elares

I started LL at about 45 years old. My greatest regret is not starting 30 years earlier because I missed out on A TON OF FUN.

That UIC needs an invite to U-E. I'll bet he can learn A TON here. I sure have.

I think the 'not a strike' call in the OP is correct. I don't plan to ever call it that way. I have heard a story about a stick with a dirty end.....

I remember when the title of this thread used to have an entirely different meaning in my life

I like the look of the umplife ones. I want to try out something like that but 8.5" tall .

Good advice mrumpiresir, thank you. I'll focus on player names next time. Now that I think of it, in Little League, you can have multiple players with the same jersey number. Oh, wouldn't that have been a mess. There had been a BOO situation, but it had occurred earlier in the inning. True confession time, this was an 8u regular season LL game. The adults were soooo serious.

Here is the report I sent. How can I make it better next time? In the real report, I used manager names. --------------- During the bottom of the first inning VHC was granted a time out and questioned the order of HT batters during that half inning. At the moment time was granted, player #42 was in the batters box and had received one pitch (a strike). The prior batter had reached 1st base safely and was standing on the base. I confirmed that the player on first base wore jersey number 27. My lineup card showed that #42 was the proper batter to follow #27. All the above facts were verified with the VHC when he questioned the BOO situation and again when he informed me of his desire to protest the game. Per 2015 LL rule 6.07©, the first pitch to #42, legalized player #27. Since player #27 was made proper by the first pitch to player #42, I determined, per the official line-up card in my possession, that the next proper batter was at that moment player #42. The same player that was in the batters box. I assessed no penalties, and explained my reasoning to VHC. Before play resumed, VHC informed me of his desire to protest the game. At that time, VHC and I reviewed the game situation, the positions and numbers of the players on base and at bat, and we reviewed my line-up card. We agreed that my notes reflected the current game situation. We made our way to the home team scorekeeper and I informed her that the game would be continued under protest and asked her to note the protest in the official score book for the game. The game ended after 5.5 innings played. Home team was leading and did not bat in the bottom of the sixth. See attached photo of HT line-up card.

I work LL. Keep the runners where they are on 2b & 3b with 2 outs. Try like heck not to eject coaches/managers who lose their minds.

Yes. Call safe, wait for appeal.

This is what happens on the 60' diamond. That is the right place to go. Chest-to-ball and head-on-a-swivel are so important at this player age group and below. They are not trying to hit you with the ball, but sometimes it's hard to believe

I also bristle at the LL security theater. Our LL checks everyone that has any contact w/ the players. Board, managers, coaches, volunteer umpires, paid umpires, one-time umpires. Maybe even the parents that dress the field between games. No one performs a background check on the people from the bus stop that wander in to use our easily accessed bathrooms any old time at all. Security theater indeed.

Sounds like you have a great program there. Kudos.

I worked my first game on artificial turf today. The entire infield, first and third base lines, and foul territory up to the bases was all turf. I found it disturbed my between inning routine when I didn't need to brush the plate and removed the option of faking the dirty plate to put a quick eye on the catcher after he got bonked. Good times, sunshine, umpiring. A great day.

10u game yesterday, catcher took a foul ball sharp and direct from the bat to the forehead area of his mask. He was wobbly. I brushed the plate, talked to him, walked the ball to the pitcher, talked again, called his dad (head coach) out and had to ask him if his kid was always that funny looking or if it was because of the foul ball. They took a few minutes and then we continued.

I was able to 'like' yours. I am using Chrome on a Mac.

....and kicking myself for missing it EVERY TIME I see that guy.

I had a coach try to get me to call the batter out for stepping out of the box when there were no lines at all. I tried to laugh it off. Then when he persisted, I told him the kid was okay. Not out of the box. Next game with this coach, at the plate meeting, he points to the minutes-old chalk lines and asks "Is that a batters box". I said yes. he asked again. This went around a few times until I told him that if he said the words "batters box" one more time he would have ejected himself. I hear he is still upset that I threatened to eject him over asking a simple question.

My New Balance 460s (MU460MBK) arrived today. I have always polished my plate shoes but I also hear the talk of using Scrubbing Bubbles and wipe them off instead of polish. What do you suggest?

Sdix: Agree, the black sample can play, the mirror like silver sample cannot play today. Any tape applied to a helmet may hide a crack. Helmets with tape cannot play today.

I find this all very thought provoking. I have not thought it unusual to change at the field. That's the way I was trained by the experienced umps that showed me the way. After following this discussion, I will only change pants inside my vehicle. I see now the risks of over-reaction, and the potential cost of that over-reaction to me and my family, is too great for me to continue to change behind the cars. I could walk to the bathrooms or the "press box" area. That is much less convenient. I hate that I feel the need to make this change. I have to recognize that I cannot control those that might make a legal problem for me. Thank you all for your contributions. What a bummer. R

...and yours is a GREAT .gif

Remove the requirement to inspect equipment in youth ball. Leave that liability completely with the coaches.

I thought work boots with a throat guard laced to the top was the go-to substitution for "plate shoes".

And here I was expecting pix of a certain young male umpire....

Upon returning to 3B, he corrected the leaving early. Can he now be put out by an appeal at home for missing the touch of home on the return to 3B?