BrianC14

When you say "feeling it".... what kind of symptoms? I agree w/ you on the 'scary' bit.... I got whacked good in a spring game, and let's just say that the silence and inattention from coaches, fans, and players was pretty unsettling. I was completely on my own, the problem was my bell was rung good enough to where I began to wonder about some basic self-care steps. A question about your TW pads: were they somewhat soft or very firm when you first got them, and how are they compared to that first few days wearing them?

And...... come on... tell us.... we do want to know....

OK, so that's roughly 60 feet, give or take. We can't see in the video where and what F2's movement might have been until the ball hops just in front of the plate, so we can assume that it's all legal as far as his positioning goes in receiving the ball. But even on the 'rough' video here, the runner touches home plate. If they did a video review, the question of OBS is a moot point anyway. Am I seeing things or did the runner not touch the very point of the plate?

I'll take this a step further for anyone that thinks I'm criticizing Scott Kennedy: I'm not qualified to do the man's laundry. I will never be a DI conference umpire, and I don't even have the time left in life to hope that I might be. What I do gain from these videos of the "big dogs" is a deeper respect for the level they are working and succeeding at it. Again - this is about taking something away from the discussion and applying it to my tiny little umpiring world. "What's the most important game you're ever going to work? Answer: the one you're working right now." - quote from a D-I CWS umpire who shall remain anonymous

Agree w/ what I put in bold.... seasoned players know to show the ball; that's what makes this specific situation pretty rare. For the record, I've been instructed by numerous DI umpires over the years, and while we didn't always have this come up, it did present itself on enough occasions to where the instructors would tell us to request proof of possession. Again, I think @johnnyg08's point is valid: show me the ball is different from show me the glove. I'm not pointing fingers at any umpire here, let alone one who works at a level I can't even dream about; it isn't about finding fault, it's about using this as a learning situation.

I first read that as "...you had Big Ten dogs evaluating you..." I can see your point; I know that when I've had a mini-dogpile on a play, I have been trained to refrain from signaling anything, and call out " Show me the ball". This typically will freeze the runner on the bag however he might be touching it, and then it prompts the fielder to (if he has to) untangle himself and show the content of his glove (or hand). Then the signal can be made based on what was just previously seen. I've had evaluators (paraphrasing here) say that when you call to 'show me the ball', it's always going to be an out if the ball is there, and most coaches / players understand that (level depending on that last part).

I agree. This is a clusterfluge of bodies going in different directions, and in the middle of it all - somewhere - is the ball. Wouldn't want to be in that soup, but when this sort of thing happens, what else can you do? I'm sure he saw F6 take possession of the ball, and then - *presto change-o* the ball isn't where it was. That said - Does anyone know if he called for F6 to 'show me the ball' ?

That is hilarious.... did Vin Scully call him "Greg Coslan" or some such? LOL

The video clearly shows F2 on his right knee. The first time we see F2 and the runner in this video, the runner is roughly equal and at least 6 to 8 feet into the dirt circle. Why else would the runner have taken the path that he did if not for F2 being on the baseline, and on his right knee? Wow.

Video replay upheld the out call? Wow. WOW.

My condolences.

On a serious note, beware of rhabdomyolysis: http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/rhabdomyolysis-symptoms-causes-treatments#1 Trust me when I tell you that it's nothing to mess with. As @Rich Ives said above about urine color, "rhabdo" is a condition where your urine color turns to orange juice or even darker (had a buddy who said his urine looked like root beer). It's serious stuff, and hydrating with water alone won't help much, if at all.

(Insanity later).

Yep, being cold is beyond awful. I'd rather work in heat than in cold, damp, windy conditions. There's very little to nothing you can do for cold. On really hot days, I've been known to request two bottles of water: one to drink, the other to pour down my back and chest. With the low humidity, you can practically hear it drying before it even gets to my waistband.

Sounds like my weekend. The last two games of Saturday (of the four I worked) there were a total of 48 runs scored. Add to that the 92 degrees (94 the previous day) and it was.... tough. And speaking of hydration, don't forget the benefits - yes, BENEFITS - of having a beer or two post-game. BEER BENEFIT #5: RECOVER FASTER. Move over, Gatorade—a heady brew could also aid in workout recovery, according to a Spanish study. Researchers asked students to exercise until their body temperature reached 104 degrees, and then had them rehydrate with beer or water. As it turns out, people who had a post-workout pint were slightly more hydrated than those who had H2O. http://www.menshealth.com/health/have-a-beer/slide/5 Agreed - how in the world do you guys in the desert southwest do it?

Wow. Is this what you guys mean by the 'wedge' ? HPU was in perfect position to see the touch of ... the very point of the plate. I had to go frame-by-frame to be sure. And yes... OBS... was it called?

Well the same thing could be said of T-ball. My view of slow pitch is that teams load up with 5 or 6 gorillas and a few guys would can field, and winning scores are typically 23-19.

Yeah, that still shot does look better, I think you're right. And he never (seems to) ask to see the ball.

I don't know.... his line of sight must have been blocked by the guy in the long sleeve t-shirt (navy blue). Like @johnnyg08 said - show me the ball, not show me the glove. And this led to the batter being ejected... so U3 died with this (incorrect) call.

Yep. Probably cut & pasted from another pants product when they started carrying the poly-spandex ones. Thanks for the confirmation on the waist.

The Lester Upstate site says they have it..... wth ? Where the customer selects their size... Options Select Size (Expander Waist)

Do the poly-spandex have an expander waist?

Yep. .

Worked a HS tournament Thursday -Saturday (scheduledSunday off by design). 10 games over the three days, with back to back plate games on Thursday and Friday (three game sets). Saturday arrived with four games on tap. All went well until the last game, when I had the one plate game of the day. Ended with a pulled groin muscle on the right leg while taking B/R into 2B, and an Achilles tendon strain (swelling and bruised) on the left. Add to that a bruised right hand (HPU hit by pitch ) and one to the stomach (HPU hit pitch redux). The first two have me out of action for at least the coming week. Questioning my own sanity taking four games in one day. Been a long time since doing that.