Majordave

The "old" JEA is obviously out of print. I traded another member from here an autographed MLB Umpire hat I won at a raffle for his copy. It is a great read. Lots of rules history. In law school the professors were focused on teaching us how to look for the reasons for the rule/law. The JEA definitely helps in this regard. At least for me, anyway, as I was one of those "Why?" kids who was always in trouble for asking my parents and teachers and coaches why we had to do something or why they had a particular rule. To each his own is one of my new mantras as I have learned that everyone is motivated differently. I recently had the opportunity to sit and chat with Jim Evans himself at the Topeka Premier Umpire Camp. I asked Jim when, or if, he was going to update and republish the JEA? He indicated it was in the works. I had heard this before from the forums but decided to ask him personally when the subject of his book(s) came up. The publication date is not yet determined but soon he said. Jim also told several of us publicly that he is working on development/design and will be co-marketing a new chest protector that will be revolutionary in his opinion. He told me a bit more about the design and materials one-on-one but asked me to keep it in confidence. I told him to give me a dollar for a retainer then I was his lawyer and could never tell anyone without his permission. He didn't hesitate for a second, reached in his pocket, gave me a dollar, then told me the details. I can't wait to see it. So. At least two new things on the horizon for us umpire equipment and book junkies. That's all I know or can tell so don't ask me anything else. Just keep your eyes open and watch the forums. Jim is a great promoter so I know he will make it known to us when he is ready. If you haven't experienced a Jim Evans clinic or his instruction, I highly recommend it. Meeting and getting to know Jim and hearing his instruction was definitely one of the highlights of my umpiring career to date. My two cents. Your mileage may vary. Dave Teater KC MO

I haven't noticed any residue but I did notice some significant sticking of the shirt to the inner waistband where the rubber is located on my Poly-Wools this summer. No idea for sure what is causing it but it has been over 100 for all of these games I notice this happening. Hasn't affected my shirts as the sticking is where I tuck them in so it doesn't show anyway. Interested in who else this is happening to and what else is being said about it and the cause.

Sorry Dude, They don't really have a store, per se, They will let you go in the warehouse and show you around or you tell them what you want in front area and they go get it, let you try it on and ring you up. Very classy group of ladies and gentlemen. Jim and his staff are the best. It's really just an internet sales business but their customer service is a priority so as you relate--Customer is always right. (Within reason) I feel guilty when I buy anything umpire related from anywhere else.

Not really Wek. I grew up in Lexington, KY. Moved around with Army then raised our kids in Danville, KY. I coached/managed/founded a Legion/Travel team from the Stanford/Danville area and we played there back in 2004. It took me a couple of years of trying to get scheduled to play in a tourney there. That 2004 team had several D-1 players on it and a ton of pitching and a couple of some drafted but not signed kids. It was fun. I kidded with them that if we kept winning like we were that I was changing our name from the Mustangs to the A$$kickers. What a laugh that would be to see on a jersey! My ex-wife was born in Cincy and has a half-brother who was raised there. He was a phenom from the area-played/starred at Middle Tenn and was drafted and made it to "the Show" with the Colorado organization and then coached in the Cincinnati and Houston Organizations. I bet you guys loved being there on that field like we did. That was my son's last summer playing baseball. He attended one semester at Mt. St. Joe that fall there in Cincy and played football ( I warned him that football was a formal religion in Ohio but he didn't believe me until he tried it.) He was supposed to play baseball for The Mount too and they play their home games at Midland but he decided to transfer to a bigger school and become a Fraternity Intramural "legend" (in his own mind-ha!). I love getting in the wayback machine.

The Cincinnati, Ohio area (Amelia-on the eastern outskirts of metro Cincy) has a program called Midland. They have an amazing complex. I took my Legion team there when I coached in 2004 and we were actually beating the home premier Midland team, the Redskins (they have an entire program) until we got rained out in the fourth before it was complete. The most amazing private baseball complex I have seen. The program is legendary with several Major League players playing in their program-most notably, Ken Griffey, Jr. and Barry Larkin. My ex-wife's brother played for them in '85 thru '87 ( with Griffey, Jr.) and said it was the best baseball program he ever played for, he is a former NCAA D1 and major leaguer with time in the Colorado, Houston and Cincinnati organizations as a player and a minor league coach/minor manager. So that says a lot, in my humble opinion Link to their website: http://www.midlandre...rg/history.html Trust me, the pictures on the website don't do justice to the true majesty of the facilities there. An amazing amateur baseball facility. My two cents............

I know the umpire who tossed in this play. His name is Nelson "Onion" Graham from Louisiana. I met him at a clinic in Nashville a few years back. We discussed this play with him over "big boy pops" in the evening. He said he never was fooled and doesn't know why the guy went off so crazy-like in the situation. Great guy and great video.

We had time because the batter-runner hit a triple and there was an overthrow at third trying to throw him out. I was U3 and UIC and myself were discussing a claimed obstruction of the batter-runner by F5 with the offensive 3B coach and this crap started over at 1B with our other partner and escalated quickly. Ball was on the mound while defense was resetting and coach was arguing with U1. Defensive manager is not very good. He gets tossed quite often for arguing judgment calls. I and my partner jointly warned him this past Saturday for attempting to argue balk calls. He placed an inexperienced player on the mound when losing 10 to nothing. He is clueless and came unglued as his team was once again losing big. Good Q's and analysis.

I'm interested in how they did it incorrectly. Coach just starts yelling, a verbal appeal. "He left too damn early." You've got to call that!" "He missed first base, surely you saw that!" Coach/Team ever asked for ball to be put in play then step off, throw over, ask or tell us what they are appealing. He just starts screaming and demanding we declare runners out then he leaves the dugout and gets in my partner's face. Personal-"You're just lazy.....You've had it in for us all season. You wouldn't know what to call....." Profane- " You missed another Effin call!" You don't know the Effin rule!" Prolonged- Well, actually prolonged was only after ejection but.......

Three man crew working College Wooden Bat League, OBR rule set with FPSR and other safety/contact rules. I had first plate in 100 plus degree heat and went one extra inning. Nary a problem on any calls in my plate job - bases or plate calls. Game two, fifth or sixth inning, must have been past a couple of the coaches for losing team's bedtime. They got cranky and wanted to appeal a missed base and a runner leaving early on same play, did it wrong, too lazy or stupid to have their players execute a proper appeal from mound thus denied by my partner at first base. Then the whining, crying, yelling, threatening starts-head coach toward my partner at first, I am on third. My partner is a twenty-five year veteran of umpiring and former professional baseball umpire (several years in the minor leagues) he ejects, then gives the grief right back in kind with nose-to-nose discussion with ejected coach. I and my plate partner approach, I talk in low voice that we cannot continue til he leaves, he refuses, I then say, "if you don't leave now I will forfeit your team out of this game." He gets it. Leaves the field, says one more bit of unkind words about my base partner's call and ejection then leaves. Then one of the other two remaining coaches begins running his mouth, he is dumped by same partner. That's two! The second ejected guy heard me tell the first guy about forfeit and says, "I know, I know" then leaves without further incident. Fans/parents are now involved yelling to just let the players play and finish this game. (coincidentally, that is one of the things I told the coaches during the prolonged argument- "Don't you want to let these kids play and finish this game?") Then batting team has a batter rung up by my plate partner on a pretty good pitch on the outside part of the plate. The batter actually points and waves hit bat to indicate his belief that pitch was outside. Whoosh! Plate partner dumps him. That's three. He won't leave and tries to stay behind dugout and whine about his perceived unfair ejection. "I didn't do anything", etc. I have to go discuss out of sight and sound requirements with his head coach and again, mention that refusal to depart the area after ejection can result in a forfeiture for the team which gets them focused. Especially since this team was winning. What a night. On the field until 11:30 pm or so. The heat is making every one crazy it seems. Glad to have tonight off.

Wow! That's my boy Ed Rapuano. Met him at Tony Thompson's International Camp in 2008. I wonder what cup Ed was wearing and/or if it actually missed the cup completely and got his "taint"? That had to suck. I got one like that last night in a college summer wooden bat league game but did not feel anything with my Shock Doctor Titan Flex Steel Alloy cup. Had some good laughs with catcher and batter and I think I sold a couple of them for my buddy Jim Kirk at Ump-Attire.com. Both the batter and catcher wanted to know what brand it was. Damn that looks like it hurt, a lot!

Why? Basically because I am an A-hole! Plain and simple. After seeing the cheap bastards and idiots keep using them I decided to make sure they can't. I have not heard a word from any coach or player except for the Little League mommy since I started doing that in 2007. I guess I tear up three or four a year I haven't even had an incident worthy of a warning in any game where I ripped a helmet up pre-game. Sort of sends a message that I am serious I guess. I actually do a lot of smiling, chuckling and "Wowing!" on good plays, funny plays and close plays and have a general all around good time in 99% of the games I work no matter how big a deal the game is. I am always hustling and having fun working a game, especially the plate. Besides, I believe most would rather have me destroy an already unusable under any rule helmet than toss a player or coach/manager,. I am sort of saving them from themselves. I haven't seen a relatively new helmet cracked. It is always older, cheaper, really scratched up ones that have cracks. I guess we can just agree to disagree on this one.

+1 I got so sick of throwing cracked helmets out that I just started just ripping the helmet's ear flaps off and in one case tore the entire helmet in half (it isn't that hard-really) to "discourage" them from using them again and getting me and my partner sued. Warnings and ejections don't work when it comes to safety stuff--besides, you usually find out too late that they didn't follow the rule even though you checked and asked them if it was proper. I am not going to risk a lawsuit over this. Only one mommy got mad at me for destroying her precious baby's helmet. (Little League-whew, Last time I worked that level) What's the saying; "It's all fun and games until somebody loses an eye."? My two cents. Your mileage may vary

Yes, absolutely. I only work HS, College - NAIA up to D1 (not as much as I would like or hope to) and in summer I do a lot of college prospect showcases and Legion ball (up to 19 year olds). I also work College Wood Bat league and adult baseball/Senior Adult Baseball--(The pitching is always great in those games just almost nobody can run or bend over anymore. If they can, they do it real slow) So, I have absolutely no reservations about them. Never felt unsafe and never felt a thing other than pressure where the ball strikes the plastic with them.

I wear Wilson DaviShins. I like that there are only two straps on the calves and none behind the knee joint. That always irritated me when I caught. I use Gerry Davis Stance and lock in with thumbs and part of my hands under the knee cap protector. I don't know if they were designed by Gerry Davis specifically to use in this manner but I like to think so. I have never really watched Gerry umpire that closely. I learned the stance from a Carl Childress article on officiating.com and from posts and pictures on that site and umpire.org by Tim C of Oregon. Two weeks ago I took a direct hit from pitcher to my knee with no ill effects. Just a pop and the ball jumped off. I have been hit in shins and kneecap while wearing them dozens of times and never felt a thing. Funny that in six years of wearing these shinguards and their predecessor (Wilson introduced a modification/style change in 2008) I have never worked with or seen another umpire wearing them. http://www.gerrydavis.com/mm5/category/gerrydavis/product/B17PR126575 My two cents, your mileage may vary.

Thanks UIC/Warren. I hope so. I have had some amazing games and calls and plays in the short month I have been back working. I have had three partners take balls to the arm/hands with broken bones on two of them and severe bone bruise for the third since I have been back. I haven't been smacked too much. I cannot explain why I am seeing the ball so well but I am just in a zone lately. The last game I worked I had three rotations from the plate to the cutout at third and had close plays on two of them. Usually you hustle down for nothing. As Meatloaf said once upon a time over thirty years ago: "two out of three ain't bad". Hopefully things will continue to go as they have been. I am truly blessed. And don't think I don't say my prayers of thanks and gratitude as often as I can.

That's what she said....... (Sorry, Mazz, couldn't pass up that opportunity.-LOL and a BOG-Big Ol' Grin)

After almost 18 months of no umpiring due to my deployment to Afghanistan as a civilian (retired military advisor job) contractor, I got back into the umpiring saddle in a big way this month. I started working Men's Adult/Senior Baseball and Ban Johnson Summer Collegiate Wood Bat and American Legion Seniors and Juniors tourneys in Kansas City the first of June. I answered a broadcast email call through CBUA for umpires to help out in Omaha to work College prospect and American Legion sponsored tournaments in the greater Omaha area this summer. I worked a legion tourney weekend earlier in June then got a two day assignment for some games last Thursday and Friday, June 23/24. Went up Wednesday, 6/22, to watch Vandy spank North Carolina and inspect the new TD Ameritrade Park. VERY nice facility. They fixed all the shortcomings and age issues of Rosenblatt. The support area is still not as smooth as Rosenblatt and the hometown attitude: "park in our yard, drink beer in our tent" atmosphere of the old Rosenblatt neighborhood is gone. Now you walk across large parking lots and attend corporate style tent events around the stadium but it was still a good time. Prices were essentially the same from two years ago (inflated but whaddyagonnado?) the area was clean and crowds were well behaved. I also got to see the last three innings of South Carolina's extra innings win over Virginia on Friday night since the game I worked was over before 10 pm and I was working at Brown Park about 15 blocks due south of TD Ameritrade Stadium. I wish I could have shared the experience with some of my umpiring buds but I made a lot of new umpiring friends and had some great games. I will definitely plan to try and do that again in the future. Thanks for reading.

You instructing? Still MAJ? Get your ILE done? No Matt, sorry so long to reply, haven't been on the umpire sites much. I am retired (2002). Went to A-stan as a contractor. I am looking for work. I thought I had one and government issued a do not fill request to the prime contractor. Just my luck.

Speaking of ouch. I got back in the saddle this past weekend working in Omaha at a Legion Tourney. 10 games in three days in 95 degree heat....... trial by fire? I had two partners suffer broken bones this weekend. My first, on Friday, had a pitch go straight to his right forearm, untouched by the catcher or the batter, while using the scissors and he suffered some significant swelling similar to the picture above and ultimately was diagnosed with a hairline fracture but had to be splinted. The second injury was on Sunday to my last partner of the weekend, while using the heel toe in the slot and a ball bounced up and broke the middle bone below the knuckle in the back of the hand. Not sure if I am bad luck or not. Another partner caught several foul balls in the mask and chest. I never got touched all weekend. Five plate jobs and no foul balls or anything. I guess my day is coming. Hope not. The GD stance been berry, berry good to me, so far.

Since I started this thread two years ago (almost) and a lot has happened to me personally since then but, if the good lord is willing, since I am back from Afghanistan and now living in Leavenworth, Kansas (the city not the prison, grin) I will be available to go again this year and I am beginning to plan. the dates are 18th through 28th/29th of June, 2011 at TD Ameritrade Park, Omaha, NE. Website for 2011 CWS link: http://www.cwsomaha.com My buddy from the first adventure, Gonzo, is now back from Iraq so he might want to go again too. We discussed it over the phone the other day. Maybe, just maybe............

If anyone is ever in the Louisville, Kentucky area during any normal business day, Tuesday through Friday and want to visit with Jim Kirk and the rest of the super friendly staff at Ump-Attire.Com I highly recommend taking the time to do so. Jim gave me a tour of the office and warehouse. I met all of the staff that was working that day and was able to do some touchy-feely of certain products that I had not previously been able to view in person. I was impressed. I was treated like royalty and I once again, wish to state that Jim and his staff are absolutely "top shelf" along with their products. The entire organization is dedicated to providing the best combination of customer service, the best products for the best possible prices. Some of the other guys may beat their price by a few bucks but nobody can beat the customer service. Jim let me in on a little secret and shared with me the prototype of some new poly-wool pants he is developing with a USA manufacturer. They are fantastic. I am a true poly-wool believer and only wear the Honig's Poly-Wools since 2008. At present I own five pairs. However, I will DEFINITELY be purchasing some of the new Ump-Attire.com poly-wools when they come out. They will be superior to the Honig's product I can assure you of that. I was able to pick up some much needed new gear too. A pair of Reebok Mid-High Plate shoes (I have been wanting a pair to replace my Three seasons old New Balances since summer 2009 when Mid-West Ump, Pete Reiser, let me borrow his pair for a game we worked together but I had to hold off due to my "vacation" to Afghanistan these past 17 months) I also picked up a titanium Shock Doctor protective cup, a new Diamond silver super lightweight mask, some black traditional leather Wilson Mask Pads, socks, Ump-Attire.COM shirts, belt, etc,, etc. I had the entire order shipped to the Kansas side of the Kansas City area and it was here on Friday, April 29th. FAST! So,NO! I am not being paid for this endorsement. I got the standard Umpire-Empire Premium Membership discount and free shipping since I spent over $300. I will definitely be buying more once I get back in to umpiring full swing. If you want excellent customer service, superior products and competitive prices, I cannot speak highly enough of Jim Kirk and Ump-Attire.com for your needs. My two cents....... Thanks for reading.

Warren is right. I was at game one of the2009 CWS Championship Series between LSU and Texas and saw this phenomenon in person. Tony Maners was the plate umpire and he was soaked from head to toe in this game. His pants looked black from sweat. The only place they were still gray looking was in the front of his shinguards. By the fifth or sixth inning they had to throw the baseballs in from the dugouts as he couldn't keep the baseballs dry in his ball bags. I was sweating profusely just sitting there in the stands as was everyone else that night. We all looked like a bunch of oily, sweaty, greasy pigs. It was something like 95 degrees at first pitch with 85% or more humidity in Omaha. I remember how hot it was and the need to throw the baseballs in more vividly than any specific plays during the game. It went 11 innings and was won by LSU, helluva ballgame. I understand that in Florida and the deep south with all the heat and humidity (It's not the heat, its the humidity! grin) this type of ball bag with a waterproof lining is a necessity. I have been close to this sweaty before as well while working a plate in Kentucky. BUT, in the games I got that way I was wearing the *NEW Ultimate Ball Bags from Ump-Attire with this lightweight waterproof lining and had no problems with sweaty (base)balls! *personal testimonial: participant has not been remunerated for offering his opinion about Ump-Attire New Ultimate Ball Bags. My two cents.......

If anyone here has any first hand knowledge about working games in this league I would really like to hear from you by reply posting or by PM or e-mail. I just registered on their website as an official after having heard about it when I worked with Pete Reiser in Columbia, Missouri a couple of summers ago. Thanks in advance.

My tour de force through every umpire book that I can find continues with Eric Gregg's Autobiography -- Working the Plate. It was an easy read, an entertaining read and in some ways a re-hash of other MLB umpire's biographies but in a very different way as he was only the third black umpire in MLB and the youngest black umpire. He was also the first black umpire to start and finish a career on his own timetable in that he went to umpire school, worked through the minor leagues and then was a MLB umpire for a full career unlike the first, Emmett Ashford and the first National League, Art Williams who were chosen to umpire in the Majors late in their umpiring careers and only worked MLB for a few short years each. He candidly discusses his weight problem and all the downright mean things that were said to him about his weight and tricks pulled on him because of it as well. He realizes his value and role in the profession and doesn't present his story as having too much of an ego or chip on his shoulder about it. It was written in the middle of his career in 1990 so there isn't a final chapter, per se, regarding the circumstances of his retirement from the game. I particularly enjoyed his chapter about the 1989 San Francisco-Oakland World Series, a four game sweep by the A's, that was temporarily interrupted by the awful San Francisco earthquake right before the start of game 3. The chapter and personal point of view from someone who was there was very interesting to me as I was watching that event on television as it occurred. Eric came from a very poor and rough ghetto background in West Philadelphia. He had a brother who went to prison for drugs, weapons and persistent felon charges and a sister who died of a drug overdose. His childhood was marred by domestic violence between his parents. His is an amazing story considering his family background and the odds of him actually becoming a success in life. Again, a quick and easy read and very entertaining. Some of the rehashed stories like: Batter-"Where was that pitch at?" Eric or insert umpire of your choice's name as this story/joke is used a lot: "Don't end a sentence with at, at is a preposition." Batter: "Ok, where was that pitch at, A$$HOLE!" Hardy, har, har! I have heard that one quite a bit as I am sure most of you have as well. One story or fact of note is that Eric did not like Larry Bowa very much as a player or a manager and writes candidly about Larry's poor treatment of umpires. In Pam Postema's "You've Got to Have Balls..... she also wrote about the antics and generally poor disposition and excessively argumentative nature of Mr. Bowa and I remember that someone else has mentioned Larry Bowa in an unkind light as well. Larry gets virtually the same poor mouth treatment from umpires of the 80's/90's era that 60's and 70's umpires give to Earl Weaver and the old-timers of the 40's and 50's give to Leo Durocher. We have one high school coach, a four-time state champion in Kentucky from the Region I worked that has the same reputation as these three so I know how they feel a bit. I didn't follow Larry Bowa as a player or a manager all that much but I focused on these Larry Bowa comments and stories a little closer than normal because my final childhood baseball glove that I used from age 14 in Babe Ruth League through High School baseball and into fraternity softball in college and the Army was a Larry Bowa Model Rawlings, 13 inch outfielder's model with the "fastback", finger hole and "Basket-Web", undoubtedly my favorite glove of several gloves while growing up.......But from what they say he said and did to them.... I would have dumped his a$$ a lot quicker than they did........ go figure. My two cents....

Finished this one a week or so ago and had to think/stew on it before I wrote a review. Great Title. I really liked her stories. I understand that the world is not a fair place and many, many umpires do not want or believe a woman should be umpiring at any level except maybe women's softball. But I got a little tired, especially at the end, of the complaining and whining about what she endured and how unfair it was. It seems like she was honest and that she was a good umpire and didn't take much, if any, crap from anybody most of the time but then let some ridiculous things happen without taking action. One story said it all for me; a manager taking her and bending her back and kissing her at a plate meeting? WTH? No EJ, no nothing. She said something like; I was surprised and the crowd seemed to like it and I was so surprised that I didn't know what to do. I don't know about any of you other umpires but if anyone touches me without my permission other than a handshake...... BOOM! Ejection. But I guess you had to be there. She apparently worried about her ejection rate and reportedly led the league in EJ's every year she worked. If they push or cross the line, they get dumped! Especially with what some of these guys called her and how they acted. She goes on and on about tobacco juice and spit in her face. I just don't understand how and why they expect an umpire in the minors to accept and endure that kind of abuse. I don't ever let them get in my face like that, I won't stand and argue. Dump them at the first sign of them getting out of control. She apparently made a lot of mistakes and admits them so maybe she endured more as a result of her belief she might have deserved the treatment she got. I know I will and probably a lot of you will endure a bit more if we think we missed it or might have. I can't help but believe a lot of her shortcomings resulted from never having played baseball before becoming an umpire. She did play fast pitch softball but we all know the big diamond creates a completely different set of challenges and when combined with the speed and ability of the average professional athlete...... pretty tough to handle that. I do think she was at least a competent to pretty good umpire in most areas or she wouldn't have stayed around all those years. The bottom line, the thing I am constantly reminded of from reading all these umpire books and talking with professional umpires and NCAA D1/tourney umpires--It is how you handle the odd situations and manage the personalities that makes a great umpire. She admittedly did not handle everything as well as she could and should have but I also see that she suffered abnormal and unusual amounts of abuse and challenging situations. I still respect her for trying for so long and for writing about it. Her book offers a very different perspective and well worth the time it took to read. It was a quick but sometimes tedious read. My two cents.........