GerryB

I had a pair of Spot-Bilt plate shoes around 1974...I think that predates +POS, which everyone did want when they came out.

Yes, I wore one briefly. Stiff as a board through the chest, the back was just cardboard. Gave it away. Hutch/Reach Randy Marsh signature.

I'm inclined to agree that this is NCAA FPSR. It is close. A pop-up has to be over the bag, so can't also have momentum carrying him through. For me there is too much horizontal, including that hip and less vertical than there should be. If it wasn't FPSR I know the next time he is on the bases the ball will somehow find its way to his noggin; so I'm going with intent of the rule. Excellent mechanics.

Great thanks, I will do that. I should have had the picture from the start. I should have been more specific too - this happens with clearly foul pops on urban summer ball fields where I have to know where the ball goes*, but I won't take my mask off for them. *basketball courts, homeless encampment, busy playground all behind the backstop and balls into these areas have sparked unfortunate reactions you need to be aware of.

Anyone have this problem? I use a 6" throat protector. When there's a pop fly or something, I look up for the ball then when I look back down the protector has swung back and hooked the shell of my chest protector. Boom, off comes my mask. And I do have the throat guard in the right place and my Douglas pads are up to my neck. Thoughts? 4"?

Think Tony could get this done for me?

Kept him in! He was laughing. One of those (really) old-timers who can light it up, but also gets it.

I just missed one of those, and the HC at 3rd said, "That's the fastest you've moved in ten years!"

@Razzer, just a check - my memory is that the over the shoulder pad went further towards the back than current CPs do, more football like; do they? And those caps are retro-fitted?

Yes, surprising but if IIRC the shoulders were more football and if you notice in the picture the plates didn't go down very far. The Power changed all that. Thanks @MadMax

Hunter wearing his father's old Donzi/Easton.

Sorry, but West designed the chest protector built by Riddell. Riddell's came before Douglas' and Wilson's WV. Your chronology is incorrect. Aside my own receipts, I reference Fittske24 right here on U-E. "The Riddell power, vintage WV and the gold have the overall same design. Joe west was the original designer of the power. When Joe decided to sue Riddell, he went to Douglas during the lawsuit. Once Riddell was told to stop producing powers, Joe moved on to Wilson and back to the "power" style design. When Joe started working with Riddell, he didn't have the CP design patented. When the Power started becoming popular Joe wanted compensation from Riddell and they basically told him to go take a hike. Joe hired a lawyer and worked on getting the design patented. Riddell kept selling during this time and never got a patent for umpire CPs. Joe was smart.... he didn't just patent the chest protector as a whole, but he patented some of the key parts of it. For example, Joe patented the attachment of plates using Velcro straps. That's why the power stopped getting made. Also that's why future CPs like the All-American and champion CPs had to change their original designs to remove the Velcro straps from their designs."

To add to the football list, Donzis/Easton football pads became umpire pads just before the Riddell WV.

Yes, in the late 90s Riddell was unavailable for sale. I was on the waiting list just in case Joe relented...

Love them (I have the black - same thing I believe). They squeak, but they have taken everything, including straight knee shot without ill effects.

I got an email for closeouts from the Smitty Outlet Store. One of them was this Smitty/Douglas mask, $89. Is this a rebrand of a Force3?

Agreed. Years ago I gave a college F2 that speech. He told his head coach what I said and the coach buzzed out to me between innings screaming and pointing that he teaches F2s to pull and to stop talking to his catcher. He quickly ended up in the parking lot and I stopped talking to F2s...

Drake had the best angle this would be hard from any other position.

Agreed! I'm absolutely horrified by seeing this. It is another level of concentration I think for the MLB guys, to ignore the pull. I'm concerned about what it will mean for HS/College ball. Every pull now will be regarded in the dugout as a strike?? I think the technology is driving this; in MLB catchers know that catching it "right" won't help them anymore since the umpires are being graded on where the pitch actually is. So no longer any need to work hard and correctly frame a pitch, so why not be lazy and maybe steal one in the process? What does this mean for those of us with no machine watching us?

Aside from apparel, I have two masks. I once took an eye-bar bender in the fourth inning. It was a relief to have the second available.

Back in the day, when I wore a Rawlings CP it came with (and I guess still does) bicep pads that aren't danglers. They slid up your arm seperately. Kept them long after I dumped the CP because I could use them to protect sore arm bruises.

Were many people now at Riddell alive/adults when these were being made?

And the WV plastic is so much more solid.

I agree that it was better protection (and cooler!). I do think though it led to a more consistent strike zone for those who worked over the top (I didn't). Left handed batter or right handed you stood in the same place with your head in the same place for every batter. I didn't work over the top because I wanted a better look at the low pitches than was afforded by the balloon over the top. Just my opinion.

Ah well, I did use one when I started out. Others may have other ways. I did both hands holding the inside strap loosely, so you can tuck those elbows in. When moving, right hand pulls the protector off of the left shoulder to free the left hand for the mask. I remember guys who would put their whole arm through the strap and use the raft to knock the ball away, like a shield. When I started big boy baseball I switched to the Rawlings inside protector (epaulets stapled to a catchers protector). Looking back not sure how I survived!