Replacematt

From the verbage on every site I've seen, they have the LUC pads. I don't have this particular mask, but I do use LUC padding on my FM25TI. Here is what I told Brad when he asked what I thought of them (in May 2010): "The LUCs are very comfortable--I hate leather pads, so I'm biased. I have yet to try them in hot weather, which will be the true test. I think the main gig I have on them is whatever makes them 'crinkle'--aesthetically, it's an unexpected sound. The other improvement I would make on them is to make the strap hole on the TOP pad a bit larger; it's too tight on the straps and makes it difficult to adjust or swap out." They are a firm pad, with a mesh-fabric covering. It seems that between the pad and the cover, there some sort of plastic layer, which produces the "crinkle" I mentioned. They hold their color and integrity well--my pads still look brand-new. They take a shot amazingly well.

Here's some advice: if you can't find it in the book, it's not what you thought it was.

I'm sold. As soon as the tax returns come back, I'm going to get a pair of each...

I, personally, haven't made up my mind. I'm leaning towards those taking PEDs not getting in, but... Also, an aside to Thunderheads, I wasn't saying that Bonds should be allowed in.

Wrong yet again.

My assessment stands. You have control issues best addressed by a professional.

I don't pick you for @#$@. Anytime I disagree with you, you immediately resort to name calling and condescension. Plus, it's not only me. This thread is a case in point. Again, I tell you--grow up.

Hmmm...bats and helmets can be fair or foul? :smachhead:

There is no rule that bars felons. Perhaps I should have written it like this, so you could understand it better: Barry Bonds is a convict, so the voting rules should exclude him, yet they may be ignored. From the BBWAA voting instructions: "Voting shall be based upon the player’s record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played. Now, is that easier to comprehend, there, Matt? You need psychological help.

There is no rule that bars felons.

No, what the article is saying is that if the culture in professional baseball has changed to the point of accepting instant replay vice the concept of traditionalism, it may be indicative of a larger cultural shift that may be more accepting of female umpires.

Balls. . . is all I gotta say. The funny thing is that when I saw this picture, I was pretty sure that this cat, at a minimum, had a decent set of swag. That told me that he has had exposure to the do's and dont's--probably informally. I'll be honest, I do see potential for this guy just because he does have some stuff right. Much better than a lot of rookies who come in thinking they know everything because of their playing days.

I don't remember the first one. In my defense, it was probably the second-busiest time of my life, early '08 was.

Hmmm... One I have that hasn't been mentioned--wrong color undershirt. For some reason, I have had a couple of partners that like to wear red under cream or polo blue.

Lots of good stuff here... I'd add another resource (forgive me if I missed it: ) See if you can get into some cage work with a trusted evaluator/observer. This will help you in all aspects of plate work, not just the specific issue of the outside pitch. I've never had a team have an issue with me working with them--they want good umpires as much as we want to be good umpires.

I would say my first post was somewhat academic, so for ease of understanding, let's go with a simple example of how good timing works. Situation: No runners, ground ball hit to F6. The whole play: The umpire realizes that the most likely play is at 1B, with the call being safe or out. The (potential) elements: True/not true throw. F3 gloving the ball. BR reaching 1B. F3 touching 1B. F3 tagging BR. Because of the nature of baseball, the determination of one element can have different outcomes. If there is not a true throw, one element of this play would be a tag of BR; a true throw would have F3 touching 1B. We'll say this is a true throw. Now, the contexts: Did BR reach 1B before or after F3 gloved the ball? Was F3 touching 1B while in possession of the ball? If so, was it before or after BR reached 1B? As demonstrated, even a simple play (made simpler because obstruction or other calls were discounted in the example) can be broken down into elements in context. Imagine this as a banger. Once you look at the elements, process them, and contextualize them, the call becomes much easier. Not only does this make calls easier, but starting the evaluation from the start of the play allows adjustment for further observation of other elements (e.g. a pulled foot on a bad throw.)

You meant heather, right?

The #1 thing to remember about good timing is that it is not measured in units of time; rather it is determined by what an umpire does from the time a play starts to the time he makes his call. There are three types of timing: 1. Good timing 2. False timing 3. Bad timing Good timing is when an umpire observes all elements of a play from start to finish, mentally processes what he observed in the context of what is relevant to the play, what each element means in context with each other and the whole play, evaluates these mental outcomes, and renders the proper decision. This, like all skills, comes with practice. False timing is when an umpire uses a mechanism to slow down his decision; often, this enables at least some of the steps of good timing, but never fully incorporates all of them. Some examples you may hear are taking a breath before calling a pitch, deliberately chewing your gum before making a call, or the like. Yawetag alludes to this when he mentions "arbitrary method to slow down." In the end, though, false timing does not address the fundamentals of good timing--it simply widens the window for the steps to occur. Bad timing, as one may guess, is timing that is neither of the above. The whole play and all of its elements are not fully processed or evaluated, and the call suffers as a result. The reason why timing is not measured in units is because each umpire that has good timing does it in a different timeframe, which may or may not be coincidental with umpires with false or bad timing.

Was it? After all, a ball is dead on a HR.

I'm glad you are a rookie umpire...after a few years' experience, you'll look back and laugh at this part: 1. This is unsportsmanlike conduct, so yes, there is a rule covering this. 2. This is level- and context-dependent. It may be unsportsmanlike conduct; in NFHS'>FED, there is an explicit rule forbidding this. 3. If he is yelling at opposing players, then you have authority (either due to unsportsmanlike conduct or for inciting a balk.) However, it has to be clear. 4. This is incorrect. There is no authority to do this. 5. Yep, except in NFHS'>FED games, where there is a rule regarding this. I'm not the fashion police. 6. Your assessment is somewhat off-base. Anything an umpire does needs to have a rules basis. Umpiring based on platitudes leads to poor execution and the perpetuation of myths. This is not a knock on you...like you said, you're a rookie. Once you become more familiar with rules, their interpretations, and game management, stuff like this won't be an issue.

Makes one wonder what the remuneration is for a one-game MLB umpire...

Scrimmages start the 20th OF January or so. My first game, as OF now, is the 1st OF March.

Ooh...I'm stealing this one--I'm going to teach that this year. We'll see which coast it reaches first.

So, given some recent discussion, I'll throw this out there... My thoughts on ejections are: 1. People are going to react. 2. We cannot control their reactions. 3. We can influence what they do. 4. They are ultimately responsible for what they do. We cannot keep someone in the game if they decide to act inappropriately. We can decide not to act in a manner which would reasonably be expected to have an inappropriate reaction. Rip this apart, if you will.

I said that to my wife. At least I like my truck.