few you are not missing out on much. I have a mentor that keeps offering his Carlucci CP. If I take it I feel I would have to wear it but, I know that it is not nearly as good as my Platinum or my Douglas.

I am pretty sure this is not carbon fiber but, some type of polymer resin. I seem to recall that there is a long story that the recall of these masks is what led to the downfall of +POS. I beleive that the recall had to do with the fact that exposure to sunlight caused the resin to weaken. I am sure that someone can fill out the story. I have seen and held one of these. Very, very light. Almost too light to be believable.

I had a silver/gray colored CP. I must say that I never did appreciate how much cooler it was until it was gone. Even under the shirt it made a noticable difference. At this point, I like the gray color of the Wilson Platinum. It looks good with most all of the colors of shirts that we wear. I also have a Douglas that is black. I am more partial to the protection than then the color. While we are on the subject of ump fashion, I have always wondered....why do umpires wear black masks with navy blue hats? Seems like a fashion mis-step for guys that are concerned about the colors of buttons and the width of stripes.

IMO it is not just the frame but also the pads. The mask and pads shoud function as a unit. Pads have a big effect on the amount of force that is transmitted though the to the head. Fit of the pads is another factor. I personally do not care for the fit of the Wilson wrap around pads. On my face they seem to provide too little contact area. I do not doubt these are great pads for others with a different face shape. Someday there will be standardized testing by the goverment labs or the private labs. But I doubt it. A small independent lab may risk a lawsuit by a pissed off manufacturer. I am not sure it needs to be to failure but, maybe it would give a rating of how much force was absorbed/transmitted by a mask/pad combination by a 90-95 mph to 3-5 areas of the mask. I have some ideas on how to do this but, not the technology at my disposal. Pete, I would love to share my ideas with you. All-Star is the only company (disregarding that bogus testing Gerry Davis did on the Davisshield being better than a Platinum) that I have ever seen any of the testing data or footage from. The footage they have posted on youtube is rather convincing.

+1. These LCS games have proven the old adage "to err is human.... There have been a lot of learning moments presented alrceady. Opps there's another one on an obvious HBP.

I wear a 4" plastic model. It seems to do the job without getting in the way too much. I have never tried a 6". I think that the width is fine as is. I have models from All-Star, I-Tech and Wilson. I would like to find a good way to attach it to the mask that allows it to hang freely and looks decent. I have resorted to nylon zip ties. They work well enough but, there must be a better solution out there.

All-Star has a new umpire specific traditional mask that should be out very shortly. It is a single bar model. Here is a video of some pretty impressive testing that they have done. I am not sure that everyone out there is testing thier equipment in the same manner. http://www.youtube.com/user/AllStarSportsVids#p/a/u/0/6NyG9LSjnto Here is a link to the 2011 All Star catalog. The new umpire model is on page 18 of the viewer, on page 37 of the actual catalog. I am sure someone with more computer ability could snip the specifc photos out this but, that is not me. http://www.scribd.com/doc/32669896/2011-All-Star-Catalog I have one of the FM25 models and I highly recommend it. It is protective, comfortable and lightweight. I can not wait to try the FM2000UMP.