MadMax

Or more inanely and obnoxiously… it was on Fortnite, TikTok, et. al. I don’t watch many youth-based, televised events (when did spelling become a sport??! I suppose kids today are woefully deficient in spelling, such that they couldn’t spell “theme” if ya gave them the first three letters), but I immediately change the channel as soon as they cut to the overly-enthusiastic “sideline” reporter interviewing kids, whether outside the game or fans / siblings / friends of the kids playing, and the question is – “What’s your favorite TikTok dance?” I can’t press the button fast enough.

Well, right. How young does that start? And yes, I know about soccer’s rigidity with substitutions, but that doesn’t start until college. NFHS and amateur is near-limitless.

I’d think that @ChrisUrbz has been in-&-of our U-E community for enough time to have obtained an authentic TW retrofit unit.

I have been known to audibly state towards a F1 and his dugout, “I have duct tape.”

Dead right. Of all the various amateur baseball game “types”, the hardest to compute or calculate is the non-sanctioned, “B”-level, ambiguously-long, everyone-gets-to-play, no-one-really-cares-about-the-score, is-it-a-scrimmage?-or-a-game? game. For all its oversights, shortcomings, and barely-contained-chaos, tournament/travel ball has one key component in its (pay) structure, despite its presence being labeled as “an affront or abomination to/in baseball” – a time limit. These have become so commonplace and typical, the schools here in AZ have adopted time limits, too, for everything-&-anything less than bonafide, sanctioned Varsity. Even the charter schools! It’s high-time we see amateur rules redefined and codified – lock, stock, and bat barrels – to differentiate between Varsity contests and “everything else”, so as to allow for CBO, “free” defensive exchanges (no substitutions), and a much simpler courtesy / injury runner system. I get it… we want to give these kids competitive reps, more competitive than practice, yet still maintain the integrity of a game. Well, if the score doesn’t really matter beyond who wins at the end of the time limit, or the # of innings reached, then what does it matter which particular player plays where and when? That’s something that just befuddles me about youth (ie. developing) baseball – yes, you can do starter re-entry, but there’s a degree of finality to substitutions. Football, basketball, soccer, volleyball, hockey, lacrosse… water polo… you can freely substitute players in and out. Why is baseball – at the youth scholastic level – so particular? Why did you play an “A” game, of X innings, but then have a second separate game, a “B” game, of Y innings?? Because you had to start another game anew so that the “new” kids have a chance to be starters!!! See the problem?

Smart to silo them like that, keep all parts & components together of each CP. Now take this into a corporate-manufacturer environment, that otherwise has an entire product catalog to produce, and offers these retrofits and customizations as a side service on products that they themselves didn’t originally produce, and have only general knowledge of, and the owners/users of those products have extremely variable and unreliable knowledge of. Do we now see why Team Wendy’s was so valued, and why they had to eventually and reluctantly cease this service?

Varies on region; in California, those red Solo cups cause cancer. I’m shocked that you’re advocating their use, Mudisfun. 🤓 Shocked! 😮 Venmo is preferable amongst all the other electronic methods – including that 🤬 PayPal – but there is a big difference between “I have paid you (via ________ )” versus “I will pay you”. “Have paid” past tense ≠ “Will pay” future tense. I get it. They (whoever) want a trackable transaction. Not every umpire conducts themselves with moral & ethical integrity. There are some who will take the cash, do the game, and then that night, b!+ch to their assigner (or some other 3rd party adjacent to the game/event/league) that “I didn’t get paid!” Venmo is, at least, trackable. Besides, do I really want cash in my pockets, or in my gear bag during a multi-game spread, while I’m focusing on the game’s proceedings? @Mudisfun has an idea I definitely will consider, and should implement – a plastic card that has my Venmo QRID on it… alongside my vendor QRIDs for vending ThighPro ( @concertman1971 ), UmpLife, and other favored suppliers.

Glove side? What is “glove side”? When a pitcher – either-handed – is in the set position, his throwing hand is towards 2B, and his glove is towards the/Home Plate. Right? Make sense? I think where the confusion is coming isn’t so much the “glove side”, but more… if/when F1 makes that spin/inside move so as to throw to 2B, is his free foot stepping – with ground contact – towards HP (first) to make the move? If it is, that’s a move/commit-to-pitch, and would be a Balk. How is he enacting / initiating the move? Is he simply lifting the free foot and propelling it over the rubber towards 2B? Or – this is where the Balk aspect comes in – is he tapping / pumping it against the ground, towards HP and pushing it back to go over the rubber towards 2B? I once Balked a F1 who performed an “inside move!” (emphasis added by HC barking against my calling the Balk), but his free foot went more towards 1B, never landing past / beyond the rubber, and that bisecting line from 1B to 3B. Maybe this sloppy footwork is the crux of the discussion / disagreement?

I made a critical error, and oversight. I ignored the “bases loaded” component of the OP’s ( @Mudder’s ) situation, and when presented with this statement – Isolated, on its own, like it was, it read like Mudder was citing it as the sole criterion for enforcing CI. It is not. It is a criterion when all Runners are forced, surely, like in his OP, but when stated as the lone criterion like that, to a new umpire, it implies that we (umpires) are to advance all Runners (at least) one base if/when enforcing the penalty. That’s true of (Live ball) Balks; not true of CI. So, my mistake; but, there’s my clarification.

Hold on, I don’t see the results being different. I get it that the defense can’t benefit (get an Out) off a CI being enforced. Say there’s R2 only, with CI batted ball to F6. With R2 thinking that, with CI he can “freely advance”, he gets caught in a run-down between 2B and 3B, and tagged Out. BR reaches 1B. Walk me (us) through this. I fail to see how the resolution is different, if on the same situation & play, instead of R2 being tagged Out, he’s looked back to 2B, and BR is thrown Out at 1B. “Time!” is called. CI is called, and BR is awarded 1B. We don’t also award 3B to R2, but that’s what this discussion is reading like.

That’s not quite the correct requirement. If we have R1 & R3, and a CI batted ball occurs, if, say F5 fields it, looks back R3 (and freezes him there), and fires across to F3… if BR beats it out (called safe), CI is disregarded. Play stands. Now R123 (bases loaded), no additional outs. if BR is put Out (by caught throw beating him or tagged) prior to 1B, then Umpires call “Time”, announce CI, and enforce the penalty – R123 (bases loaded), no additional outs. The/any advance of R3, unforced, is not a required component of whether or not to enforce CI. I’m with you, when working anything NCAA or (professionally) higher. However, in amateur baseball (18U, NAIA, Adult non-pro), more often than not, when CI occurs, the ball is either fouled off, or the participants stop playing (Runners stop running, et. al.). Once “Time” is called, there isn’t an (beneficial) option to take, and the penalty is the resolution. In this amateur context, you (we umpires) can certainly explain that an option exists, and what the results would be should the penalty be enforced vs. should the optional “results of the play” be taken. Everyone’s the wiser for it.

To be fair, assigning – especially for post-season positions that the/an association provides – is a complex, strenuous undertaking. This is because it is neither wholly objective nor subjective. Err more towards objectivity, you come off as cold, impersonal, and inconsiderate to such abstract “values” as loyalty, dedication, and experience – which is, itself, often misinterpreted because it is either objectively summarized as seasons/years or games (total) worked. Conversely, if you err more towards subjectivity, then (nearly) every decision you make is scrutinized against whether the metrics, numbers, or facts bear out and support that decision. It’s traveling into “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” waters. So, my professional opinion holds that it is much better, much more effective, and less emotional, if you divulge / publish the selection process and criteria at the beginning of the season – transparently – rather than revealing it at the end, or worse… having someone “pull back the curtain”, exposing that your system’s “criteria” is based on bias, nepotism, or “sentimentality” that are not grounded in, or are glaringly absent of, facts and figures. I really am harsh on associations because the/any preparation (of umpires), training, evaluation (effective, not token), resources, and support often do not equate, relate, or warrant the – ahem – compulsory “fees and dues” that associations require of their members. Effective, excellent postseason umpires are not assigned at season’s end; instead, they are identified at the season’s beginning, and cultivated throughout the season.

If it’s for an (specific) association / conference / league uniform, you have to go by the standards (ie. colors, tints, treatments, placement, etc.) of that organization for logos and patches. For example, our leagues (plural) place a national flag (nationality of the umpire wearing the uniform) on the yoke of the shirt (or jacket, or plate coat), the league patch is placed on left chest, and 3 of the 5 leagues we cover use 3” numbers on the right sleeve. My boss keeps it simple – the national flag is full-color, no alternate tint treatments. As such, we’ve used predominantly “plain” USA 🇺🇸 and Canadian 🇨🇦 flags. However, my boss also acknowledges and endorses (military) veterans… So yes, veterans may (and some do) wear gold-bordered, full-color national flags. On a legal aside, the gold border – called an adornment – is simply that, an embellishment that honors military veterans. However, the courts have determined that it does not convey or carry any legal authority, additional or otherwise, in-and-of itself. As such, my plate coat and jackets each have Velcro “landing pads” on the yoke and on the right sleeve so I can place a flag and/or sleeve numbers as needed. I loan out my plate coat and jackets often, so I carry velcro’d flags for USA, USA veterans, USA LEOs (thin blue line), USA Fire (thin red line), Canada, and Mexico, and a complete set of numbers 0-9. Of course, for high school and college, we don’t use sleeve numbers or other embellishments, so I need to be able to remove them – hence, the Velcro landing pads. If it’s for “general” games, or for local / regional leagues and tournaments, then my opinion holds you can wear what you want – shirt color, style, and embellishments – provided they do not besmirch or misrepresent the/an organization or institution. My 2010 Vertical-stripe shirt in olive-drab not only has an olive-&-tan number 6 on the sleeve, but it has a monochrome USA flag on the left sleeve. I also have a 2010 VS shirt in black w/ pink trim, and pink w/ black trim; neither of them have (my) 6 on them, but they do have monochrome w/ “thin pink line” USA flags on their left sleeves. While I own a gold-trimmed flag patch, I only loan it out to colleagues who may “need” it… I don’t wear it, as I don’t want to misrepresent. I have LEOs and Fire service members in my family, so there are times I’ll wear them to acknowledge or represent them, but I’m not at liberty to do so for associations, conferences, or leagues.

The very / immediate / exact moment the pitch is “called” Ball 4, the Batter becomes a Runner (the Batter-Runner, or BR). Conjunctively, the Batter’s time at-bat has ended. Whether or not, or when BR reaches 1B is of no consequence or affect upon the pitch that changed his status from Batter to BR, and ended his time at bat; the pitch being either Ball 4 or Strike 3 (for simplicity, I’m not getting into batted balls or Batter’s Interference (BI) calls) did that. Thus, if this was Edwards (B5=E), then Fitzgerald (B6=F) should have been up to bat (led off) the next inning. GameChanger should have scored/recorded it as “BB” (Walk) and Arroyo (B1/R3) CS. GameChanger wasn’t deficient, it was the other team’s deficiency, compounded by the (your) pitcher’s frenetic pitching and play. 🤨 Pitchers. 🙄

Alright <claps and rubs hands together>! Time to tee off! Now, before I begin, none of what I’m about to say is directed at any of you specifically, or even generally. If I quote you, just consider that what you said “hit the correlating button”… Get the popcorn.🍿 You saw this coming. As soon as MLB installed their 8-second rule, and made it stick, the NCAA took notice and was eagerly motivated to do the same. So, too, with this. I had actually heard about and bore passing witness to college umpires starting the action clock (20 seconds) as the (new) batter was approaching the box, not yet even in it yet, so as to “hurry things along” and counteract dawdling between batters. Agreed x 1001. Know what a solution is, or at least a significant aid, to this is? 3-man. We had 3-man in NAIA for a fleeting moment in 2019, and starting in 2020… know what killed it? The panic-demic. Then, that loss / regression-to-2-man was reinforced by the lost revenue and resources, and the reminder (to conferences) that due to Title IX, if baseball went 3-man, softball would have to be 3-man as well. Then it was further exacerbated by the officiating shortage we’ve got, nationwide. There’s a weird, disturbing dichotomy at play here, and I’ll address it after I rant for a moment… How ‘bout we throw those frustrating, overpriced, cryptic black boxes away? To be fair, I appreciate and respect the risk and effort that the designer and producer undertook to develop it; however, I completely deride and resist the directed compulsion that particular college umpires place upon us (as either underlings or colleagues) to buy and use one! Like it’s some kind of exclusive, hallowed divining rod or talisman, its possession and use bestowing on you the mark of a sanctified umpire! 🤨 It doesn’t. What’s wrong with using a stopwatch ⏱️, if it accomplishes all the rule-timing requirements? Heck, what’s wrong with using a smartwatch? Sure, it might be a little bit awkward, but what if you’re discreet about it? Or, even better yet, what if someone adjacent to this whole topic develops an app that manages all these timings, and can rapidly rectify adjustments to the timings digitally instead of physically? “It’s a bad look” or “It’s bad optics.” We gotta drop this bull 💩 “feedback” or oversight. If you’re able to effectively use and adjudicate with a $10 stopwatch, why do you have to have (by your own purchase!!) a $80 featureless black box??!! If you yourself want to use (and deal with the complications of owning) a RefSmart, then by all means, do so. That’s your choice. Just do not require me to purchase something that has no demonstrable advantage over my solution. Another thing… why isn’t the NCAA out in front of this? We’ve got electronic communication for catchers from coaches, we have wrist-“watches” that indicate pitches to pitchers (or whatever else they do), and there’s been a recently developed app (HeadSet) that silos that communication as the desired 1-way means. Why isn’t the NCAA directing and subsidizing a technological solution? Why hasn’t there been a partnership struck between the NCAA and GameChanger (as an example), or Daktronics, for implementing a comprehensive means of timing these rules? I have no issue whatsoever with the rules themselves; I have issue with the how, especially in that it typically falls upon us.

From the read of it, you need to add items to your cart, then perform a checkout. The prices are adjusted at that point.

I have an entire box of them, waiting for the end of my League season so I can conduct an unboxing video. 📦 Trust me, I wouldn’t have invested in these if I didn’t feel that these shirts were technically and tactilely better than Smitty’s or Honig’s. Up until the procurement of these Davis shirts, any time I have a purchase choice, I’ve been choosing Honig’s. The only Smitty’s I own and use are ones I’m compelled to obtain.

It looks phenomenal. You and your team have really outdone yourselves. Umpire community – this is the way a WestVest Platinum should be padded, and function. Both of the beneficial features of the Platy are emphasized by this design, and it eliminates those flaws and failures that suppressed and hamstrung the original Platy’s benefits. The Platy is one of the two best CPs at completely covering the clavicles (collarbones; the other being the All-Star CPU4000). This is due to the two shoulder arch plates starting at the torso and then curving up, uninterrupted, over the shoulder. Due to Wilson’s undisciplined storage and shipping practices, these plates often get flattened out in transit, and the end-user often has to retrain the curve back into the plate, or just “deal with it”, and over-torque the (woeful) stock harness to hold the curve while wearing it. The stock foam vest is one continuous object, further resisting that desired curve. Thus, we (I designed, Michael produced) infused articulated seams into the pads so the pads follow the curve instead of resisting it, and reducing “bunch-up” bulk. Unlike its bulkier sibling, the Gold, the Platinum’s stock open-cell foam was only 3/4” (instead of the Gold’s 1”… which, super-curious, is befuddling… as they both have the MLB logo on them… which means that 3/4” is “adequate” for “MLB speeds”… so why is the Gold such a fat-fellow at 1”?? Hmmmm??), and it included closed-cell segments at the armpits and flanks. Our design removes the armpit segments, which only complicate the fit of shirts, and reduces the foam thickness down to just at 1/2”. Instead of crude, cheap, irritating nylon, Michael employs a softer, technical mesh fabric. Much better feel, and much better performance on moisture-wicking. I strongly recommend to stop using caustic cleaning sprays (Lysol, etc.), and instead use a Febreze, OdoBan (my preferred product), or a sprayable soap. Your CP ain’t supposed to be clad in camping tent nylon; it’s supposed to be as comfy as camping underwear. The outer skin (facing) can be, and is, nylon, but again, Michael has been very accommodating in using custom colors. Live a little, guys! Everything doesn’t have to be black! The shoulder pauldrons are one of the primary contributing factors to the “hulking linebacker” look that one gets when wearing a Wilson CP. This is because Wilson uses a fairly flat (or shallow) shell shape for the pauldron, and then, in the case of the Platy, they Velcro-tab the pauldron pad to it… but that pauldron pad is, itself, that same bulky, formless, shapeless open-cell upholstery foam! So, I designed a “domed danish” that has an outer ring of open cell foam around a center shape of closed cell foam, so it cups the wearer’s shoulders instead of just laying atop them. This will greatly improve shirt-fit, and contribute mightily to the “low-profile”, sleek look. Gone is that stoooooooopid, completely unnecessary billow pad. Lastly, you’ll notice the main torso pad is in two split halves. A secret feature to the Platy is that it can be resized in or out, by width. It does require the securing rivets to be killed, some new holes drilled, and Chicago screws to fasten the plates back together, but it can be done. Thus, the pad could be, should be, and was done as two separate halves, with no loss of protection. This gap also introduces a heat-channel, chimney effect, further promoting ventilation beyond the smothering heft of the original stock model. I’m eagerly awaiting @Slippery Fish’s trying it out for the first time, and his feedback.

Good thing my iPhone is splash-resistant. Your mention of a bucket 🪣 does bring up an integral factor of skullcaps vs. HSMs, AKA “buckets”. I will never criticize a HSM -wearer for choosing to use a HSM based on their own personal decision. However, I will criticize* the reasons presented – those that are valid are acknowledged; those that are invalid are countered and/or corrected. With that said, I will mercilessly scrutinize anyone who pushes, or directs, or (worse) compels other umpires to use (buy) a HSM instead of or over other options, especially with invalid or false reasons. “HSMs are NOCSAE -certified!” – Pfffft. Meaningless. “HSMs are better / preventative against concussions!” – Pfffft. False and impossible to prove. “HSMs give you a better view” – 🐂 💩, unmeasurable. Now, if you opt for a HSM (primarily or exclusively) because it provides head protection (bat follow-thrus, close/low backstops, etc), then I’ll concede that’s a valid reason. However, that’s exactly what the skullcap addresses and provides! If you were to say, “It’s not enough coverage on the sides!”, then I’ll again concede that to HSMs. That’s an issue that needs to be improved by skullcap design, and perhaps solved by a unique-to-umpires head protection solution… instead of using a HSM intended for catchers!!! Any time the argument between HSMs and conventional masks (for umpires, specifically) is tabled, I always put forth the “wisdom” of Wilson. Why did they end the Shock FX, which was an ideally designed and capable HSM for umpires?? Because no catcher was buying it, and Wilson was losing money on it. They don’t care about us. I’m going to present that the Force3 Defender actually performs better with a skullcap instead of a ballcap. The weight – that inescapable component of the mechanically-optimized Defender – is distributed across the entirety of the skullcap’s shell. Thus, the harness can be rock-&-lock tight to the skullcap, and the Defender’s springs and shocks are allowed to function exactly as they’re designed and engineered to. So many guys get this wrong. They believe or have been told that a loose mask is desired… and that info is correct – for every other conventional mask. The Defender needs a firm foundation, though, so the springs are activated and loaded by the energy. The Big League guys (ie. on TV) don’t wear Defenders, though, because they’re too weighty. And, if they take a headshot, regardless the severity, they’re exiting the Plate role in today’s game. The AS Skuly is not without its faults. Among MLBUs, you’ll notice that most opt for the Rawlings skullcap over the AS. Why? Maybe because Rawlings is 49% owned by MLB, and is the official supplier of all helmets (rightly so, they’ve done the most R&D work on this) in professional baseball. AS is under no obligation to do anything for (us) umpires, because they’ve got catchers to supply and design gear to. So, once again (for the > hundredth time), I’m blaming and seething contempt on Wilson. On that AS Skuly, another flaw (and one that other skullcaps (Rawlings, Easton, etc) fail to address at all, so shame on them)… why is the concussion-protecting-hi-tech foam… at the back??? Why isn’t it up front?? Because catchers wear the brim backwards. Umpires wear brim forwards; again, no one cares about us. I’ll let a few more responses and posts arrive on the thread, then I’m going to unload a lot of disdain and wrath on college umpires regarding skullcaps.

Some guys in our profession are so old, it’s carbon dating that’s the applicable term.

Ya know, I’m really starting to ponder my career trajectory. At some point, I won’t be able to physically “answer the bell” 🔔 to work the number of games so as to keep a revenue stream flowing… and I am inept administratively, so that rules out assigning. So maybe I should consider polishing my “radio voice”, and go into broadcasting. 🤔 My favorite part of the entire video is the product-placement shot of the DeltaFlex-by-UnderArmour mask harness… for skullcaps… worn with a hat. It ain’t a Wilson, the brand isn’t marked out, and that sure ain’t a skullcap he’s wearing! 🫨 Heh… … is he getting “Bad look!” evaluation demerits?

… and the use of the umpire room, while appreciated and deserving, was completely foreign to them. I bet one of them was bewildered as to why he/they couldn’t just change in the parking lot. Sarcastic levity aside, my main concern has not been the umpires’ physical condition or age. It’s wholly based on awareness, acuity, and… grasp… of 3- & 4- man principles. More than once, I’ve witnessed umpires move or position themselves into the path of players or a (soon to be) thrown ball, or out of position entirely, all because they regress to “habit”, or freeze because they don’t know where to go and they forget they’re on a crew greater than 2. Is that their fault, or failure? Not entirely, nor even mostly. Instead, it’s the fault of the association! Zoom meetings and reviews of diagrams do not constitute training!!! You identify the postseason candidates (“Oh, we’re going to surprise him and reward him, and inform him last minute so he doesn’t get a big head over it” 🙄), you get some time set aside, you pay for their gas to a field or venue, and you get them physically engaged to the point where they become at least – at the very least – cognizant of where they need to position themselves, and where they need to move (and, more importantly… where not to move, ie. “thou shall not pivot in from A as U1 on a 4-man crew… no matter how many times you’ve done it in your career, no matter how many times your association “evaluators” ding you on not doing a buttonhook pivot, and no matter how much that pivot was drilled into you at Jim Evans School”. But, the bottom line is, you get your association to act, beyond lip service and granting post-season assignments on charity, favoritism, or nepotism.

em mine. Huh. 🤔 That’s actually how it works for lone runner on (anywhere), R1-R3, R2-R3 and < 2 outs. Insightful.

You are. Yup. Seriously. So many amateur umpires (ab)use their uniform items (shirts, hats, jackets) simply because of miserly cheapness and laziness. “Ya know, our state (*cough* Ohio! *cough*) requires us to get a new shirt every 2 years, so I may as well use it – or the previous one – for any/all games I do. Same goes for this hat! Ya know, they just don’t make hats like they used to, and this one from ______ (10) years ago still fits me, so why buy a new one?” In fairness, if you’re running a state or private association, and desire / demand uniformity, then you should be providing the uniforms!

It’s probably a no-name brand, or a Dalco, or a Cliff Keen. Heck, it might be an Adams. 😬 There’s no way it’s a “quality” brand, like Honigs, GerryDavis, or Smitty. Why not cause a… ripple… by getting something from GerryDavis, or a style like this? Oooooo… scary to TPTB and their status quo. Especially those in Ohio. No, worse, silver. Why? Cuz they started out heather grey!!!