Pete Peterson Sr

I have to agree. That was more juvenile than the crap music to which you listen...

Wally Backman is a jackass.

I know of very few guys who haven't altered their strike call at some point during their careers. Do what you are comfortable with, because you don't need to be thinking about it mid-game.

Neither do the Padres....

I thought this waste of bandwidth thread had been locked...

That makes one of us...

I can't see where the OP said that his partner's position was relevant. What is irrelevant are posters who pick the tiniest of issues (usually with no relevance to the OP at all), misinterpret them (jump to a conclusion) and try to make an issue of them, instead of contributing to the OP. I hope that answers the first OP question ? I'm going to disagree with you for this reason: There are a number of umpires (and the majority of coaches) who insist that there is no way you can give an accurate answer to a check-swing from the "C" position. I cannot speak for UMP45, but perhaps that is why he worded his reply as he did, and if so, I don't see that as "making an issue" or picking "the tiniest of nits". JMHO

That's a beer league, then ?

Or, you could simply ask, and see what your partner had. I have never understood the big deal with check-swing appeals. If it was that obvious to you that the batter did not offer, doesn't it stand to reason that it was that obvious to your partner, also ?

SMDH...

Be very careful how you throw this around. Deceiving a runner is not illegal. Illegally deceiving the runner, however, IS illegal. If deception were the defining part of a balk, the hidden ball trick would be outlawed.

No second I. No IIIIIIIIIIIII. *sobs like the pretentious umpfan I am*

Lance Barksdale or Dan Iassognia.

20+ years, and I have never had my shin guards get hooked together and cause me to fall. Probably because they are always under my pants. The times I have fallen were mostly my fault, lol.

Out of stock in my size Unavailable in 4E...

http://www.milb.com/multimedia/vpp.jsp?content_id=34810073&sid=milb

I would disagree that you had "real" ejections. As umpires we have no real control over spectators. That is the purview of game administration. Just one man's opinion.

I think you should return the All-Star if it's not right for you. Not everything that each person really likes is going to be right for you. If you want the Delta Flex, All-Star is out of stock until September. Like you said, you could use the one off your current CP and add it back when you buy a new one (depending on when you bought it and who you bought it from...we typically do in-store credits on new items after 60 days...if you ask, nicely Unless you get two left plates shoes, and then all bets are off !!! LOL.... (This is an inside joke of sorts, folks, and Jim will get it).

I'll give you $75 plus shipping for them, if you'd like to sell them.

Thanks for the question. The Wilson Guardian line was developed to provide a value alternative for the majority of the umpire market, especially at youth levels. There you'll find umpires looking to spend less on umpire gear, but at the same time, at least for the chest protector, have an upgrade in protection over other soft-shell chest protectors with its hard shell in the chest area. This certainly makes this a unique chest protector as typically there are only soft shells or there are only hard shells. So in a word, this chest protector is a "hybrid", if you will. It is lightweight like a soft shell, but it has a hard shell in the chest area providing coverage for the upper chest/heart. I always err on the side of caution when making recommendations for what level of protection items will cover. As you know, not every pitcher throws the same speed at every level. My feeling is this chest protector was developed with youth league umpires strongly in mind, where sales of umpire chest protectors occur most. So in that sense, competitors for this product would include the Diamond iX3, Champro/Champion soft-shell, Pro Nine CPU and the like. In other words, those who have worn or are considering items such as these could consider the Guardian CP when thinking of buying a new chest protector. But those of you who want only the highest level of protection with their Golds, Platinums, System 7s, etc., the Guardian was not developed specifically for that market or levels in mind (although I'm sure some will drop the less weight and bulk of a hard shell to wear the Guardian). Someone else was correct price-wise. Pricing for this line will be lower than the West Vests but higher than the soft shells mentioned above. I wish I had more specifics on that. I hope that answers your question and helps you determine how to see this chest protector in the market. I look forward to hearing what others think of it when it is available to the public in the next few weeks. Don't hesitate if you have other questions. some of the lower level travel ball I do in the summer might fit in this niche. If noone else has, I volunteer to be a crash test dummy for this new line of shins and cp The dummy part could have been left unsaid, lol. It's implied.

Quite an insightful first post, lol. I, for one, totally agree with you.

"OH HE SHOULDA !!".... Legendary Leo

There is only one problem with that statement: There's no way in hell that anyone who would pull a stunt like that would work in the men's league here.

Is that akin to "Define "is" " ?