RichMSN

My high school basketball season just ended last Friday. My first college baseball game (already canceled) was supposed to be tomorrow. Have a DH scheduled for Sunday, but there's fresh snow on the ground now. Haven't even brought my gear/clothing up from the basement. I'm hoping for another cancellation, to be quite honest. I need a week off. I'm going to a college football clinic the first weekend of April. And so it goes. I love quite a bit about umpiring baseball, but I'll be the first to admit that my passion for it isn't what it is for the other sports at the moment. A lot of it has to do with the notion of freezing outside working games in bad weather. Almost to the point where I'd rather let others do that.

BT_Blue, I've PMed you here on U-E with a reset password. Please let me know if that works for you. --Rich

http://forum.officiating.com/index.php is my bookmarked link. Welpe, johnnyg08, and I are all administrators, so one of us will grab the ear of the owner and see why the original link isn't working.

Times like these are when I wish we could all get together and hoist one in memory of Michael. Perhaps we should all try to get together and hoist one before something like this happens. We always intend to do so, but life gets in the way. And I'm sorry if I offended anyone with my post. I've decided in the last few minutes to also make a donation to the American Heart Association, as well.

Warren, I appreciate your work here. Please don't consider this a criticism of any kind. I will try to be there to volunteer my services at any tournament that can be arranged. People can donate to whatever cause they want -- I just want to clear up one thing that you posted. The obituary requested donations to local Little Leagues. This is cut and pasted from the obituary: "Contributions may be made in his memory to your local Little League." Little League was very important to Michael, and I think it's important people consider the wishes in the obituary when they decide to make a donation. Not everyone will seek out the obituary, after all. I will be donating money to a local Little League in memory of Mike.

I'm against it. Can't anything exist for its own sake without naming it after someone? Roads, bridges, stadia, games, fields, courts, awards, professorships, head coaches, seats....geez. It's sad that you join a community and two weeks later sh!t on the memory of someone instrumental in the community becoming what it's become. Didn't you read the thread and consider how we would feel before taking a split-second and barfing all over your keyboard? I'm sorry -- I know I should ignore stuff like this, but this post made me sad. Sad that I never got to meet Mike and also sad for people like this, who probably doesn't care. Renaming the Member of the Month award is exactly the right thing to do and even though I "won" this award before such a name change would take place, I would always associate it with Mike. I'm an administrator of another board and I'm going to post a thread there in memory of Mike sometime today. Any of you who know the board I'm talking about who are members are welcome to do the same. Edited to add: http://forum.officiating.com/baseball/97392-michael-taylor.html

That's a great way to describe how I'm feeling.

Afraid not. Sounds like he had another heart attack that he didn't recover from. His FB page is filled with condolences. For someone I've never met in person, I'm feeling a huge amount of loss right now.

I'm coaching my daughter's team this year. They're 7-9 years old. I couldn't possibly act like the assclowns in the OP. Again, these are little kids. Not only does the result of the game not matter in the least bit, setting a good example is more important to me than any decision (not involving player safety) that an umpire could make.

I record Ferguson's show every night and have seen his show live the last 3 times I was in LA. To me, he's the only one worth watching.

It's funny -- I had already submitted mine and knew I got one wrong (98). And I knew which one I got wrong, but didn't see it as worthwhile to resubmit just to say I scored 100. Then I sat down with a fellow umpire who hadn't submitted his exam and walked through his questions. At least 3-4 of his questions were of the "Glad I didn't get that one" variety. Worked through that one -- he scored 97 (2 wrong). Between my 3 sports, I take 8 exams online in a calendar year. None of them are good exams, IMO.

To me, it's the whole package. I'm not saying I'm a guy who doesn't work hard on the field. I just know I'll miss a pitch or two or may kick a call every month. I won't miss a rule, though. I work college and HS games in three sports (football, basketball, baseball) and it amazes me how people try to skate by hoping nothing weird happens to them. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk

I'll second the posts above. I worked with a guy who killed a balk in an NCAA game as if it was a HS game. He's worked in the D3 postseason. I'm a rules guy. I figure I have some weaknesses on the field, but one thing I can control is my knowledge of the rules. It's too bad not everyone I umpire with has this philosophy. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk

If Hiler says it's nothing at the clinic, it's nothing on the test. F2 was fielding the throw. It would've been OBS those misguided years when they "fixed" the rules and then had to fix them back. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk

I think you're right, BTW. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk

No requirement to take/pass a test in order to work a varsity game here. You do have to get hired by a commissioner or an AD, though. In order to work post-season, you typically have to be what the state calls "Level 5" or higher. To be L5, you have to work at least 4 varsity games and score an 85 on the Part 1 and Part 2 tests, which are both done open book, online. In order to be the highest level, you only need to work 8 varsity games and score 90 on Part 1 and Part 2 -- still open book. Truth is, baseball is one sport I could work virtually every day if I wanted to. I only solicit games from three HS conferences -- between those games (typically about 30) and my college schedule, it's more than enough.

We'll see on Tuesday, I guess. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk

I lived 90 miles from Philly *and* New York. I got WWOR, WPIX, *and* the Philly stations. Add to the above Richie Ashburn and Harry Kalas. Memories. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk

I answered D. F2 threw it right into the head of the batter, who was clearly in the box and not making an unusual movement into the ball to interfere.

Well, I'd like to be helpful, but the only way I could be is if I got 100% on the exam and I didn't -- I missed one question. So I don't know if this is the one I missed. For what it's worth, I answered that the gross miss *does* make a difference and the appeal will be upheld.

I paid $100 at the NCAA Clinic. I was able to talk them down $9 by mentioning that I bought the chest protector back when I couldn't buy both as a package deal.

I couldn't work games in Mississippi, I guess. I turn down any assignment where they pay the plate umpire and the base umpire different amounts. They do that for some youth ball here and I will tell those people flat out why I'm turning them down. I'll even say this if I was planning on turning them down for other reasons. I work my share of plates and probably some other people's share of plates, too, so that's not the issue either.

Hey, I'm a geographically - challenged guy when it comes to college baseball. Perhaps I should just skip the clinic since I'll likely never be more than a D3 guy unless I move, but I feel I owe the game my attendance and attention. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk

They replaced Chicago with Dallas this year. I could drive to Chicago in 2.5 hours. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk

I'm a two right, two left guy. The odds of any pitch going to the screen seems higher on the first two pitches. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk