Welpe

I started doing this a few years ago after you mentioned it in a thread and have had great success with it. I don't call it on every pitch but on the close ones in/out, I will and I've yet to have an issue with it.

The other thing that can be done is to wear the cup in a jock as your first layer and then the tights.

While that general sentiment can be true, the reason the SUL masks can't be given away now is that because they have a nasty tendency to explode when hit (I'm sure you are aware). I do remember when those things were all the rage in our Little League group, along with the BB3000 (?) CP they sold that looked like armor plating. For the time being, I think the TW Platinum would fetch a decent premium due to unavailability. I don't think $350-$400 is far outside the realm of possibility.

Just an excuse for him to talk about Force3 gear again.

I just saw this on Facebook. An errant bat is perhaps the one reason I've considered switching to a bucket.

Välkommen! And don't worry about your English, it's a whole lot better than my Swedish! Glad to have you.

Canadian insults are strange... Anyways, I've had a few I wish I would have run. There was one coach when I was starting out doing LL that liked running roughshod over umpires, especially younger ones. I wish I had gotten him.

That's not too unusual for wool blend garments. A fabric shaver should do the trick.

Well...ok then.

I'm mostly worried about crotchular blowout but that is good to know at least. Thanks for the review.

The plate pants aren't reinforced? That's a pretty big negative in my opinion.

The stare aka burning the dugout can be a very effective tool. It lets them know you have heard them and they have your attention. Coaches usually are smart enough at that point to get the message that anything further is going to get dealt with.

Now that you have the answer key, treat these questions as a homework assignment and look up the related rules. Getting into the book is an invaluable use of time and I find that researching my question leads to a deeper understanding of how the rules work as a whole.

Yep and I acknowledge that is not readily evident from reading the posts.

Twitter exchanges like this are why social media policies are created for umpires. No matter how correct your call may have been, defending yourself on Twitter is a losing proposition.

That's how they do it in football, too so I'm not surprised. Amazing how much power they give coaches there. That's one thing I don't miss about calling football in Texas (I didn't do high school baseball at the time).

The downward dog set position. The very advanced mechanic.

Wearing a separate jock is important to keeping the cup in place. I don't think the compression pants with the built in cup pocket keeps the cup tight enough to your body. I wear a Shock Doctor titanium in a jock and swear by it. I've taken several glances and one very hard shot that made everyone gasp in horror. It scared the bejesus out of me but I never felt anything.

Forum.officiating.com has an active basketball forum with some very knowledgeable officials there. You may even recognize a few familiar names. Good luck! I worked basketball for a few years and I think it did a lot for helping me see and process plays. It's also a great exercise in game management.

"Strike"?

I don't think I'm from Nome, Alaska.

When I first started it was verboten - and the hallmark of a smitty - to say or do anything to indicate pitch location unless we were asked. I've noticed a trend away from that over the last 10 years or so with umpires indicating the location of a pitch at certain times. I started doing that the past few years on close and important pitches. For example a 3-2 pitch just off the plate will sometimes get a "BALL! Outside!" So your answer is, yes it is umpire preference. I find if I use it sparingly and at the right times, it helps sell the call. And for me, it is usually on pitches in or out, not high or low.

I find it incredibly funny that you'd say something when you take a chance to hijack any thread in this forum to evangelize Force3 gear.

Took care of that right quick didn't it? As a side note, I've always liked how the playoffs in Texas are a series. Do you work all games of the series? Here it is one and done.

Because it has veered off into discussing polywools. Threads do drift sometimes.