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cigarmon

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Everything posted by cigarmon

  1. Hanging it up and selling my gear. 1) Wilson Shock FX HS mask. Used two seasons. Pads washed and sanitized regularly. Still in great shape. $60 2) Pro Nine soft shell CP. Excellent shape. Includes 4" torso extension. Again, washed and air dried often. $40 3) Diamond shins. 17" Very good shape. $20 Notify me here or at cigarmon@yahoo.com
  2. Hypothetical . . .2 strikes to batter, PU goes to BU on potential checked strike 3. Question...does BU punch out batter or just give a simple strike signal and PU rings him up?
  3. Saw the new (to me anyway) Wilson Guardian shins. Very good looking design and seem to be cooler and lighter. Has anyone tried these or heard anything about them? Thanx
  4. Im in the game now. Working 2 games tomorrow!! Lets get it started
  5. Warren, not far behind you here in Central CA. I start next SAT. 2/16 Can NOT wait. Ive got the dish. And in the next 3 weeks, Ive already got 12 games on the books, Good times
  6. Don't get many National Anthems in baseball, but on I've asked my football crew to be silent during the National Anthem. Too often guys chit chat during it. I find it disrespectful. We can and should hold our tongues for those 2 minutes.
  7. Ive also kicked off my '13 campaign. I worked a 14/16 yo travel tourney (outdoor!) Jan.5 and again Jan. 12. 5 games/5 plates/2 shots to the facmask. Good to see pitches again.
  8. Scott, glad to hear you had a great first season. Should be plenty of "summer ball" around (i.e. Babe Ruth,Cal Ripken,etc.) Here in Fresno there are lots of travel ball tournaments too. Then there is "fall ball" until October or so. Find a game somewhere and chances are, they'll be looking for am umpire. ps. If Lou is coming up for a BBQ, I'll swing in too! Chips & salsa?
  9. Pleased and happy to announce that I received my 1st playoff assignment today! I've got the plate for a 3-man crew for a quarter-final game. Now to read up on 3 man rotations & mechanics!
  10. Our association has been donating to the local cancer group for 3-4 years now. Umpires who want to make a donation do so and then are given pink sweat bands that we wear during games the first two weeks of May. Some go the extra step and wear the pink jerseys. Its a good community outreach for us.
  11. Needless to say, I dont think I'll be putting this on my "umpire resume' "
  12. I blame Josh Beckett and that damn "hang man's noose" necklace thing he wears!
  13. A new benchmark for me. Last Friday, Varsity game and called a no-hitter. I didnt even think about it until my partner mentioned in the parking lot. Now granted, the final score was 42-0 (yes, I'm serious) but ONE OF THOSE TEAMS was no-hit dammit! LOL
  14. This Tuesday & Wednesday will be next chapter in my umpiring journey. I'll be working a prestigous varsity HS Easter tourney here in the area. One of the oldest here in CA. It draws teams from all over. Tuesday I have 3 games with our assignor, who also works JC, and Wednesday I'm working with one of our best, who also works D-1 and AAA. Ready to get after it!
  15. I dont have an issue with being referred to as "Blue". It seems to have become part of the fabric of the game and one that I think we'll have a hard time undoing. I will introduce myself by first name at the plate meeting and if they use it, fine.Those who said that at upper levels, college and beyond,are more comfortable with first names, its because those coaches/managers see the same officials more regularly and know them better. "Ok team, (insert name here) is on the plate today. His zone is (wide,tight,etc;)" At HS levels and below, they are just happy to see someone with a mask show up. I will refer to "Coach/Skip" when speaking out loud "Where did that miss?" "It was down coach" When speaking face to face, more intimately, I try to use first names. Its a matter of respect and professionalism. My .02
  16. Def agree with you all that One Man is "an adventure". When I work solo,I tell managers at the pre-game "On pick off attempts, throws to second, trap balls in the outfield, etc., I'm going to give you the best call I can and we're going to move on. If you have a question please come and ask"
  17. Let me start by saying the timing has long been my personal demon. Seems like every year my goal is to improve on timing, and I have, but still think that the normal inclination is to "pop" a call. This starts when we begin officiating. There is a perception that when a call is to be made, the entire game is looking at that umpire. When youre young, you can "feel" the eyes on you,, so we give people what we think they want, an immediate decision. Its from there that many develop this bad habit. Just as no umpire has ever been dressed down for a bigger strike zone (within reason), an umpire wont be berated for making a properly timed call (within reason). There is an umpire on our board that I enjoy watching for this reason. Slow. Calculated. Precise. My $.02
  18. I received my first assignment of the season last week. Granted its a scrimmage, but its still baseball. Cant wait to get on the field Wednesday!
  19. Jk, I am in the same canoe as you as I wear ( and LOVE) my contacts. As cool as Oakleys look, I just cant justify the $. My step son gets a military discount and can get Oakleys for $70 and I still cant pull that trigger. For me I just buy tinted safety glasses at my local builder supply store. Safety glasses tend to wrap around more and are tougher than most sunglasses. Ive been wearing the same $20 pair for 2 seasons now with now scracthes/issues. My 2 cents
  20. The board that I'm on for my school/FED games is looking for a better way to evaluate our umpires. We are not in a position to send "senior" officials out to view games as we have so many games to cover that its generally "all hands on deck". A board I used to be on, used to have officials evaluate 5-10 partners per season. There was a form for this and the group was on board with this method. High & low scores were tossed to eliminate any biases and then an average score was given for each official. What method(s) does your group use? Thanx
  21. Dragon, fear not. The next day it was back to JV reality with a 14-0 game. Called by mutual agreement after 4 complete. I texted my wife wondering if the previous night's game had been a dream.
  22. Had the best game ever this week. Its Easter week out here. Kids out of school. Lots of tournaments. I'm PU for the day's finale @ 7pm. Host school against one of the better programs around. Quite a few fans. My 1st game under the lights this year. 1-0 final by the visitors. Both pitchers went the distance and both teams were making plays, putting runners on but just weren't able to score 'em. Visiting pitcher got stronger in last 3 innings. He was really hitting his spots and I was calling strikes to no complaints. Great partner made the night complete.
  23. Warren, Isnt this called "Umpires UNanimous"!
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