maineump

We are told that if a kid is ejected, and there is no place to go (ie: a bus without supervision) - keep him in the dugout. This is not the same as restricting him - but just a thought. If he is going with a coach, that is one thing, but if no coach, then we are recommended to keep him in the dugout if there is no supervision.

We do 2-man in the regular season, and 4-man for playoffs in HS. We do 3-man for some of the conferences in college, but they are not 'regular crews'. We also do 3-man for conference playoffs,

I'm not trying to start anything here, but are you playing in an adult league? Not saying it is bad and I applaud you for still playing, but generally - umpires get grief from (not saying you in particular) from hitters, thinking they know better than the umpire in adult leagues. Some believe that there are scouts in the seats. I played to a high level of ball, I was a catcher and it is common for hitters to ask (on the first time through). It didn't matter which pitches I called, they were trying to see the zone. As a catcher, I would ALWAYS tell my team what the zone for the day was. We did communicate as hitters and always talked about what we were seeing, more from the pitcher than the umpires. As a coach, I applaud you for telling the kids not to get to 2 strikes, but they are kids and always will. It's not the umpire's fault if they swing at bad pitches or don't swing at the good ones. Just be polite (especially in adult ball) and always thank him after he answers, it will go a long way.

It is good advice to not to let it get to 2 strikes, but if you are asking on your 2nd or 3rd time at bat, then you are not paying attention while you are at bat or during your teammates times at bat. All umpires like hitters that swing the bat - it makes the game go by and keeps it moving smoothly. Just remember to be careful when you ask, the circumstances when you ask, might be a bad time or any inflection or perceived inflection in your voice can cause issues with some guys and put them on the defensive. Simply ask, "was that in the zone" - very short, very simple. If you ask wrong, then it may come across that you are questioning balls/strikes.

By answering the question from the batter - you are also giving clues to the catcher, which helps both teams at once. Hitters aren't generally being a smart *ss when they ask - they truly are asking if they hadn't made an offer, would it have been in the zone. Just answer the question when they ask - you can even nod or shake your head if you want, just don't be a hard ass about it. We all are there for a couple of hours, might as well work with everyone, because being the 1-man on an island will make for a long day.

I like to cover the game in general. It generally depends on your partner and if the person junior or senior to you. Are you the teacher or the student at the post game? It doesn't matter how long you have been doing this, you can always learn something new and get better. Be open to suggestions and give suggestions in a positive way, things will go much better.

Today in Maine (my area) - in the 40's and rain. Only had about 10" of snow so far (keeping my fingers crossed) Right now maybe 5-6" left. We had snow early this year, so not much frost = early baseball fields. An hour north of me there is 3 feet+ snow all the way to Canada.

The only time I will talk to him about his strike zone, is - if he asks me about it. Could be something simple, like he needs to relax. Will I go in and talk to him unsolicited? No. Sometimes by bringing stuff up DURING the game, can make it worse. If he is calling at the eyes, for both teams, bring your bat to the plate and swing. Might not be the book or your favorite strike zone - but if that is what is being called, be ready to swing.

This question is generally asked during the first time through the order, after that hitters figure it out. I have no problem with answering it, but don't ask on every pitch. Wording can go a long way to like - "was that in the zone"? I have had batters ask if the pitch was at the outside of the zone before - a nod yes or no always works. Generally the ones that ask that are college guys, with a pretty good eye. Like above, we answer the catcher, why not answer the batter? If they want to 'discuss the zone', I won't play that game - it is a yes or no answer.

Look at the books from Referee / NASO site. Some good information in some of those. We make up our own power point slides - depending on the subjects being covered for a class. It really depends on the skill level that the class is at. Two-man is pretty standard between NFHS and CCA - LL is different, because they generally look at the 60' diamond.

We have to remember that the strike zone is - as the batter strides, not standing straight up

It really depends on the age group. HS Varsity and college - talking is good generally speaking, as I enjoy it as well. One thing that I have noticed from some of these guys is - if you ring them up on strikes, do they continue chatting? I have had them come back after being rung up and ask about it. I tell him where it was and that he either missed a good one or it was too close to take. It does make the game go by faster and does make it more enjoyable, as long as they 'do their work' as priority #1.

I am not going to decide if they are doing it on purpose, because it is something that can happen naturally. Trying to 'get into the heads' of these kids and their intent is not the umpire's job. I don't know what else to tell you. Maybe that team had someone coaching the pitchers the grunt, but it may not be for the reasons you think.

You would be surprised how many major league and college pitchers grunt. They are usually the power guys that I notice. I catch for some of the Red Sox Alumni guys, and many of the hard throwers grunt when they throw - Ken Ryan, Jim Corsi, and Bob Stanley - off the top of my head. I have never heard a pitcher yell or grunt on purpose - and there is no way I am telling them they can't grunt. It isn't the same as yelling from the bench IMO. You can control the bench, if they get out of hand. Chatter from the players is part of the game.

Call and ask them

A lot of pitchers grunt - it's baseball. I worked a game between Korea and Chinese Taipei and all of the batters yell, what is the difference? It's not bad sportsmanship, as they bow to the umpire and catcher when they get to the plate.

I have worked it for years as well, this is not something that I will worry about. It is part of the game to steal signs, so be it. They are taking this way too seriously. I don't see LLers stealing signs - what it there to steal? The pitching isn't good enough to have multiple pitches (in general) and the hitters knowing what the pitch is won't help that much. It doesn't help HS kids either. Kids should be taught sit on the fastball and adjust to the junk.

Same in baseball - sort of, hold your spot as long as you can (on the line) and try your best not to bail out. If that linesman would have bailed, he would be giving up his responsibility to the line (I am guessing he was on the blue line). I have been slammed at the blue line many times - lost mouth piece, whistle the whole works - never got dumped into the bench. He had responsibility to that line, and obviously the players didn't notice him. Yes it hurts, so the next time a shot comes through you while on the inside or on the line - remember that linesman - - stay in and do your job as long as you can without 'getting dumped'.

Good point - but it might have made life easier .

And you will use them for the rest of your life - I am in public safety, and these come up all of the time. Pay attention to what you learn in school - if I would have known then what I know now - I would have paid a lot more attention.

I was a hockey official for a number of seasons. It was my way to stay in shape for baseball. I generally worked a 2 or 3 man crew. Believe it or not, it really helped my baseball game. You really need to concentrate on the puck and be able to get to spots quickly. There are 12 players on the ice, and you need your head on a swivel to see it all. Not sure if you noticed during the games you watched, a lot of the action happens behind the puck or in front of the net, without the puck. Understanding your role and responsibilities on the ice or on the field make the game go well. Baseball isn't nearly as fast as hockey, except when you get the shot at you in the B spot, but many of the basics are the same - chest square to puck/ball - follow the puck/ball to the play - head on a swivel to watch for interference away from the puck/ball - delayed calls.

This year in LL, you can walk by announcement, but you add 4 pitches to the count. Have not heard any language about FED doing the same.

The awarded strike is called more often than a straight ejection. The ejection comes from the batter running his mouth. In NCAA and MLB the pace of the game mandate is being followed. Generally if you call one strike, everyone catches on. The players will catch on this year in MLB.

B - R2 was moving on the pitch, so he keeps the base A - can't throw because of the kick C - no because runner is moving D - He is no longer the batter

I wear the LWMXTI-B, it is titanium and is a great mask. I use TW pads in it and they fit and work well. I put the original pads in a mask I use for catching. The mask is light, great visibility and having the inside black takes the glare away. The models you listed are much less expensive and are made of hollow tubing. I have never seen one, so I refuse to say cheaper or less of a mask.