stevis

Tonight's Wilmington vs. Frederick game will feature a fill-in umpire who came up through our local Little League Junior Umpire program. He's still in college, but has been doing high school and wood bat summer league for a couple of years. Apparently one of the regular guys got hurt in a DH yesterday, and the development guy for MLB knew him and called him up to be a fill in. (I don't know if he knows him from the local high-level work, or the MLB camp I encouraged him to attend). Anyway, as a mentor of sorts (he surpassed me, very early on), I'm stoked as hell and sorry I can't swing up there.

I just point my finger at my own chest. "Steve, did he go? No, he did not!"

3 schools? Flunked out of all of them, did ya?

I've never had meals reimbursed at a LL state tournament in Virginia, though we have been feed en masse a few times (sandwhich spreads, crockpots) and it's much appreciated. Lodging here is you get half; so either you get a roommate or pay half a room for your privacy. That may be swinging in favor of paying for single rooms I hear.

Go back a frame before that--his toe is up because he's moved his foot back out of the way, and then drops it in position to block. See about 0:43 in the video. You can argue that having the foot there so much in advance of the runner arriving shouldn't be obstruction either, but MLB wants it called, apparently.

+1 for the title. Ye gods. It would be so simple for them to have said "we're not getting in bed with anything that even smacks of gambling." Now we have one of the star closers of the game on trial.

Even better, 3-on-3

Worlds colliding...I worked with that U1 at a state tournament this year. I think F4 having a play is easy to pick up from the "high home" angles we get to look at...I'm not so sure that's a clear read from the field angles they actually had. (Remember, U2 is outside in this small diamond mechanic.)

Looks like MLB Network has the 1:15 Saturday game. I have my uncle's extra MLB.TV login, so I'll be able to watch them regardless, but I can't share. I hear there are good times to be had on the high seas if you know where to look. Arrrrrrr.

Jen was my station instructor for cage work when I did the MLB clinic in Richmond. I'll be pulling for her.

Yep. Be done with this rule. This is part of baseball; your poor encryption does not make the other team unsporting.

I think I'm ok with it as well, but playing devil's advocate here: Baez doesn't have Go Go Gadget Arms. He has to run at R1 to tag him; isn't that the start of the tag attempt? (I'm still not sure he goes 3 feet away from his basepath even in that interpretation)

There's no such thing as "zero measurement error." That's not how measurement works. Heck, the ball itself has 0.06 in of tolerance in diameter. So if your tracking is just measuring the "center" of the baseball, it can't get more accurate than that. Despite ESPN's attempt to display the difference in HR lengths from Monday down to the width of a hydrogen atom, we have to be realistic about the limitations of measurement. Data presented without error bars is a good sign you can end the meeting early and shuffle people out of the office.

I know in any of my games, it wouldn't be a balk, it would be Time/Delay/Players to Cars

I had a Little League Majors tournament game (you know, the one that ends with the TV show in August), in an extra inning game nonetheless, with that exact scenario (foul tip, stealing), and no, neither the defense or offense reacted to the runner retreating back to first. I think, at his coach's prompt.

The NCAA rule seems to leave a loophole that physically assisting your runner in staying on the base is allowed.

Yeah, that's an...unusual expectation then.

Small or big diamond? Little League wants you in C with closed bases (stay close to the lead runner) but is standard B on 70'/90/ bases with leadoffs and steals.

I've bought the Champ-pro Plus you list as shared gear for our juniors doing our age 12-13 50/70 ball; have had no complaints from the crew.

I am also too old, but I had a great time and did learn some tricks when I went in Richmond a couple of years ago. I highly recommend the experience for anyone.

I pay our kids if they show up in uniform. (And they were supposed to--our county controls our fields, and if they close them at 3pm--no dice, I told you to pay attention.) Show up to find the field unplayable, or our idiot wonderful volunteer commissioners forgot to tell us the game was rescheduled, enjoy your easy money.

Those are the shoes you wear after you've returned from fighting the Balrog.

In Little League brand Little League, the strikezone is officially defined "between the batter’s armpits and the top of the knees." MLB strikes doesn't seem to me to be a good metric at 9U. But work with what the org wants.