Scotty_Ump

I've been a steady Wilson wrap-around guy for years as my go-to "cold weather" leather pads. @wolfe_man's mask post 2 weeks ago inspired me to try deerskin LUCs in my Diamond. They fit well and I'm even happier with the feel! LUCs are a step up from Wilson, IMO. Until I held both pads side-by-side when I took out the wrap-arounds to replace with the LUCs, I never realized how thin those wrap-around pads are! From an aesthetics POV, the split-front Velcro bothered me a little when I first installed the bottom pad. But I conquered my OCD and figured it's a small price to pay the improved feel and protection. I appreciate All-Star keeping their logo off the bottom pad and only adding a discrete logo on the top pad Velcro (**cough** Wilson **cough**). The only drawback from a retail standpoint is that you have to purchase the All-Star black MAG mask to get All-Star's vintage dark tan deerskin LUCs that look like brown antique leather. The replacement deerskin pads are a lighter, more "yellow" tan - though still darker than Honig's calf skin pads. I would have preferred buying the vintage dark tan LUCs but I couldn't find them anywhere sold separately.

Just my way of saying thanks for your eagle-eyed observation that kept me from embarrassing myself when taking the field next spring with an upside-down TG! I'm not a fan of their TG design either but I got sucked in by the fact it matched the mask color. But then yesterday I go back in the thread to see @kylehutson's mask and the TG he paired it with and realized he made the right choice. That's a nice looking combo.

You're like the guy who tells his partner his fly is wide open as you walk from the parking lot to the field - right when he finishes talking your ear off about the awesome mask he's wearing for the first time after Tony from MASK-IT transformed its original dull gray coating into totally bad ass gunmetal. And I respect that, brother. I'll take the field with you anytime.

Wow! Look what showed up at my door today from Tony at MASK-IT! F3 v2 + TG / Gunmetal Diamond ix3 / Titanium

Some guy’s posting baseball videos on YouTube and his lip reading game seems on point IMO.

Watching CWS opening games this weekend I noticed every PU would call pitch location on a ball (e.g. “inside”, “outside”). Sometimes the location would completely replace the “ball” call. I haven’t watch NCAA baseball this year and now I’m wondering if calling ball location is an accepted mechanic at that level. I’ve always thought announcing pitch location to everybody instead of simply calling “ball” is a recipe for trouble...

That's exactly what I'm looking for in FED. Thanks for the interp reference, @scrounge - I just looked it up and posted below. And like @Richvee said I don't see why other codes would differ here. SITUATION 16: R2, on second base, rounds third and runs into F5 as he attempts to field a foul fly ball. This action occurred with (a) a count of 1-1; (b) a count of 1-2; or (c) two outs. RULING: In all three instances, R2 is out for his interference. In (a), the batter returns to bat with a count of 1-2 and in (b), the batter returns to bat with a count of 1-2 as the pitch is treated as a foul for the batter’s count. In (c), the batter will lead off in his team’s next offensive half-inning. (7-4-1f)

HTBT, but at that level I'm fine with verbal acknowledgement and nipping it right here. But IMO, if players decide to act like that they'd better be swinging away on the next pitch anywhere near that location. Now A) reaching the bat across the plate to touch the other batter's box line, or B) line-drawing in general - that's a different story. I'm going right to the "that's enough" warning in A and likely tossing in B. Just one ump's opinion...

(This was a situation that nearly happened to me last week in an adult league game - modified OBR rule set. Thankfully there wasn't any interference on the play but it got me wondering what the right call is...) 1 out, bases full. No count on batter. Batter hits fly ball in foul territory on 3B side. R3 interferes with F5 who's running towards foul territory to catch the ball. F5 manages to catch the foul fly ball despite the interference. So what do we have? Here are 3 outcomes I see possible. R3 is out, and ball is foul is since time is called at time of interference (despite being caught by F5). R2 + R1 return to bases occupied at TOP. Batter remains at bat with count 0-1. R3 is out AND batter is out on the foul fly catch. R2 + R1 return to bases occupied at TOP. When F5 catches ball ignore interference since it did not prevent the defense from obtaining an out. Bases remain full and next better steps in with 1 out. I've been thumbing through OBR and FED rule books for what to call here but I can't find any rule (or combination of rules) that support any of these calls. My gut tells me it's #1 and that's what I would have called in that game had interference happened. Would appreciate some help on what the call is here, w/ rule references (OBR + FED). Thanks!

From a HS game today in Hampton, NH. https://twitter.com/JayPinceSMG/status/1119358222383632384 For that level of service you'd better be tipping the delivery guy well...

Nope. See below. I've got both the slotted Champro and a Zett. Both work well on my +POS Zero G. Good call getting TW pads.

Really appreciate the feedback from everyone - this will help me work in the umpire angle much better in interviews.

Does anyone have stories / advice about talking about your umpiring experience as an asset in a job interview (or adding it on your resume)? I wonder if employers generally see amateur sports officiating as a "side hustle" or "hobby" that doesn't provide valuable real-life experience (as opposed to a full-time job). I'd love to hear why you think umpiring experience at any level can be a highly-valuable commodity in the workplace.

Does anybody have OBR citation to support calling catcher interference (or catcher's balk) when F2 reaches across or stands on/in front on home plate to receive a pitch and the batter make contact with F2 on the swing? All I can find is 6.01(g) which only applies when runner is stealing home or attempting squeeze play.

I see what you mean here. Still, we tend to over-value things often because of the brand name. Kudos to good marketing and branding. I also don't believe "cheap" (in dollars) necessarily equals "less safe." Those $30 masks on closeout were probably selling for close to 2x that amount before. Diamond is likely unloading excess inventory at thinner margins. But I'm also a guy who just purchased a Force3 V2 full-price at Ump-Attire because I believe it offers the best protection for the highest level of ball I call. I also have a Wlson Gold after I skimped in my early days on a cheap used Diamond soft-shell. Lesson learned there. As far as any safety concerns with the Diamond mask, I've seen D1 and AA umpires wearing the iX3 facing 90+ mph pitching. I think that says something about getting what you pay for.

Grab this Diamond iX3 on closeout ($30!) and then swap the pads for black Team Wendy pads. That's money well spent. I wouldn't recommend paying full-price for a brand-new Wilson Dyna-Lite mask in your second year. Diamond makes a quality affordable mask that doesn't skimp on protection.

When coaches start yapping about my zone, I simply look away and show them my Champro harness. That shuts them up pretty quickly.

Thank you all for clarifying the rule for me. The journey to getting it right 100% of the time never ends!

12u playing FED rules. With R1 stealing 2B, F2 would move up on the pitch and catch the ball with his glove over home plate. Batter was taking all the way. First time, I told F2 to stay back - more out of safety concerns than rules. It happened again later (batter takes) and I did hear DC call out to F2 from bench about staying put and out of the way of bat. Then it happens a third time (batter was taking all the way again) and OC now wants me to call "catcher's balk" and award batter 1B and R1 moves to 2B. I tell him I've got nothing unless batter attempts swing and contacts F2 - unless runner is attempting steal of home. Thankfully F2 didn't do it again and we didn't have any issues going forward. But I don't think I got this one right. Thinking about it, that means F2 could legally catch ball standing on home plate and throw out R1 without penalty if the batter doesn't swing and contact F2...

I'll echo what @Aging_Arbiter said. What motivates me during sloppy games or blowouts at that level is believing that this game matters A LOT to just ONE player. The problem is, I don't know which player that is. So I have to act like it matters equally as much to all of them. I still remember what is was like to wake up in the morning knowing I had a LL game that day and then count the hours that dragged through the school day because I wanted so badly to get to the ballpark. That must still happen to kids these days, right?

The best pearl of wisdom I can share with new umpires is this: You earn your reputation very quickly with your fellow umpires, assignors, and coaches. You are continuously making impressions as you enter the confines of the field, during play, between innings, and as you leave. Beyond the great gems written earlier, here are a few other things I've found that can help earn a positive reputation: Keep your availability updated in Arbiter. Contact your partner ~2hrs before first pitch and communicate where you'll meet at the game site, who has plate/base, colors to match etc... Just a short text is all you need. Be proactive in pregame and talk to your partner about rotations, coverage, signals, touches/tags, situations. Don't assume that a more experienced umpire you're working with will bring this up on his own in pregame. Learn the head coaches' names by the time the plate meeting starts and don't call them "coach" during the game. Learn the catchers' names and call them by first name throughout the game. KNOW the proper mechanics and signals that your state or local association has and USE them.

Does anybody here have experience with the Amateur Umpire Courses offered by the Wendelstedt school? http://www.umpireschool.com/abbreviated-courses For somebody like me who doesn't have the time or money for a month-long umpire school - plus I'm not interested in a job as a professional umpire - this looks like an interesting opportunity to improve my umpiring skills for levels like high school, college, independent leagues, etc..., and still get something like the "umpire school" experience. Also from my (limited) research, it appears Wendelstedt is the only school that offers abbreviated 2-week courses. Are there others out there?

That could be the case. I remember the other team would have as many as 3 players swinging bats between innings - first-up, on-deck batter, and third batter due up - and I didn't see it as unusual. Funny thing is that coach didn't explicitly tell me how many batters he thought were allowed. So the next inning, I watched how many of his batters were warming up and - surprise - there were 3.

I was PU during U12 tournament played under FED rules. In middle of game, HC asks me to "watch the other team" between innings because they had "too many batters" in front of their bench area between innings swinging bats while his pitcher was throwing warm-up pitches. I told him I'd "keep an eye on it" but the game ended early (mercy rule) and it never came up again. Post-game I looked up FED rules and all I found re: this situation is 3-3-3: "Players loosening up to bat shall remain in the area of their team's on-deck circle while the pitcher is warming up." Does anyone know if FED (or other rule sets) limits the amount of players who can warm up between innings?

http://www.seacoastonline.com/news/20180411/parent-baseball-coaches-talked-of-beaning-daughter DURHAM, NH -- Police said they are looking into allegations made by a parent of a baseball player in the Oyster River Youth Association (ORYA), who claims two coaches conspired on a plan to injure his daughter in an attempt to intimidate her and force her to quit the league. Durham Deputy Police Chief Rene Kelly said the department is aware of the situation, but as of Tuesday had not decided whether to launch an investigation. In an email to ORYA board of directors Chair Ben Genes, Dan Klein, of Madbury, alleges that two coaches said they would instruct a player to “bean” Klein’s daughter -- strike her in the head with a baseball during practice -- in order to intimidate her into leaving the baseball program. The conversation allegedly took place during a draft meeting to assign players to team rosters. That meeting was held, according to Klein’s email, on March 21 at Libby’s Bar & Grill in Durham. According to Klein, his 11-year-old daughter is the only girl enrolled to play on a team in her division. He said in the email he was informed his daughter was the last player drafted. The email, dated April 7, was also sent to several members of the ORYA board of directors, the Madbury Select Board, Durham Town Council and Oyster River Cooperative School District Board, Lee town administrators, Durham Town Administrator Todd Selig and Durham Parks and Recreation Director Rachel Gasowski. Klein said he was made aware of the alleged conversation by two other coaches who also attended the draft meeting -- Troy Brisard and Kirk O’Quinn -- who found the discussion about Klein’s daughter to be inappropriate. Klein said O’Quinn agreed to put Klein’s daughter onto his roster. In a phone interview with Seacoast Media Group on Tuesday, Klein said he did not reach out to police, nor is he necessarily seeking any retribution against the accused coaches. “I’m not on the board -- it’s not my place to say what’s right for them,” Klein said. “I hope that this sort of thing doesn’t happen again, and that kids will be protected from this sort of language and be safe.” ORYA Director Matthew Glode said the association is conducting an investigation into the alleged comments. “In fairness to everyone involved, we have no further comment until the investigation is completed,” Glode said in an email. Klein said his daughter has played baseball and T-ball with ORYA since 2012 and has enjoyed it, mostly without incident. When she began playing, Klein said, she had several teammates who were girls, but that number dwindled over the years as many girls her age switched to softball. Klein said he has served ORYA in various capacities over the years, including as a coach. He said he is not now involved in ORYA in any capacity other than being the parent of a participant. In his email, he referenced a 2015 quarrel he said he had with an ORYA board member that may have led to lingering animosity, and as a result, motivated the alleged threats against his daughter last month. In a recent email chain forwarded to Seacoast Media Group, Genes wrote to Klein thanking him for coming forward with the complaint concerning his daughter. “ORYA will immediately address the incident in our baseball program and move to ensure our program is 100% compliant with our policies,” Genes wrote in the email, dated April 8. “I will contact Troy (Brisard) and Kirk (O’Quinn) to followup on the details referenced. Please let me know if you have any questions.” In an email to Selig dated April 9, Genes said that the ORYA board had already “taken specific action” related to Klein’s complaint, but it is not known what that action is and whether it is the investigation Glode said was underway. ″(Such) that all sports activities for his daughter are safe and welcoming,” Genes wrote. “We are now beginning a formal investigation into the incident as per our policies and procedures and will provide a summary followup to all our stakeholders.” Email messages left on Tuesday for Genes, Brisard and O’Quinn, seeking further comment were not returned. Their phone numbers were not immediately available.