SinCityBlue

John Tumpane is not only an excellent umpire...i am privilaged enough to call him a friend. During my stint at Wendelstedt, he was the most jovial, funny, mechanically sound umpire / instructor at school. Every umpire misses a call, i missed a good one myself two weeks ago. A missed call isnt the end of the world, it's the beginning! Here's a pic of John Tumpane, my son, and myself earlier this year at a 51's game here in Vegas. http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c118/lvmagik/daveyjohntumpaneandme.jpg

Sorry to get back to you so late. I didn't see the message, my apologies. Actually, i'm not aware of an official named Arik.

Also incorrect. Live ball appeals are allowed in Fed. As long as the fielder is not making an active attempt at returning to the base, a fielder with the ball can touch the base and appeal the miss, whether other action has stopped or not. LOL, he's like, ALSO INCORRECT! You're correct, a fielder must, with a live ball, tag the runner or base in question and communicate to the umpire what the infraction was and which runner committed the infraction. Although,When a running infraction occurs and then all playing action becomes relaxed, any live ball appeal must occur before the next pitch, play, or attempted play. An appeal itself does not count as an attempted play for the purposes of subsequent appeals.Way to be heads up.

Correct, unless runner/s were on, then it's a balk. Once the pitcher starts his windup, he has to finish, period, end of story unless the umpire calls time.

I agree 110%!!! In fact, i tell the coaches at the plate meeting, "Coach if you don't like a call, please don't charge out at me, i'm very approachable and sensitive (to kinda get em smiling) and only bad things happen after that. Come out and ask me for help respectfully and i''ll go get help".

Yep i agree personally as well. Point it out and announce it, "Runner passed the other!", then signal the out with the proper clenched fist mechanic...at least thats what i'd do for what it's worth. I too have never had this happen...tho i have had obstruction by a fielder as a runner was going for second, in which case i signaled the delayed dead ball with my left hand out away from my body and clenched fist, waited for the play to finish, then called the runner safe at second while pointing to the fielder and announcing, "That's obstruction".

Forgive me, but i don't understand your question. As far as the title to your thread "Full Count", I never say "full count"; Here's what i do for what it's worth... I raise my left hand indicating three balls, and then my right hand indicating two strikes, and keep them up there for a second or two while saying, "Three balls and two strikes"...never say, "Full count". And the base umpire should never repeat the count unless asked for by a player or coach. If thats what you're asking, which i am assuming you are. Oh and if your partner has an indicator in his hand while working the bases, promptly let him know after the game that he is a bush league umpire who needs to get a life. Personally, my biggest pet peave is partners who don't signal...you HAVE TO SIGNAL! Make sure that you both are on the same page thus understanding your rotation responsibility. Also verbal communication...let your partner know when you're at third (assuming a two man rotation here). Shout it out loud, "i got third partner!", that way you know to check the leading runner off to your partner once he crosses second base.

It's my hope these people are getting the games the good umpires don't deserve. While I don't advocate an umpire refusing a game because it's "beneath" him, I feel an organization should put their best umpires on the best games. Our organization heavily evaluates umpires and assigns according to evals. You don't just step in to SNOA and announce you're an umpire who's worked umteen years and expect 4A Var games; you have to show your skills through no less than TWO evaluations working pre-season games and of course pass the open book 100 question test. Your games are assigned based on your eval percentages. Every umpire has fields or teams they hate to work...I have one team and two fields blocked on Arbiter, lol...so i don't have to worry about those three situations this year!

Incorrect. Not all appeals (in Fed) are dead-ball appeals. Unless the appeal is the third out on a runner forced to a base or a batter-runner missing 1B, any runs that scored before the appeal was made counts (unless the runner was following the appealed runner). Dead ball or live ball, it doesn't matter. Fed rules. R1 with two outs, stealing on the pitch. Batter hits a triple to right field, missing 2B just before R1 touches home. After action is complete, defense calls time and initiates a dead-ball appeal on BR missing 2B. The umpire upholds the appeal. Does the run score? Yes. The run scored before the appeal was made. (8-2-6k and the fact there's no exceptions matching the situation in 9-1-1) I meant, everything has to finish before the defense can appeal..they can't appeal while play is happening, they can scream and shout that the runner missed the bag, but the ball is still live. Once all plays are over, the defense can then properly appeal the play. As far as the run counting, i think we all agree on that.

I have to disagree. To determine if a preceding run scores on an appeal of a missed base during a live ball, you have two questions: 1) Was the third out a force play or one where BR missed first base? If so, the run doesn't score. 2) If not, did the run score before the appeal was initiated? If so, the run scores; if not, no run. The basic premise of the question is whether the appeal on R2 missing 3B is a force play or not. In Referee's opinion (and mine, after reading the play), R2's force was removed when BR was put out before reaching 1B. Therefore, the appeal was not on a force play AND occurred after R3 scored, so the run counts. I'm curious as to what you mean by, "Did the run score before the appeal was initiated? If so, the run scores, if not, no run." Appeals are made after plays are finished and time is called, requested by the defensive of course, so the runner scoring before the appeal makes no difference as far as before or after the appeal. Based on the scenario, the bases were loaded, thus the runner from third is forced to home. U1 has responsibility to make sure the runner touches the plate, okay so he does and now there are two outs because of the play at first; Anything after that, then becomes a "SUBSEQUENT PLAY", unless there is a force. The force was removed when the runner rounded third base going for home, him missing 3rd base just means he's out. But count the preceeding run, definitely.

Once you call "Time" it doesn't matter what the pitcher does because the ball becomes dead immediately and you just "re-start", so to speak, of course only once you've put the ball back in to play.

Down in Daytona where i went to umpire school in January of 2010, it was between 22 and 33 degrees daily with lots of wind. They said it was the coldest winter in over a hundred years there that year...of course...cause i was there! If i wasn't there, it would have been sunny and nice the whole times, lol, thats my kinda luck.

Probably not. I've worked in the St. Louis area since 2002. Started in Security as an EMT, then transferred to Surveillance in 2005. Helped open the Surveillance rooms of the two newest properties in the area, and been with the current one since Nov of 2009, but stayed with the same parent company. I'm about to start my 10th year with them. Very cool. I too was a security officer at a casino property "Fitzgeralds" here in vegas for a year. Got sick of dealing dice and wanted to have some fun...security was fun, but the money sucked, so i went back to dealing, lol. Been with the casino i'm at now for over four years. Been in the business eighteen years. it's too hard to ge out, especially since it's easy work and i get a 20 min break every hour.

I know Gaylon Kent. He evaluated me a month and a half ago during pre-season. He scored me a 2.18 (1.0 being the best, 5.0 the worst). Smart guy, great umpire and a class act.

From one fellow blue and casino employee to another: welcome. You're also a casino employee? LOL, do i know you?

R3's run scores if the umpire judges him to have crossed the plate before R2 rounds third base. Obviously as umpires we are taught to keep our heads on a swivel and look at all runners touching bases. Of course, each umpire should know their assignments and U1's responsibility is tagups and touched bases, especially when he's got bases loaded. After the out from F4, that makes two outs, any plays afterwards are subsequent plays from a fielder and become timing plays, therefore if in the umpires judgement the R3 crossed the plate before R2 missed third, then the run scores, if not, then there is no score...this is a judgement call.

Right there, bottom left corner of the upper plate, there the seams are. That shot to the chest also slightly dented the chest plate as you can see. I'll have to post the other two shots another time because of the upload limit. But you get the jist. The WV is solid protection.

Btw, i got a really hard foul ball to the middle left portion of my chest three weeks ago, and even tho i had the WV gold on, i still felt that one; Was a Varsity pitcher. Tho had i been wearing my first year diamond $29.99 vest, i would have probably suffered a collapsed lung, thats how hard this foul ball was, in fact, the ball left seam indentations in the plating of my vest, i couldn't believe it. I can take a pic and post, i should, let me see if my camera phone will get a clear enough shot. If it does, i'll edit this post and attach the shot. Love my WV.

ROFLMAO! It is awesome that you asked that question because i kept wondering the same thing with my WV. I kept tucking them, but everytime i called a strike it would pop right back out, lol, so now i just leave 'em out. Probably meant to be that way anyway, tho it does look kinda funny under a shirt. Sometimes i find myself tucking them in whenever there might be a pause in the game, but eventually, they pop right back out, lol.

I work HS ball and last year we had a kid get hit in the head off a line drive and it recessed his skull. The kid was ambulanced to the hospital where they had to remove part of his skull to allow his brain to swell. I just kicked a bat out of a game earlier today because it was an Easton composite, although we still allow BESR, next year we won't. The bats will have to be BBCOR certified non-composites. As far as helmets for umpires, i went to Wendelstedt with a hockey mask because i was a big fan of Ed Hickox who was not only one of my instructors at school, but well known for wearing the hockey mask (with a hat on, i might add); And once i got home i wore the hockey mask for about 10 games before i went back to the regular mask. I got sick of yanking off that helmet.

The only thing I can see is if F1 was close to balking (such as being really close to not making a complete stop), so the PU sent out F2 to warn him. However, PU shouldn't have called it a balk; and if R3 is advancing home, PU must have called it. First of all, if you see a balk, call a balk...and if you DO call a balk, and there is a runner on third base, he scores, end of story; There is no warnings, etc. You're not the pitchers teacher, you're not the coach, you're the umpire! You can't call a balk and then make the advancing runner go back because you decided to give a warning to the ptcher. The runner gets the base, end of story. You may have mis-read NFHS rule book Section 6-3 PENALTY. Maybe you misinterpreted that rule.. Secondly, any umpire can call a balk, you don't have to be the the base guy to call it, plate guy can call it if he see's it; However, yes it is the base guys JOB to watch for balks and illegal pitches, along with pick off attempts, etc. whether in the A, B or C positions. I've called many balks from the working area and the "A" position.

You stated that you "repeatedly" warned the coach; Never "repeatedly" warn anybody. If the coach wants to act like a ding dong and argue everything then get rid of the problem...run him. I agree that you can't forfeit a game, you can suspend one. I had an incident where i ran a coach last year and he wouldn't leave, i simply told the coach that either he's leaving or my partner and i were, the choice was his. As far as parents go, if they get too crazy tell the coach to go talk to them and if that doesn't work clear the field and ask for a field aministrator. I always warn coaches at the plate conference that they are responsible for their players, coaches...and FANS (which coincides with making sure that the coaches have a plan in place in case things get crazy). GL this season. BTW, i just worked a game by myself last week as well, so i feel ya.

You mentioned pro school grads...it's nice to know there a some in here, and i may even wind up knowing a few.

Is your friend a member of SNOA? I may know him :)

This looks a good umpire website. Looking forward to reading the threads and talking baseball. Am a 4A Varsity qualified high school baseball umpire. Attended Wendelstedt Umpire School in January 2010. Hello everyone -