Rook23

Plate. Sorry, should have specified that.

Brand new, still in bag, Smitty Poly-wools size 34 - $40 (includes shipping). I bought them with a discount and they're too big. I wear a 33 and they fit more like a 35. I could return them, but I'd lose the discount and be out shipping. I figure this way I can pass them on to a brother for a great deal.

Ok, I'll ask -- if you take a shot and your mask bends, do you finish the game with it, or bring in the back-up between innings? I already know most will say, "depends on how close your gear bag is." Let just assume you won't get back before P throws 5 warm-ups, do you still go?

Seems crazy that something that claims to be so compact it can "easily fit in your back pocket or ball bag" could be $8 to ship. I've had shoes shipped for less than that!

The classic "balk move" has been taught for years. I know in my former life as a high school coach, we used to kill people with it. 98% of the time a HS umpire crew won't catch it when done properly. You assume the umpires are both watching the upper body more than the knees and below, especially when it's only a 2 man crew. Most runners are taught to look at the heels, so you can get easy picks when the runner isn't even going...which I think was the case here. Do a quick search on MLB.com videos using "pick off" and just about all of the pick offs at 1st have a balk move. You just break that front knee/lift your front heel just a fraction of a second before you move your back foot and you're golden. Hell I've even worked with middle school kids on it and they can do it just as well as high school and college kids. As an ump, I busted a HS kid using it in a summer tournament and when I called it he just grinned and gave me a tip of the cap. His coach however...

I called 3 games today and just thought of an Unequal. Didn't get hit.

I haven't been hit the entire time I've been reading the 8 pages of posts about people not getting hit. Coincidence...?

For those of you that haven't seen it already, this was posted on their FB page a few hours ago: We sincerely apologize but for this season we will not have Ump Attire brand POLY WOOL pants available to the public. Problems with a manufacturer beyond our control has left us with no choice but to use what 2013 pants that were made for Minor League Baseball. Remaining stock is available in limited size options. We are looking into carrying a value style flexfit from Smitty in the meantime and Honig's also offers a very good fitted poly wool pant. Again, our sincere apologies to those who love the Ump-Attire poly-wool in the expander waist band.

Just ordered mine. Here's to sucking just a little less.

I'll agree with a previous post - it's pretty much relative to the level/time limit you're doing. This weekend I did 2 high school JV games on Saturday that went around 2:30 each and I was gassed. On Sunday I did 6 12U games with a 75 min time limit and almost 30 mins between games where I got to sit in a raggedy but indoor lounge and still had some left in the tank when I was done. I don't think I'm so sloppy after 4 12U games that I'm doing a disservice to the game or the players. I take umpiring very seriously so even 5/6 games in, I'm staying locked in and hustling. Yeah the mind starts to wonder when you're in the field when the games getting sloppy, but I'm not missing calls, rotations, outs, because of it. I'm not costing a kid a scholarship and it's not game 7 of the LL World Series. I feel confident in saying I get an overwhelming majority of my safe/outs correct, and lets be honest, at 12U, you're having to "find strikes" 75% of the time anyways. Also If my assignor says I need you to work 4-6 games and I say, "Nah...two's my limit," my phone's not going to ring too many more times. If I don't do it, someone else will and that person's going to end up getting my games. That's not the reason I take a large workload, but it's on my list of factors.

Tennessee -- Navy hat, navy polo, navy undershirt...unless both partners agree on red -- that's it. You can wear a black jacket when it gets cold (go figure). We're also suppose to wear heather gray pants. I don't get that one either, but I never have to worry about places not having my size since there's no demand for that color or pants.

I was racking my brain trying to figure out how in the world the buckles would get snagged up. Wearing them on the outside never even occurred to me as a possibility. I'd make a horrible detective.

Here's the hat we're REQUIRED to wear in Tn. No other options available. I'm mediocre at best but I've seen some really good umps have really good games despite having little holes in their cap. Back to the topic - I get that you're "suppose" to crease your cap because all the cool kids do it, but what's the origin of it? Why is it the standard for umpires?

I've often wondered why MLB would force a rule when the players have spoken so strongly against it? Don't site PEDS because that's apples to oranges. Is it really that annoying over the course of 1 in 5 games you see it in the MLB? Will it really make that big of a difference in the avg game time? From a HS down perspective, I actually love the move when coached correctly. Everybody and their mother knows the kid is stealing 2nd in a 1st/3rd situation. You time the 3/1 move at the same time the runner plans on stealing, you have a chance to get out of a jam - or at least the chaos that ensus on potential run downs is entertaining. It beats the catcher just holding the ball on the pitch or doing some stupid fake that never, ever works. As far as feints to 3rd, again, when coached properly it can be a great weapon in a squeeze situation. I think it can also circumvent some dangerous situations. Instead of throwing at the batter's head on a squeeze, you give a feint to 3rd and sometimes you luck into an out.

Fellas, I figured I'd update considering many of you took the time to give your suggestions. I ended up going the Douglas route. After looking at all the features, I just felt Douglas offered my chest the most protection with no real gaps in that area and without being overly bulky. Over all I love the CP, I just wish I would have ordered a longer one if I had it to do over again. I actually took a straight shot to the chest the 1st weekend I wore it, and felt no pain. HUGE relief! I've honestly never worn a Wilson or really any other brands, so I don't have much to compare it to, but I'm over all pleased with the Douglas. Thanks again for taking the time out of your days to help a newbie out!

Get this - 1st year doing HS baseball in Tn. We're suppose to wear navy hat and polo, but when it's cold we can wear the black jacket with white stripes. How in the world do you make that work? I hate navy hats with black tops so I'd rather wear my LS navy on the dish. However if I wear LS navy behind the plate and my partner goes black jacket, now we look even worse. With that said, what black plate jacket with white stripes do you guys use? I have the Majestic Therma for the field and love it, but doubt it's ideal for the plate.

Holy cow look at the pitch location on Gary Darling. Makes me feel better about being horrible.

I'm stealing Runge's. Are we umpiring or doing Tae-bo?

I still have it! I also just put a brand new Dela Flex harness on it. I'll go $175 with the harness and still $150 without it.

Confession time - I actually bought this tonight. I saw that the auction time was about up and the .99 cent minimum had not been met yet, so I put down a big $1 on it and 2 mins later it was mine. If it sucks I'll just sell it to one rec guys and hopefully buy a new polo with the profit after S&H. Just can't believe I bought a CP for $1. God bless America.

This might be my favorite thread on here. It starts off with everyone ripping the Zigs, and then over the course of a few pages it turns into everybody wanting a pair. I'm sure there's a psychology study hidden somewhere in here that I'll leave up to men smarter than me to find.

Never owned a pair of Zigs. How do they run compared to say Nike Diamond Trainers?

http://www.stripesandstrikes.com/detail.aspx?cat=Closeouts&subcat=all&PartNum=BP-2 Has anyone ever tried a pair of these? For $10 I'm thinking about grabbing a pair but you know what they say when something seems too good to be true...

I've had a few of you ask for pics and where I'd send it from - I'm out of Knoxville, Tn but heading to Birmingham for a while on Tues.

I just bought a Douglas CP with t-hooks added that I'm looking to unload. I bought a 12 incher and I feel like I'd much rather have a 15 incher just for peace of mind. I'd be willing to part with it for $150 plus shipping. I've had this guy exactly 1 week so she's still very, very new. After getting the t-hooks added, tax, and shipping, I bought it for $200. I'd be willing to eat the $50 since she has been used.