adieste

PS: We had dinner together when I got into town, and he insisted on picking up the check ... killer BBQ joint across the street from my hotel!

A quick shout-out to my newest best bud, Ken Botelho. I mentioned in a prior posting that I was going to be in the Phoenix area on a Cactus League vacation, and that I wouldn't mind getting in some games. Ken got right on it. Good news-bad news joke coming. Good news is that I got a few games assigned. In fact, 3 days after rolling into town, I worked nine 14U USSSA games this weekend, and have games scheduled two weeks out. I'm going to have to work hard at not working hard, ie getting to see some MLB spring training games. My plan is to see a game per day Monday - Friday, and work games on the weekends. However, it looks like I may be doing high school games during the week as well. Let's see ... MLB game 1-3pm, tear out of the park and make it to the nearest high school by 3:45 ... doable? Anyway, it's almost like surf and turf ... tough to get too much of a good thing. Ken Botelho ... he da' man!

Hi Ken, thanks so very much. I’ve already been in touch with Mark Hratko, but it would be great if you could reach out to the other two. I’d love to get some games in, especially high school. I’ll be arriving to the Phoenix area this coming Wednesday evening, and would love to chat and thank you personally. I’ll be at the Marriott Fairfield in Chandler. 480-940-0099 Al Dieste 209-588-1556 (home) 209-206-0403 (cell in AZ)

I will be vacationing in the Phoenix area March and April, and would like to get some games in. I am a USSSA carded and experienced umpire, and also have FED high school experience. I can provide UIC references from TPR and NCTB travel baseball organizations, as well as the Northern California Officials Association, all in the California central valley and bay area. Please forward this information to your assigner or UIC, and feel free to contact me if interested. Al Dieste 209-588-1556 adieste@comcast.net

I'm in North County on vacation, and would like to watch a local game if any of you guys are working, since the Padres are on the road. Are any of you possibly working Grossmont College on Sunday? Let me know ... thanks!

To clarify, I called foul ball. DC argued that as a caught foul ball it's an out. I told him it was a strike, and the ball was dead. He was not at all happy with me ...

I called strike - dead ball. DC came unglued, swearing it was a caught foul ball for an out. Did I make the proper call? What is the rules reference? Thanks!

Midgets (10U) not throwing very hard. Attempted bunt, ball brushes top of bat, hits catcher's CP, and is caught in his arms. Ball had no arc off bat. Caught foul ball for out, foul tip for strike and live ball, or strike and dead ball?

Umpkc7, my son currently wears a size 8 shoe, but tends to outgrow every six months. He'll be a hs freshman this year, and I predict by his sophomore year he'll easilly be a 9 - 9 1/2. He might or might not make size 11 someday. Thanks for asking!

Thanks ... the boy loves baseball, and knows his umpiring has, and will continue to make him a better player. Heck, I'm sure he knows the book better than most his coaches (more than a couple of times he has properly advised them on appeals, INT,OBS, etc.) He's learning that anything worth doing is worth doing right, and that includes professional clothing and equipment. Still, he'd rather buy quality used, rather than lower quality new, so always looking ... looking ... looking ...

My son is still working. His two local mentors gave him a bunch of heather pants, but a) they are too big, and B) his association requires charcoal grey. Spent $60 on a pair of pants, $10 on a pair of black ball bags, $30 on a powder blue shirt, $15 on a black t shirt, $27 on his USSSA youth officials card ... and he earned $132 for the weekend, minus $25 gas on getting to the yard and back ... 65 miles one-way. He put in an eleven-hour day working three games. All this comes out of his pocket, so he's looking to sell some pants in order to a) buy a creme shirt, B) buy some plate shoes, c) eventually break even.

Can somebody tell me how to post pics? I've also got heather ball bags, and some shirts which need a good home as well ... thanks!

If anybody is interested, I've got something like eight pair of heather grey Honigs pants, both plate and base, waist sizes 32 and 34. Selling cheap!

My 14 year-old son just graduated to working behind the plate, and his medium size shirts won't fit over his CP. Anybody got any gently used size large shirts you can sell a hard-working kid who doesn't have a lot of money? He only earns $25 per game ... thanks! adieste@comcast.net 209-588-1556

My 14-year-old son has an expensive travel ball habit, and (amongst other ventures) has chosen Little League umpiring to pay for his baseball passion. The good news is that he participates in the sport in which he passionately loves, learns much more about the game, and is good enough that the local LL chapters are willing to pay him $25 per game. The bad news is that all of the money he is earning has been plowed back into blue gear ... a necessary evil. While the $200 or so he has invested in beginner-level protective gear is an expected part of his overhead, he is struggling with the price of "looking professional", as the price of specialty shirts, pants, shoes, etc., can be pretty expensive. Right now he's getting by with a couple of used shirts, a pair of WalMart greys, and a pair of old solid black sneakers. Added to the dilemma is the fact that he's a pretty little guy (5'4" and 100 lbs soaking wet), so it's tough to find pants that fit his 30" waist (those were the days). So, here's the pitch ... if anyone here has/had a son who used to umpire, or if any of you were once that small, and would like to donate and/or sell inexpensivelly your used gear, you'd make a hard-working kid very happy. Short note: It's not that his mom and I can't afford to pay for his baseball activities, it's that we beleive in that the more the kid earns his own way, the more he will appreciate it. Example - we pay gas, food, and hotels for tournaments, he pays registrations, fees, equipment, etc. It's easy for kids nowadays to say, "Dad, I need a $200 glove (or two), a $250 BBCOR bat (or two), $300 per month to join the fancy academy team, etc. We prefer that the boy work part-time (umpire, sells baseball equipment out of his garage business, does yard work, etc.) There aren't a lot of (legal) things a 14-year-old can do to earn money these days. Anyway, anything gently used and modestly priced would be appreciated. Feel free to contact: Beto Dieste 209-588-1556 adieste@comcast.net PS: Look him up on USSSA, and you'll see how much baseball the kid plays! Thanks to you all ... Al (the Dad half of the father and son blue crew)

My 14-year-old son has an expensive travel ball habit, and (amongst other ventures) has chosen Little League umpiring to pay for his baseball passion. The good news is that he participates in the sport in which he passionately loves, learns much more about the game, and is good enough that the local LL chapters are willing to pay him $25 per game. The bad news is that all of the money he is earning has been plowed back into blue gear ... a necessary evil. While the $200 or so he has invested in beginner-level protective gear is an expected part of his overhead, he is struggling with the price of "looking professional", as the price of specialty shirts, pants, shoes, etc., can be pretty expensive. Right now he's getting by with a couple of used shirts, a pair of WalMart greys, and a pair of old solid black sneakers. Added to the dilemma is the fact that he's a pretty little guy (5'4" and 100 lbs soaking wet), so it's tough to find pants that fit his 30" waist (those were the days). So, here's the pitch ... if anyone here has/had a son who used to umpire, or if any of you were once that small, and would like to donate and/or sell inexpensivelly your used gear, you'd make a hard-working kid very happy. Short note: It's not that his mom and I can't afford to pay for his baseball activities, it's that we beleive in that the more the kid earns his own way, the more he will appreciate it. Example - we pay gas, food, and hotels for tournaments, he pays registrations, fees, equipment, etc. It's easy for kids nowadays to say, "Dad, I need a $200 glove (or two), a $250 BBCOR bat (or two), $300 per month to join the fancy academy team, etc. We prefer that the boy work part-time (umpire, sells baseball equipment out of his garage business, does yard work, etc.) There aren't a lot of (legal) things a 14-year-old can do to earn money these days. Anyway, anything gently used and modestly priced would be appreciated. Feel free to contact: Beto Dieste 209-588-1556 adieste@comcast.net PS: Look him up on USSSA, and you'll see how much baseball the kid plays! Thanks to you all ... Al (the Dad half of the father and son blue crew)