DonInKansas

Where did you pick it up?

I found this post on "NEW Sitch- very debatable" interesting and have nominated it accordingly for "Post Of The Month March, 2009"

I had something similar during an NBC game last summer. I'm on the stick, R2. Ball hit down the 1st base line curves and kicks up a small amount of chalk. I saw the ball fair. Unfortunately, my eyes and my brain were completely lacking in communication because the next thing I knew, my hands were up and for some reason "FOUL!" came out of my mouth, followed by a muttered expletive a moment later. The HC, who can be a bit of a hothead, comes down from the 3rd base coaching box and I know my ass is in a sling. I'm just calculating how long I should let him chew my ass before he hits the parking lot. He merely says to me, "You know why I'm here, right?" I say, "Yup, but once I call it foul, it stays foul." He tells he knows that and heads back to the box. We finish up without incident, much to my relief.

I just read the interview and Chapter 1 and am chomping at the bit to get this book.

The foot is what a coach puts in his mouth. The ass is where he puts his head. One gives and one receives, you might say.:smachhead:

I chuckled every tie I saw "prick test." Is that the shirt you dump the most coaches in? Well thought out though. Considering the limited amount of reviews we get for umpire apparel, it's nice to see it when it comes available.

You guys are killin' me and making me miss Kansas City. Maybe I can talk the wife into a vacation on the East Coast.......B)

Drop me an invite, amigo!

Shoebuy's running 20% off and free shipping again. Get yer 450s there!:wave:

That's right; he doesn't want to hear anything about your World Series titles since the Giants don't have one since coming to the West Coast.:HD: Sorry, I get to. I'm an A's fan. If I had World Series tickets, I'd have to be dragged out on my ear to leave before the game was over. The only World Series game I've ever been to didn't even get going; Game 3 of the 89 Series. Scary crap for a 10 year old.........

My guess would be the set position.

That's how we roll out here; at least with the schools that are big enough to have both.:wave:

Stop it, you're getting me all excited.:clap:

I agree with the above. The next two colors on your list should be Black and MLB powder.

Yes, I prefer working HS/JUCO ball. That said, I did some work last summer with the community rec league. Realize that I am the only HS Certified umpire that lives in my town since there's no organized Baseball above the 11/12 year olds that play in this rec league. They have to drive an hour 1 way to play any older, which is incredibly sad. Our city has a complex with a couple of fields that could be REALLY nice if utilized. I liked working with the little kids in this league because it was fun on a lot of levels. I got to work with some high schoolers that were new to umpiring and wanted to learn more about it, the kids and coaches were having a ball, and I'm hoping the community will get fired up enough about baseball to get the High School fielding a team.

My two cents: When I have a partner carrying a counter on the bases it makes me nervous, especially if he/she's a counter watcher. It makes me second guess whether I've got the count right. I don't tell guys to pocket it since it happens fairly infrequently.

He sure did. Turned them from a 2 seed into a playoff spectator.:smachhead:

I did the exact same thing my first three years as an umpire. Funny thing was, I never knew it was supposed to be done a certain way until a guy I worked with brought it up. It took me another two years to get through an entire season without using my right hand. I find this odd, because I'm left handed.:smachhead:

I concur. Mask until they make me.:smachhead:

What about weapons? Nobody expects the Umpire Inquisition!:smachhead:

You can't have a plate ump contest without this:

Mad love for the Empire.:smachhead:

Sounds like something that should be in every umpire manual, not just the NCAA.

A 17 year old UIC? Wow. To be honest, it looks like burnout to me. You are dealing with a whole lot of baseball. You can't help people that will treat you like crap because you're young, but you are still building your reputation as an umpire with every game. The more years you work, the more you will be known, whether it's as a guy with a big/small zone, someone who knows the rules, or, most importantly in a lot of cases, a guy who will take a lot of crap. Set a tone, be fair, but try not to become what we refer to as a "redass." As I've seen on several umpire forums: "You're more likely to regret the ejection you didn't make than the one you did."