BillKen

A 56' pitch and a 2nd string catcher in a small parochial school game spelled certain doom for me and the "boys" tonight. When all of a sudden, the black knight riding his white chariot came riding in to save the day! I pay over $100 a month for life insurance that I'll never see...but my $29.95 Nutty Buddy is the best money I've ever spent for "insurance"!

How much money do you think they make selling these jerseys in the mezzanine to people who pay $150 a pop for them? I promise you that it offsets their cost to outfit the team.

Wash came out because this is the 2nd time he has had this go against his team and he firmly believes it is an out. He came out so that NYC would notice and a discussion can occur. I watched his post game presser and he said, "WE have to change this. The guy coming down the line is out." He is trying to get the conversation started and knows that MLB will pay attention if there are ejections.

.....but he was safe ........... He was safe on a technicality that is humanly impossible to officiate. If the sound of the ball popping the leather is no longer the gold standard for when the out occurs, but now requires the closing of the glove around the ball, then I'll again reiterate that the ump is only there to start the process. It doesn't matter if he gets it right or wrong, NYC will make the real call. You could put a black shirt on Larry, Mo, or Curly and it wouldn't matter. This call in last night's game would have never been challenged last year because it has been an out for over 100 years. If I were a pro umpire, I could see the writing on the wall to my job going away to a person with an 8th grade education for minimum wage. Bob was right to eject swiftly, but I'd bet $100 that he completely agrees with Farrell about this whole deal...and that is why he didn't blow up!!!

Those who say that replay won't change the game need to see this play. I don't care one way or the other about safe or out...or Yankees or RedSox on this call. This has been a DP for the entire life of the game. Now, the defense cannot be rewarded by a solid play and what essentially amounts to a tie at 1B. The old addage "The tie goes to the umpire" is out the window and this is bad for baseball. Now, the tie goes to the booth and umpires are just there to start the process. I see this being a long year in MLB and it wouldn't shock me for the umpire's union to try and throw some cogs into this whole deal after a year on the field.

I bought a pair of these pants last season...the plastic on the adjuster sripped out and I had to sew them closed to keep them together. Then one of the latches on the front shredded out of the fabric in the wash. These are not good pants. Say what ya want about the Gerry Davis fading issue, but the pants are the highest quality on the market for their price. I just got two pair of them and love them. Never had the Honigs PWs, bought the Smittys and they are no bueno.

Today I was working HP in a 10U tournament and the pitcher (lefty) steps towards home and throws to 1st. My partner and I both immediately call the balk and the coach asks me why. I told him what he did and he replied, "He can go 45 degrees!" I replied, "That was about 48 coach!" FWIW, exact same thing happened about 2 innings later and that coach got to see the rest of the game from his van in LF.

That's interference and we have 3 outs.

Worst nightmare play for us. I hope NO hs coaches ever see this! That has been an out for 2 centuries...and now it isn't. It is a great call if you have to be 100% accurate, but this is not the play that ESPN was dreaming of when they wished IR on this great game.

Runner on 3rd, pitch is passed ball well outside to my right with a righty in the box. He squares to bunt, offers, misses and his momentum takes him forward toward 1st base. As B sees R3 headed home, he moves forward onto the apron in fair territory in the area in front of home plate. F1 closes in to HP area to take the throw from the backstop from F2 and I glance back to find the ball and let the ball take me to the play. By the time the ball comes into F1's glove, I have a BANG-BANG safe call at the plate and I never really focused my vision on anything related to B. Immediately as the play ended, the DC comes up off his bucket on the 1B dugout and wants INT on B with his pitcher. I have no idea if it was interference because I really never saw B after I signaled the strike attempt and turned to find the ball. I explained to him that I had a lot going on with a called strike, a passed ball, and a close play into HP and that I really didn't see what B did or where he went. I knew he had vacated the box for the scoring attempt. I got video of this play and it was definitely INT by B on F1 in front of HP and that split second delay most likely created the safe runner. So I realize this is sort of a perfect storm play in an imperfect 2-man system. But my question is this: Would you go to your partner (he was in C) for help on that INT call, or just live with it?

I like to think of the restriction as the equivalent of a basketball technical foul. In a HS Varsity game, somebody is getting restricted for this. In a college game, I'll probably do the official warning announcement. Any further rebuttal is an ejection. In youth games, somebody is going away...unless I'm in a particularly ornery mood, then I'll start counting errors, bad coaching decisions, and pitches that the catcher takes out of the zone!

This stinks! That is a catch. What if a OF makes a 3rd out catch like this, runs halfway to the dugout and drops it on the transfer to throw it to the umpire after the inning has technically ended? There has to be a time frame in this definition.

Watch the ball...glance at runners. Coach better not come out on me about that...I'll tell him that he's talking to the wrong guy. I didn't put the ball in RF and I ain't taking a chewing for a bad throw.

That was Laz Diaz...he is a big ol boy and can be pretty intimidating! Not a guy I would mess with!!!

I find that if you buy two and rotate them regularly, you get better life out of them. My two that I bought 14 years ago are still going strong!

I knew the rule...counted the run...and then an inning later the defensive coach asked me if I was sure the run counted since that was a "double play". I assured him that it was right...and then explained it to his team's radio guys during the next half inning who were questioning it while they were calling the game. I posted it here for discussion and to share the knowledge...it can be a tricky one to explain and most coaches do not understand. If they do understand, they still play the Jedi Mind Tricks that they are taught in coaching school to try and justify it and tell you that you are wrong and accuse you of "giving their team the business"!!!

Runners on 2nd and 3rd with one out. Long fly ball hit to LF who makes a Top 10 Play diving catch for the 2nd out. Runner on 3rd tags and scores easily. Runner on 2nd goes halfway...freezes just a little too long trying to find the ball and the LF comes up gunning to the SS who elects to get him coming back to 2nd for the force out due to him not tagging up...well after the runner on 3rd crossed home plate. Do you score the run?

I had a very similar play Friday...the batter took a full swing and the ball died on the dirt apron. BR reacted very slowly and the catcher was on his horse to try and get to the ball. He slightly pushed the runner out of his way toward first base and fielded the ball. The runner was out by a country mile. I analyzed the sitch really quickly and thought....Fielder has a right to the ball and the batter has a right to get out of the box unmolested...it was hard to tell an advantage/disadvantage so I just left it alone. Nobody said a word and I've wondered ever since if it should be OBS, INT, or nothing.

I could watch the Rookie Of The Year pop-up ad video about 1000 more times!!! Thanks!

Work behind the mound and call balls/strikes from the field.

Best way to whiten them is with a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. Get it pretty wet, then rub softly and take your time or they will destroy the sponge. The narrowness of these shoes are a well documented issue and because of this, I'll never buy another pair!

I see some Field Magistrates for $65 in slo's immediate future!!! This post makes me think I might need to go ahead and get me another pair of these great shoes at a great price!!!

IMHO, this is what happens when you are moving and making a call at the same time. I think it's better for him to get set and take the angle the play gives him than to try and adjust (rotate) and make the call without being set. I do agree that he needed the better angle that rotating to his right would give him, but it was too little too late.

I'll give you $40 for those pads if you'll ship them for that.