MadMax

They just might, Muss. I think one of our Manhattan Project guys has a set, and we’ll certainly try them… however… @mac266 has a Wilson WV Gold. Two glaring problems: The Champro bicep guards connect to the shoulder pauldron and stay via Velcro loop… that goes… where on a WV Gold? We’d have to cut a slot into the pauldron anyway to run that loop thru. The shoulder pauldron plates are floated atop the pauldron pads, which are positioned by and connected to a structural stitch from vest (torso) pad to pauldron pad. Ever wonder why shirts are a pain to put on (unless you size up “for plate”), and give you that hulking linebacker look? It’s because of the pauldron pad, and that poorly-designed structural stitch. Including a bicep guard in that space is going to further exacerbate the problem. We need to allow Mac to (rather) easily put the CP on, have the protective elements positioned and held in place, and then put a shirt on over it. So, we’ll be designing a whole new set of pad segments that will work with the carapace plates and any additional guards required.

Nah, I’m going for a combination of Mark Rober, ElectroBOOM, and Scotty Kilmer. 😁 … just without the net-celebrity collabs (Rober), mad gesturing (Scotty), or setting myself on fire (ElectroBOOM).

You’ve got a point… our League is streamcast, and we require 120 seconds (minimum), and we’ve given an additional 15 seconds buffer. I have to remind my CC’s that we need the 120 seconds, otherwise we’re either cutting commercials short, or missing game action. However, rarely (if ever) are we waiting on the (college) players… they’re usually rarin’ to go in 1 minute, maybe 1 minute 20 seconds, tops. High school players are morons, though (or maybe their coaches are 🤔 ). I swear, I see these same teams in time-limited tourneys (TLTs) at 1:50, then at 2:00… and then USA Baseball rolls into town, and they do 2:30… and these teams – again, these same kids – use allllllll 2:30. The entire pace of play grinds to a halt.

My my… you seem have uncovered the Great Contradiction. So a 10th player is prohibited from warming up the F7 (Left Fielder) with a team in the 3rd Base dugout… but not a 10th player in the 1st Base dugout, warming up the F9 (Right Fielder)?? I’m going to toss you one of my most-fun ones – “Everyone must stay in the dugout”, right? But yet, a Varsity coach can have JV players, in uniform, sit in the stands, directly behind the backstop, and he can add them to the lineup at any time. Yeah, some of us are confused, too. Rules are tools. All umpires (at least in NFHS) have access to these tools. However, it takes skill to use them. Not everyone has those skills. When faced with an obstacle, do you use a jewelry hammer and a chisel, or det-cord & C4?

These are the preferred bags for Spring Training. I can hold 18-20 baseballs with relative ease. 16 is about maximum so as to bust out from behind the plate without the risk of one popping out. But even then, having 8 in each is very appreciated by the MLB/MiLB staffs who typically do NOT relish trotting out to resupply you with baseballs during an inning. They especially dislike the “Captain Cool” one-baggers. MLB/MiLB pitchers go through a lot of baseballs. With these bags, not only can I carry a significant quantity, but I can put two different baseball types – one in each bag – and switch between them fluidly in accordance to which pitcher requires them. Two seasons ago, I did Team Korea visiting the Rangers. I had to switch between three different balls. Man, I wish I could (truly) juggle! But alas, mine have faded; this Arizona sun is merciless.

ie. spiked at 58 feet, changes direction to somehow miss the catcher and blast against the Plate Umpire’s ________________. Forearm Hand Abdomen Thigh (hello @concertman1971 !) Shins

A Hall-of-Famer has spoken: “The hardest count to hit in is 0-2”… well Mister Maddux, I’m going to say that the count that sees the most plate umpires get hurt on is 0-2.

As mentioned above, we’re doing that here in Arizona, too. We’ve got most youths conditioned upon, while on offense, not asking for time on every base hit, or advancing a base. Similarly, on defense, we’ve got them fairly well conditioned on not asking for time to throw the ball back in from middle INF to F1. The key component? Umpires with the fortitude to say, “No.” Now, that next hurdle is to make these visits count, or cost something. Then they’ll stop doing it. F6 – “Time, please?” U – “For?” *** F6 – “I wanna talk to him (F1)” U – “Sure, but it will cost a visit.” F6 – “It will? How many do we get?” U – “Six. Your team has already used four.” F6 – “Oh. Eh, that’s okay. Don’t need it.” <throws ball to F1> “C’mon baby! Deep breath****, you got this!” Communication has a “U” in it, fellas. *** – The most important thing to say instead of “Time!”. Keep the ball Live as much as possible. **** – One of the lamest bits of “motivational advice” I hear in amateur baseball.

NAIA is 5th year HS / College Lite, and we do 2:00 (120 seconds) for that… and if you find a televised-with-ads broadcast of NAIA, then you can call me a codfish. With NFHS participants, we need an impetus. We need both umpires and coaches & players operating under that impetus. We thought for sure that the small schools (9-11 kids on the roster) would be our biggest sources of friction; quite the contrary, it’s the big powerhouse schools, with certain types of coaches & players on their rosters that actually seek to cause friction. An example? One of the biggest HS’s in the state, 9-time state champions, multiple MLB draft picks, and this pitcher refuses to leave the dugout to warm up for the next half-inning until his catcher is ready and comes out with him. And, don’t you know who I am, Blue? I need my 5 warmup pitches. I need that latitude to say, “I don’t care who you are, you’ve got (90) seconds. If you get in three throws, tough cookies, let’s go.” And if he wants to defy me, I add a ball to the count. And if that HC wants to look at me like I’ve grown eight heads (“Hail Hydra!”), then I can simply say, “That’s the rules Arizona is using, Skip.” Yes, we need consistent enforcement across all umpires. I had an old salty veteran who, at our plate meeting, said to the two-ex-Minor-League-players-turned-HS-coaches standing betwixt us, “Yeah, that timing and clock crap? I don’t use it!”… to which I interjected (had to!) with my trusty stopwatch in hand and said to the shocked coaches, “Gentlemen. I have the timepiece right here, and it applies to this game. 20 second pitch clock, 90 seconds (at that time) between… get ‘em going.” Honestly, the biggest source of delay comes from umpires allowing the players to fart around and take too long, and substitutions being registered by the PU from a coach who has waited 75 seconds to bring them up.

A YouTube presence is in the works... it’s just been rather challenging on me to do this on the road, as much as I am. I don’t have anything that resembles a studio or workspace.

I was suddenly struck with some inspiration, that may involve several of us here in the U-E group and the skills & talents we have... You know my opinions on WestVest Golds (Opinion #1: they’re garbage. Opinion #2: they’re serviceable garbage. Opinion #3: they’re overpriced garbage... yadda yadda yadda). However, the carapace plates are more than serviceable. So, if @wolfe_man , @The Short Umpire, and I were to put our heads together, cross-check it with @BT_Blue, send off a pad planform to @Umpiresrock74 and/or @Cavalier1948, and then assemble it and get it back on you, would you be up to try it? You’d be getting a padding upgrade on it, and I can guarantee that Shorty, Wolfe and I will not fall short on at least addressing your concerns. I foresee a final form that adds a fastening pec wing, with a strap that goes around and secures via a button added to your harness. Yes, you will need a/your partner to give you a hand in securing it, but this will make it contour around your upper torso, under your armpit so your shirt(s) will fit better. I’ll need to eliminate that main connecting stitch between the shoulder arch plate and the pauldron. I’d add a connecting spline from shoulder arch plate to pauldron plate. The pauldron pads would then be independent and individual, attached to their respective pauldron plates. Then, we’ll collectively design a bellowing cuff – I have ideas, but best to show them in sketches than to try and describe it here. It would secure to the pauldron (via snaps or loops), so that it doesn’t slide down and out of position as you wear it. I foresee it ending with a spandex / elastic bottom cuff just above the elbow. Sound like an option?

That’s okay, Rich... we’ve all encountered umpires who still have not been updated from 1995 interpretations. My opinion on this is that they’ve made this whole thing way too complicated. If the ball’s status is Dead, then any “infraction” should be a “Hey! Don’t do that!”, and exchange the baseball. If the ball is alive, and the F1 is off the rubber, and performs an “infraction” without legal correction, then it should be, “Time! Hey! Don’t do that! That’s your warning!” Any infraction (of this go-to-mouth variety) performed on the rubber without legal correction should be a Ball penalty, not a Balk penalty. The balk penalty is what intensifies the complexity. It’s a very petty Balk, the epitome of ticky-tac. Coaches jump all over (possible) infractions, so as to get a cheap base award or run; equally, many of us are reserved about calling such a cheap Balk (“No, Coach, I have him stopping enough.”).

Huh. A school board actually declined / refused to stock books? News to me. “My call, my game, my field… “ This sort of possessive vernacular gets officials who use it into an inordinate amount of trouble. Mafia? Ain’t Jimmy Hoffa buried under The Meadowlands? Was this not a 3-man crew?

FWIW, prior to the debut of the All-Star Cobalt CP, I was convinced the +POS Cobra was the CP to rewrite how CPs were made. It was light years ahead of the WV Gold & Platinum. It featured HDPE carapace plates, arranged in that lapped-clavicle layout, with the segments strategically placed for a very contoured fit and good articulation. The real gem was the modern laminated foam pad vest, featuring a laminate of five different materials. Sure, the lower extension wasn’t hard-plated, but at least it was included, thereby allowing the CP to be a one-size-fits-nearly-all. It had two shortcomings. The first was the harness. The harness was much better than the typical Y-yoke Wilson and other cheap CPs would use, but it didn’t have enough grab’n’hold, and the lower flank anchors were positioned too far back to grab snugly. The second was that it was produced and sold (exclusively) by +POS, which was in its financial death spiral. It’s a great CP otherwise. Well ahead of its time and rivals!

Are we reading the same situation / play?? The play (caseplay) you postulated, and the two I proposed make more realistic sense than the OP. I am not calling @johnnyg08 a liar; however, without seeing the actual play, and all the components involved (average age level? # of umpires? Sanctioned game or scrimmage? Etc. ), I’m having an exceptional difficulty in picturing this play happening… that an R1, having been deemed Out (by Force) at 2B, runs (at least 60, supposedly 90) feet, then turns left and heads another (at least 60, supposedly 90) feet to home plate at speed so as to score??? Show me the game where this has happened. Until then, Nope, sorry, not buying it. I’m not even going to treat it as a mental exercise. Because, as soon as you take one of these fantastical plays and try to find the “ideal judgement / ruling” about it with fervor and focus, you get guys inspired to go hunting for it. Soon, everything that moves becomes the mythical white buffalo. 🎯

Coach assistance and Passing are two such infractions that I can see occurring, the Runner (or BR) is ruled Out, and either doesn’t realize it and/or doesn’t hear/see an Umpire call/signal him Out. In both, the ball remains Live and in play. Thus, if that (now Retired) Runner continues to advance, and the defense attempts a play on him, the Umpire(s) should be aware of his status, and not render an Out or Safe call upon him. Of course, that running may influence the defense to make a play on him. An extreme but realistic example would be R1 / R2, hit to the outfield, and on the throw in for a play upon R2 at the plate, the 3BC physically assists (either holds up R1, or as the ball gets away from F2 at the plate, propels R1 towards the plate) R1. Not recognizing he is out, R1 tries for the plate, and F2 secured the ball so as to make a play upon him. All this time, BR is likely at 2B, and possibly going for 3B. <rhetorical> Is this INT? I mean, the actions of a retired R1 (for Coach assist) are influencing (could you imply hindering?) the defense in not making a play on BR… aren’t they? </rhetorical> Again, I have great difficulty in picturing the OP situation happening in that manner.

First, we didn’t have digital, high-def video back in your/our day, even on NBA games! I get it… video review on High School games just opens Pandora’s box 📦. However, are we not several decades into the (widespread) use of red-lights on/in/atop basketball backboards, for colleges and pros? Why aren’t they on High School facilities? Second, this was likely your toddler years: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1972_Olympic_men's_basketball_final

Is this a case of a High School umpire (Pure ol’ Fed, ya whippersnapper) not calling R1 Out, and the kid (R1) doesn’t believe he’s Out? Or, was an Out call made, but he’s defiantly proceeding / continuing to run the bases? [pause] – This is where the situation falls apart for me. If R1 is called Out, he’s going to proceed to either the 3B dugout or 1B dugout. If 1BS, then I could see him potentially being confused with BR, who, after the overthrow, heads to 2B. That’s plausible. But if he’s headed towards 3BS… see, I can’t wrap my umpire head around it… if 2-man system, then PU is headed towards 3B until he observes his BU partner make an Out call at 2B, and then proceed back to plate. So as long as BU made that call, then R1 is “dead” to both umpires, PU especially. At best, PU judges overthrow as being still Live-&-In-Play, and he has to – I have to believe – he’s surprised by the defense all shouting at their fielder to throw it home. That PU has to try to determine what’s going on… who could they possibly be making a play on??… I like to think that in the 18-&-over games, this situation never happens. In younger environs, since kids are morons, okay… I’ll concede it could happen. However, in that same contextual environ, I have to say as an umpire, I’d be telling the F2 “he’s already Out, he’s already out”. I can’t stop the throw by the fielder, but surely I have that rapport with catchers to simply state the status of the Runner (retired). It’s similar to U3K with R1 and less than 2 Outs. Even though the retired Batter may dance around, and break for 1B, I will state “Batter is Out, Batter is Out”. I cannot stop a catcher from throwing it to 1B, but rarely does that ever happen, in situations like that. But back to the OP situation, barring any declaration by the PU of the Retired Runner’s status, then PU shouldn’t make any mechanic or signal at all. That isn’t a play upon a (valid) Runner, so doesn’t require a judgement. Can’t call INT, because he’s not “directly” affecting a/any play upon another (valid) Runner. I just do not see this happening as described

That was because of us. Our RI brought our 2023 results to the Fed board… who got all up in arms about how we didn’t do 60 seconds as codified, but instead 90 seconds. We defended it as 60 being wholly inadequate (and it is), and that college and pro ball is 120 seconds. … … In classic committee fashion, they set it to 80 seconds.

This is exactly what it’s doing. To reiterate, it’s six (6) visits, total. Coaches are still limited to (no more than) three (3). That didn’t change. So, too, we didn’t install the limitation that on the 2nd coach visit of an inning, he has to replace the F1. That didn’t change either. Instead, this does limit the F2 asking for time incessantly to go out there and whisper sweet nothings in the ear of his pitcher. Or, worse, the F6. What can a F6 say in private to a pitcher that can’t be said at 25-30 feet? What, “Deep breath, let’s go baby”?? The team gets six… for the game (yes, additional for extra innings)… just like college.

Paycheck Justification. The pay – I can’t say “game fees”, because there’s more to it – has increased dramatically in the last 10 years, and doubly more in the past 5 years. The preeminent conferences are performing full-blown personnel management, creating & deploying crews per series that will not only execute each game of the series satisfactorily, but will function well together as a crew in all 3 aspects (and yes, there are 3) – inside the fence, in the “umpire room”, and outside the fence. That crew’s performance and behavior, in all 3 aspects, is what directly reflects on that conference-association and their leadership staff – assigner, evaluators, and instructors. Accordingly, the pay is per series… and all that encompasses. Sure, a “series” could just be a single mid-week game, but the same expectations apply. So, within the fence, the two most critical aspects – even more than outright Rules knowledge, and far more than mechanics details – are pre-action preparedness, and situational management. Rules knowledge, mechanics details, etc., those are all supposed to be taken care of in at least the umpire room, if not outside the fence. In amateur baseball, we’ve all had that partner who has remarked, either in the game or just after, “Wow, that’s the first time I’ve heard of that rule (interpretation)!” That does. Not. Fly. In. College. Baseball. The immediate inquiry follows – “Why is that? Have you not been briefed by your crew chief / assigner / mentor? Were you not in the Zoom call? Have you not read your email(s)???” The same goes for mechanics / rotational details. A college baseball game is not a place to be “testing out a read-step versus going-to-a-spot” (for example); you should have already assimilated it and put it into practice, if it’s that important. And for the men-of-few-words instructors out there, everything they tell you is important. They ain’t gonna tell you twice. College baseball umpiring has gone notably younger, too. Many of the conference staffs are stocked with ex-MiLB guys who are there and available for any number of reasons. There are 3 things that they bring with them that assigners / evaluators favor: They function well within the more intense speed-of-the-game, more (readily) than a “homegrown” college umpire who has (likely) climbed the ladder from HS → JuCo → NAIA → D-3+. They have the physical and umpiring disciplines that permeate all 3 aforementioned aspects, or realms, of umpiring. They are compliant and/or malleable, at least. And much like Matthew McConaughey‘s character in Dazed and Confused – “I tell you what about these (Minor League Umpires), man. Every year, I get older, and they stay the same age.”

Father’s Day?? That sky blue is the optimum choice on any game which you wear sky blue on! Sundays… Getaway days… Laundry days… Days where you intentionally want to pi$$ off that one guy on your crew (who will immediately opt for jackets… sleeves off)… Days where the sun is so bright, it peels paint in minutes (and you can feel your black shirts fading by the minute)…

Since we have our state’s Rules Interpreter on the NFHS Rules Committee, he has volunteered Arizona to be the Guinea pig 🐹 (more like lab rat 🐀) on trying out potential Rules adjustments (enhancements). Last year, we applied the 20-sec Action Clock, similar to the NCAA Action Clock, only lacking the charged Offensive conference if a Batter requests Time; likewise, there wasn’t a charged reset to the pitcher for stepping off. Instead, the BU was to tell the pitcher “Clock’s still running”. More often than not, the pitcher would still have adequate time to re-engage, come set, and pitch. Conversely, if his act of stepping off and faking (as to 2B) was judged to be sufficient play to cause the runner to return to the base, then the BU would reset the clock. Yes, it sounds a bit half-baked. But, we didn’t have the NCAA version codified into NFHS for us, and it worked satisfactorily for us for the entire season, including playoffs. Where we really “got after it” was the between-innings clock, which we set at 90 seconds. What’s (annoyingly) curious, is NFHS has had it codified at 60 seconds for several years, but never had enforced it! The vast majority of the coaches acquiesced to it, and we only penalized the most blatant of transgressors. It really sped up our games, definitively. Now this year, we’ve added two whoppers. The first is mound visits (Defensive Conferences), wherein we allow 6 total, with 3 of them involving a/the coach. This is just like NCAA. The second one? … 🥁 🥁 🥁… Balks are (or can be) Live. Balk is called, pitch is hit for a 2-run HR, the HR stands. With R1, and 3-X count, Balk is called on Ball 4, then the pitch stands as called. With R2 (only), and 3-X count, Balk is called on Ball 4, then the Balk penalty is imposed; R2 is awarded 3B, and Batter continues with count at TOP. Fun! Yes, we are the first through the wall. We are confidently and eagerly anticipating results that will hopefully inspire the Fed to change this millstone of a rule.

Then you were taught incorrectly. Even an IP equal to F3 is incorrect. We should always be behind F3. Everything should happen in front of us. If there is ever a question of catch/no-catch (skip'n'scoop), then it is best to either defer to PU, or DO NOT make a call of catch – with no one on, the F3 will "tell" you whether or not he caught it; he has 1B right there anyway, so even if he caught it on the deck, and you (mistakenly) come up with "No catch!", he will in 99.99% of instances be able to touch 1B. And a lane into Foul territory? If there's a smash right at you (and F3), the last thing you want to do is focus on the ball while F3 is making a play at the ball and likely crashing into you on your right shoulder. Otherwise, on a pop fly in front of you, or atop your head, you should be pivoting in anyway, yes? If it is a fly beyond you, then you "dance" with F3, let him clear and pursue the flight of the ball, and you promptly either reacquire the line for your Fair/Foul decision, or trail the F3 into Foul territory towards a/the boundary. You never set your IP in front of F3. Not even in 3-, 4-, or 6- man.

@Brandan Glendenning – export to iCal / GCal? Push notifications? I wouldn't expect this to handle payment; that tends to overcomplicate and bloat Arbiter (and the corresponding ArbiterPay). However, is there the means to ledger whether a game (or event, as you call it) was paid or is still pending? Examples of data field entries would be: Paid in Person at Event Paid in Person at Event Completion (these two would include cash or check, issued by the Event Director / host) Payment Pending / Not Paid Yet (the worst entry) Paid via E-method 03/05/24 (Zelle, Venmo, CashApp, PayPal, RefPay, etc.) Paid via Check issued 03/01/24 As an umpire, I need to see which games have been paid and which are still pending (thereby prompting me to start blowing up someone's phone). On any given week, I've worked not only multiple games, but using several different methods of payment.