iankelleyumpire

Good to hear! I can't wait to send mine off.

Go Wilson Gold or Platinum and then get it retrofitted by Team Wendy. Search for the threads on the retrofitting and see what you think. It takes down a lot of the bulk and give you superior protection too. Many of the guys on here love theirs and recommend them also. I'm getting mine done before Florida. Instead of buying a whole new CP, you could use the money to retrofit your original WV, and boom, now you have a great new piece to wear, without the bulk or looking like a "football player!"

Great article! Was very interesting to read and honestly gave me (and could give anyone) some good insight from another aspect on umpiring. I agree with the video replay expansion that it will probably just show how accurate and correct most umpires already are! This could be a good decision and show fans a thing or two also!

He DROPPED that hammer. BOOM!

Read your profile! Glad to hear you're back in it all and that you're returning to pro school. Best of luck "Texas!"

I can definitely attest to that. I wore mine for the first time this weekend and the field vision was awesome You got a Nike mask?!

The bottom part of the Nike frame also it more straight downward, rather than the down & outward bottom like on the Wilson mask frames. This being said, it gives you more throat protection just by itself, as opposed to where a lot of Wilson masks are worn with throat protectors.

The eye opening is not only a little wider, but it is taller or "more open." I've had the Wilson and the Nike side by side, it's not a huge difference by any means, but it is noticeable to the eye, and does serve it's purpose with the mask actually on. Nike consulted with professional catchers when designing the mask frame, and a larger opening was something they all input for.

Because: 1. They are NIKE. So add a few hundred bucks. 2. They are made of high-grade titanium. 3. They simply just look great. Plus, they do provide solid protection at the same time. 4. You cannot buy them retail. You have to buy them from someone else. Commonly, guys acquire them from catchers who are able to get them straight from Nike, or their college is sponsored with Nike equipment, etc. These are just most commonly the case. All the guys I personally know with them have gotten them through small talk with college catchers who have two or three extras, and/or can easily get another from their Team Nike rep. 5. They are NIKE.

Love this idea! I'll go for any way possible just to be able to watch it. I'd pay however much needed to get a copy for myself somehow.

HAS ANYONE FIGURED OUT HOW TO WATCH THIS YET?! Links? Video? DVD? Anything? Anyway? I'm dying not being able to watch this..

I've never met someone from Texas I didn't like! Welcome!

Don't forget your cup!!!

Not even close. Choo never even looked at second, let alone didn't even think of it. Why would you even?

I agree with Maven. Youth ball/lower level, let it go, time, no balk. Pro, College, no grant, no time, call it.

The best (side) view of Farquhar's balk is at 2:09 in the video. The back view it right before it. http://wapc.mlb.com/play/?content_id=30108207&topic_id=8879974

I saw a video earlier, and from the back, it was either too late or too far away to see the balk, just CB Bucknor calling it. Then it moved to a side view, and then slowed down, showing the clear balk. It was somewhat questionable, but I see what he called it for. I'll look for the link again.

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Down in the South Central Kansas area, Wichita, KS is the only place besides Topeka and Kansas City with real organized leagues and what not. A lot of small town rec league teams, some smaller town will have some travel teams. In Wichita, there is a mix of NBC (National Baseball Congress) and USSSA. No CR/BR, Little League, or any others that it seems like most of you have. Most of the summer showcases for the older teams are just ran through colleges or USSSA, but if they're not a USSSA sanctioned tourney, they usually play by Fed rules with occasionally using NCAA slide rule. Long story short, there is ALOT of different baseball leagues, rules, tournaments, etc in my area of Kansas. Could be a good thing, might be bad, or at least maybe more organized.

Ted Barrett wears the old Carlucci chest protector. It's the royal blue one. He's the only MLBU still using that one, or anything similar to it even.

I'll let everyone know the room number!

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