grayhawk

Personally, I think it's a much better mechanic to come up the 1B side. While your view of R1 sliding past the bag is worse, your view of R1's slide directly into the bag (or not) is much better. And as you already stated, your view of pulled foot/swipe tag is far superior from the 1B side.

It certainly doesn't shatter like a windshield. SG put a huge disclaimer on their site for this shovel.

The old thread was locked but this happened yesterday. Guess I should have asked SG if they would replace it but I just ordered a new one. This was a ricochet off the batter (HBP). No damage to me so I guess it did it's job. I've been hit in this TG several times so I guess it finally met its match.

Too bad those plate shoes/brush combo that ump-attire put out as an April Fools joke weren't real! I saw do whatever you need to do and to hell with how it looks. It's a miracle you're back out there!

Pretty hard to obstruct when you have possession of the ball.

Not a former catcher, but there was one that would put his hand over his mask to throw us under the bus with his coach.

Was on a call with two prominent NCAA assigners tonight and they endorsed the IAWE protocol for these instances.

I have this as legal. He's getting set on the rubber, puts his glove/hand in front to establish his windup position and then takes a step that doesn't gain ground towards the plate and delivers. I had one very similar to this and we as a crew decided it was legal.

I'm glad Lindsey is talking about the difference between px and ABS. ABS will undoubtedly overturn pitches that were called correctly. I'd be fine with ABS if it was truly accurate, but using a 2D slice and using average % of a batter's height for the top and bottom makes every close pitch overturned because of height suspect.

I don't like this OBS call, and it most definitely wouldn't be correct in NCAA. In this image, F4 has possession of the ball and his left foot is not blocking the BR's path to the base. By the time his foot is between the BR and the base, he's in the process of making the tag.

That was my second thought (first one being that F1 committed MC). And also how they were able to write down all the numbers of the players that left their positions to approach the immediate area of the altercation. This will probably be in next year's clinic, but I'd sure like to see something sooner from Gosney.

I think the key thing is to NOT get too wrapped up in the double base. Sure, when plays aren't close, you can give some extra attention to which base the runner touches. But on whackers, focus only on if the batter-runner beats the throw or the throw beats the batter-runner. Nothing worse than losing focus realizing that, yes, the batter-runner touched the colored base, but having no idea on if he beat the play or not.

Don't work in the kill zone!

This is very true. Nobody can tell you what your recovery will be like. Right after my surgery, the doctor gave me a 70% chance to walk again. I was determined to get back on the college baseball field, and I've not only done that, but I also snow ski. Not as well as before, but I'm still doing things that I love to do. Best of luck to you!

I have a C5 - T2 fusion after a spinal cord injury that left me paralyzed from the chest down before the surgery. It took me about 2 years to plateau in my recovery. Today, I still have weakness in my right leg, including spasticity and hyper-reflexivity. I can't feel hot/cold/pain from my chest down on the left side. This is called Brown-Seccard syndrome which is where one side of the spinal cord suffers an injury. I can't run very well, certainly nothing like I could before the injury. But I generally get to where I need to be. Working the plate is actually easier for me than working the bases because except for getting the touch/play back into 1B, or rotating to 3B, there's not as much movement required. I work more 3-man than anything and most of my games are at the JUCO level, though I've worked as high as D2 after my injury. Given that your whole neck is fused, one of the more difficult things you'll have to adjust to is that your head is most definitely not "on a swivel" anymore. You'll have to turn your shoulders much more while you're running to see touches, pick up the ball in the outfield, etc. Depending on how far back you get with your mobility will determine if you can get back on the field. As far as safety is concerned, my surgeon told me the same thing. My neck is locked in with the fusion. I had a F3 mask but opted for the Nike Ti with Wilson memory foam pads and am glad I did. The F3 is very heavy, and I think my current setup is better since I've taken countless hard shots without feeling a thing, whereas the one hard shot I took in the brief time I used the F3 rung my bell a bit. I wish you the best in your recovery. It's hard work but as long as you have a positive attitude and give maximum effort, that's all you can do and I bet it will be enough.

Does this mean they're getting rid of the box entirely, or are they just not showing the circle filled in (strike) or empty (ball) anymore? I pray they just get rid of the whole box.

This seems like creative spam. What umpire association orders uniforms for their members? Every association I have worked for expects the members to order and pay for their own uniforms. Sorry bro, you're not going to make "Fetch" happen.

Yes, as long as he breaks contact with the rubber before he fakes the throw to 1st.

When I worked HS ball, our association had a 110 question study guide, from which 30 questions were selected for the closed book qualification exam (in class). We had study guide sessions held by more experienced members, but you couldn't enter unless your study guide was completed (enforcement of which was different for different sessions). We would then go around the room, question by question, read the question and give our answer. If there was agreement, we moved on. If not, then there would be a brief discussion and then we'd move on. Giving the rule or casebook reference was encouraged.

Do make sure to keep your blocks up-to-date. Assigners HATE declines and hate turnbacks even more. Some assigners keep the assigning fee when you turn back a game. You'll move up quicker if you are religious on keeping your schedule in order.

NFHS did define MC in it's 2014 Rules Interpretations. Why they never put it in the rule book, nobody knows. Contact or a collision is considered to be malicious if: The contact is the result of intentional excessive force; The contact occurs close to the bag or home plate or above the waist of the receiving player; or There was intent to injure. Malicious contact can occur without these conditions if determined by the umpire, but these provide a starting point.

The umpires were incorrect for ejecting for MC. This should have been an unsportsmanlike ejection for fighting. Eject R1 and enter a substitute.

Congrats on moving to the next level. I think, overall, you will find HS baseball easier than rec or travel. For the most part, the players do more of what you expect them to do and you'll have less funky plays to officiate. I'm sure your training will cover HS rules. Some of the major differences: ALL obstruction is a delayed dead ball, and ALWAYS results in at least a one base award from the runner's position at the time of the obstruction. There is no "in the act of fielding" in HS. The fielder either has possession, or he doesn't. Force Play Slide Rule - it's different from the bonafide slide rule in OBR Runner's Lane Interference - pay close attention on how your association wants it to be called. Follow-through interference (sometimes called backswing interference) - same as batter's interference. Someone is going to be out. Pitching positions - I'm not up-to-date on them, but they'll be different from OBR Dugout Restrictions - nothing similar in OBR. Part of your "toolbox" to manage a game, which will be important in those freshman games that might only have one babysitter coach. You'll likely be asked to confirm game details a few days in advance via email with the coach or AD. Game date, time, location (JV field, varsity field), and if you'll have access to a locker room (more for varsity). Get examples of emails from a varsity umpire you trust. We always asked our umpires at all levels to arrive no less than 45 minutes before game time, wear decent clothes (business casual) and then go to the field and find the coach to let them know you have arrived and to reconfirm game time and when you'll come back for the plate meeting. There have been several times in my career that the visiting team will be late because of bus issues or traffic. Good to know before you show up 10 minutes before the game starts for the plate meeting and only the home team is there. Your association may do things differently.

Would you say a fielder can be hindered and still make a catch?