bds53

Royals vs Indians home plate umpire had one. I saw two or three when I was flipping through games today.

You should be able to find plenty of work in that area. Last I had heard they were planning to build a fairly large facility up there. I can put you in touch with a couple USSSA tournament directors that run tournaments all over the area, if you want. I am not sure what you would get, as I haven't called for them before. But they run quite a few of the USSSA tournaments in Branson and the surrounding area.

should this topic be moved from the equipment forum to the pictures one then?

I had an issue with them in July and my mother-in-law had an issue with them in November of last year. Luckily I paid through PayPal. Ended up filing a dispute through them and got my money back. I won't do business with them at this point.

I have not had any luck with the search feature since the site upgrade. Is anyone else having a similar issue? Screenshot included.

Lock it up, please. Both items have sold.

Yes it is

Jacket is sold pending payment.

Yep. It is on there too. If it sells before the auction ends then I can end the auction.

You're right. It is $100 on facebook. I'm selling this on multiple sites and just copied it over. Thanks. $120 for both if you are interested.

The chest protector has been worn once and doesn't fit well. This was a gift and I cannot return it. $100 obo + shipping All reasonable offers will be considered. The jacket is a Honigs Navy jacket, size XL. $20 obo + shipping. Thanks for looking.

I see this all the time. The problem comes from those people in power that don't care. It starts at the top and when there is little to no support it makes it hard to keep and attract people. People can go to McDonalds and make more than they could umpiring, and why not? They don't get berated and yelled at for doing their job. I have tried a lot of things in the past. Code of Conducts, better training, etc. What I have found that works really well is to make sure youth umpires look the part, attend coaches and umpire trainings, and that all parties sign an in depth code of conduct. A youth umpire in full uniform and who attends coaches meetings shows that they have a commitment compared to Joe Schmo in a tshirt and shorts. I make it known to my coaches that my umpires receive in depth training, have thorough evaluations, and take a rules test. In my rules meeting, I show the coaches what it is like to be in a training session and what our test questions are like. Out at the games, they see me work with young umpires during the first few weeks. There are swift punishments for coaches, parents, spectators, and players who violate our code of conduct. My facility supervisors are trained to spot problems before they get out of control and make sure that they do not get out of hand. I still have a fair share of people that don't conform to our rules, but those people are few and far between. Our issues have decreased dramatically since we have instituted these measures. It's not perfect, and it can become a very heavy workload, but it is a start and it has helped.

I found a pair a month or two ago too. Good shoes.

Even my newbie parks and rec umpires know that is automatic!

My Legion coach looked at me and said, "You just turned 16? Good! I'm gonna need a DD after the a$$ kicking we are in for tonight!" before the Zone Championship in '97. Inspirational.... Ha!

Not a clicker, its an indicator. Clickers are novelty noise makers, indicators are what umpires use. ...I wondered how long that was going to take!

I've seen it a couple of places. I would consider something like that for my parks and recreation guys if it wasn't $15.

They could think that I have a crappy zone... I don't care. I am confident and know that I am good....of course he apologized? Trust me sir that he could've very easily stayed quiet and not brought it up or even been an ass. You may think that he was simply kissing my ass and I think he was sincere... As an umpire I feel that the umpire failed also when there is an ejection. (99% of the time)... Coaches don't want to get ejected. Let me guess: You used to be a coach? Your 99% statistic is hilarious. Did I fail last year when a partner didn't toss an assistant coach after he threw his helmet then told me to "F*ck off" when I went to peel him off of that partner? Fine but does that happen OFTEN? In all my years in baseball, I have never seen something like that....yes, I played through college then I coached high school. Then I had two boys and coached them....if you are a decent umpire and know how to treat people. You should almost never have to eject a coach.... I've been with you until now. Ejecting a coach does not mean that you're a bad umpire. Getting walked on does not make you a decent umpire. I treat every coach courteously and professionally. However, sometimes it doesn't matter how nice you treat someone because they don't reciprocate that professionalism. While ejection is a last choice, it is sometimes very necessary and should be used at times it is warranted. It has nothing to do with being decent or not.

The "don't argue with the umpires" works in theory. What about the time that those umpires are wrong? (And it happens a lot!) Most of those guys are first, second, or third year guys who don't have the knowledge, training, or experience to de-escalate the situation. I have lost count of the times I have been UIC or tournament director and have had a coach protest a game over a misapplied rule. Half of the time, the head coach had been dumped over the misapplied rule. Those ejections could have been avoided if 1. The coach had not been a jacka$$ to the umpire, or 2. If the umpire had asked for help (from their partner or the UIC) before misapplying a rule. That's why UIC's and tournament directors should always be on site at youth or travel games. If umpires stopped working travel tournaments then we would find ourselves with either under qualified officials at the high school level or we would see tournaments pulling from their current venues, thus costing the community on the whole (over dramatic? Perhaps) In a situation like this, it sounds like the coach came up to him and spoke to him and didn't cause a scene. He was warned and must not have caused any further incident, otherwise I'm sure @aiber would have said that he had cause a scene. Look, I completely agree that some parents and youth/travel coaches are idiots who shouldn't be allowed near a ball park. Their behavior is completely uncalled for and should not be tolerated. On the other hand, if an umpire does not learn how to handle bad situations then they will not work anything other than youth/travel ball. Youth and travel ball sucks, regardless of where you are located. I feel lucky that I have an association and an agency that looks out for officials and helps to "cut the crap", for lack of a better term.

There is reality and then there is garbage. Fact is that most administrators could care less about the umpires. Most people that bring tournaments to a town will do anything for the money. Trust me, I deal with this fight daily! I've been told time and again that while the umpires are important, if a tournament coach is upset with an official, the official in question will either not work that coach's game anymore or the official is going home. It's about money 95% of the time. I'm not trying to pick a fight, but telling exactly what I've been told now and in the past. People come to town, spend money, and make the town better for those that live there. Because I've been told that, I have to take a more hands on approach to protect my officials and protect my organization. That is why I have multiple umpire meetings, why I am at most games, etc. That's my full time gig. Now, if a coach crosses the line then he should absolutely be ejected. However, to eject a coach without that coach giving the criteria is a joke. We all deal with jerks, but sometimes you have to take it on the chin especially when you have an off day. Give rope, but draw the line once he crosses it. Warn, then eject. That's all I'm saying

Just because it is youth ball doesn't mean you are going to eject "on principle". The criteria still needs to be there. Ejection is a last resort, regardless of the level. Travel ball people put good money into playing ball. The last thing they need is an umpire that is out for heads. The game is about the kids not the umpire and coach being jerks towards each other. Give him a warning and move on.

He's in a position of authority because we have nine umpires in this entire town. I absolutely despise his teaching methods and based on his performance he shouldn't be allowed on the field. You know how to pronounce his name? smeet-tee. Three, nine, 25, 200... Doesn't matter how many there are in your town. Fact is that he is in a position of authority. I have eight full time people in the department where I work and I have two superiors. I may not like them on certain days but I always respect their position because they are there for a reason. I may not like it, but that's how it is. If you want to succeed, you're going to have to work with it. You can do it with an positive attitude or you can be negative and call the guy and idiot and not learn anything from it. Your choice,

I started working high school ball in Kansas about 12 years ago and I could not stand the man! Mama always said "kill 'Em with kindness" and that's what I did. After a year or so of taking what I thought was abuse, he came up to me and told me that he saw potential but had concerns about whether or not I was cut out for umpiring. So, he put me on crap games and with coaches that had a history of "ruining" umpires. It was all a test to see how I would do and how I would handle situations. Could I keep my head or would I be a normal young hot head and lose my cool. Now, he is a mentor and was a groomsman in my wedding. Moral of the story is that you have a choice when faced with adversity. Face it head on and learn from it or you can be negative and be miserable. You may think of this guy as an idiot, but he is in a position of authority for a reason. You don't have to respect the man but respect his position. Who knows, maybe you will get lucky and have a similar experience as me.

I, personally, do not have any issues with tattoos whether they are visible or not. When I assign youth ball, I ask that all vulgar tattoos are covered. That includes nudity, skulls, etc. Anything that could cause undue attention is not allowed. Tasteful tattoos are of no concern, ever. I live in an ultra conservative area, though. It depends on what is socially acceptable where you live.

It will be a cold day in hell before Missouri puts enough effort into baseball to produce their own mechanics manual. They're convinced it is still 1993. 1993 is giving Missouri too much credit...