Cajuncubsfan

The are older umpires here that don't want you to carry an indicator. With that being said I have found it easier for me to stay focused on the game if I don't carry one. It helps me stay focused. Hell my partner lost the count today and I was right there with it.

and that is why I don't use that stance. I do lock one arm in on my knee but it is the one behind the catcher. I do stand like this when waiting for the pitcher to start his pitch and then I drop my batter side arm down I my side behind my ball bag (Right hand batter; left arm). I squeez my knee with my other hand and lock in. Squeezing my knee helps me with my timeing

I will just tell him he touched the bag and move on. If the coach is fussing about that he is probably messing with you and trying to rattle you. He should know better!

I did this is a scim this year as well. The catch said "Mr. Scott that was only strike two" I look at my indicator and said "Your right Eli" and LOLed. It was funny and I hope no one noticed.....

Get me a Gold!!! I will pay you back! LOL :-)

Very True

Welcome I don't know how guys who have never umpired before think starting in HS is a good idea. I have worked with guys this year that have never umpired before and they just don't know where to be and what to do. You have a very big learning curve to over come. Here are my tips to you. 1) Liston to all the pointers you can from your fellow umpires. 2) Read up on the rules and know them. Your mechanics are probably going to get you in trouble with a coach at some point. 3) When HS is over you should work Little League or something to get more games under your belt 4) Find anything you can to read about umpiring. Be careful o watching YouTube videos. Some of those guys don't have good mechanics. These are things I did. One thing I didn't do was walk on the HS ball field before I had worked 3 years of Dixie / Little League. I wish you luck and feel free to ask questions. These guys have qualms with answering LOL :-)

Not after taxes. Ok, 2/3 :lol:

I lost two games tonight because of rain!!!! That's like almost enough money to get my WV Gold!!!!

I have 6 high school games scheduled this week if the rain doesn't get some of them!!!

JV around here is very laid back. The coaches are just trying to weed out the bad eggs for Varsity. Last week I told the coachs that I had a big strike zone for JV because I don't want to have a walkfest. They both said "Good my pitcher can't pitch". My strike zone really wasn't much different but they will go back to the dugout and tell there batters to swing the bat. LOL :-) JV coachs are football coachs here as well.

Personally if I'm going to spend 120$ I would come up with the money to get the WV Gold. But that's just me. You get what you pay for in umpire equipment.

I really hope your kidding!!! What is the differance in the WIlson Gold West Vest and the Platnum Wedt Vest?

I second that, my problem is I'm unemployed and dont have the money to buy her off. LOL :-)

I agree with the call out after the tag. The push is do to the catcher getting in him face. I worn and break them up.

PLANETS Y'all can really be picky about wording around here! I was thinking I would point out that those are Planets and not stars..... Relax, I'm not being picky. Big difference between starst and planets. I noticed what you said, and wanted to clarify because you'd feel pretty stupid calling Venus and Jupiter stars at your Boy Scouts camp, ... right? One thing I forget to keep in mind is that you guys only know me from what I post on this site. I always point out to my boys the stars and the planets. I tell them that planets don't swinkal like stars. This weekend is the state of Louisiana Boy Scouts Cuboree.... I may need to put all my gear on all weekend to survive this!!!

PLANETS Y'all can really be picky about wording around here! I was thinking I would point out that those are Planets and not stars.....

Sweet. Mine says," I sure hope you umpire a lot of games to pay for all the stuff you've been getting." I've had several boxes come to the house before I switched shipping locations. Now if the rain would just quit and we get some games going. I'm thinking about ordering a WV platinum but I'm a bit scared. I have ordered a lot o stuff this years. When my Plate shoes came in she was pissed. I was umpire a game an wasn't able to intercept the delivery. I have been married for 13 years on the 20th of this month and I know she won't kill me but she is likely to kick my ace!!!

Cool thanks, now I can tell the boy scouts at our camp out this weekend and sound like I know something about the stars.

:wow: :

In the first play you should be in normal C not in deep c and then move to the working area unless it's a trouble ball and then as soon as its dropped move to that area. Then you need to know where the ball will likely be thrown and get the heck out of that line. Unless the runner from second is scoring easily the throw will be to the cutoff guy. You can listen to the coaches and players for a clue on this. But it is very confusing on this because the pitcher should not of been the cutoff guy he should of been backing up either third or home (or both). Then its good that you watched the runner touch second. In the second play you should get rid of the plate umpire watches this and I watch that mentality. Watch the entire pitcher. And, this is an instance where Id talk to the plate umpire about why he called the balk and tell him what I had and let him change the call if needed. Thats straight from the CCA manuel. I don't know what the pitcher was doing there and why anyone would be throwing to him behind the mound. I shouldn't have been in the line of the throw to any base. The ball was hit to strait up left and the ball should have been thrown to cut off short or one of the bases in my mind. It's hard to keep track of the ball and your runners. I do know I need to fallow the ball to the play but I also need to know where my runners are and look out for coalitions or interference. I never go and talk to the PU unless I am signaled or there is a heated exchange and I need to get involved.

We are here to learn (I know I was being stubern on the batter interference Matt) so I wanted to ask about two thing that have happened to me in the last two days. 1) Runners on first and second, I'm in a deep "C" position (about 1 foot from the dirt because I have already had two balls hit right at me). There are two outs, fly ball hit to left field, I watch for the catch and it is dropped. All the runners were moving on contact so after the drop I check runner locations and pickup the one rounding second. He rounds but stops I turn to see if the runner ahead of him stopped and to find the ball and the ball flies right past my head and the pitcher catches it. I'm still basically in the "C". My question is, did I do something wrong? I can't keep my eye on the ball and runners. I do not want to get plunked in the head!!!! 2) last night I worked the bases with an umpire that has been calling ball for years. He had just started High School ball when I was in HS. I don't remember him but that's not saying much, Anyway. 6th inning, runner at first, one out and the pitcher makes a move to first and does not throw. This move was a fast move but he did step off the back in his move. It was not an odd move other than he didn't throw so I didn't call a balk. (My understanding is that stepping off makes him a fielder and he doesn't have to throw at that point. If he made a spin move he would have to throw in one fluid motion.) so I don't call balk but the PU does and moves everyone forward. No one appealed to me so I didn't say anything. Coaches were pissed! I have been taught that I have the feet and PU has the shoulders. Should I have done anything or just let him burn at the stake? After that half inning was over the first base coach snuck over when his batter was up and asked me if I thought it was a balk. I smiled and told him he made the call and unless he appeals to me I'm not going to disagree with him. Let the beating begin "Thank Sir may I have another!!!"

The coach came down and told his catcher to go talk to the pitcher. He came up to me and said "I'm not going to ask if you had a cup on because I could hear the thump in the dugout. But I will ask if your ok!?" The thing that hurt so bad was that it wasn't a strait on hit it was a little to the side. I love baseball!!! What I don't love are bad catchers! LOL :-)

Maybe you guys should use some of your dues for a rules clinic. You know, openions are like a$$ holes. Everybody has one and they all stink. That attitude is precisely the issue. You only accept opinions that agree with you. Not a good way to develop as an umpire. I asked a room of my mentors and I was confermed that I made the right call. I'm going with that. My local elder statesmen. Some of witch umpire me in '93-95 and have been doing this for longer than I have been alive and two who have called NCAA games. I bet we are closer on this than you think. But if you think just because the batter moves its automatic maybe I'm not the one that should be reading the rules.

Maybe you guys should use some of your dues for a rules clinic. You know, openions are like a$$ holes. Everybody has one and they all stink.