wolfe_man

I'll bite. I'll try to keep to one set of gear for simplicity. CP: Davis DX (doesn't matter which one, I like them all honestly) but UL flex harness has to be included on it Masks: Davis Mirage and a Nike Ti (just because I still love it's appearance, but the Mirage would be my gamer), I really like the Davis blacked-out mask harnesses too, even more than my UL flex Shins: Force3 for lightweight and safety, but still wish they were lower profile like my AS Cobalts to show less under my pants, stock harness is fine here for me too Shoes: Reebok Magistrates for plate and not picky on the bases, there are a lot of good options now Belts: Boston patent leather and Core Energy Indicators: 3 dial oversize, can be plastic I'm not picky, just an oversized 3 dial please Personal: Diamond MMA jock & cup (best I've ever worn, doesn't move)

$OLD Lock it up please.

Item sold

Just please only promote those worthy of true MLB umpire material. It should be based scores and game-keeping ability, not anything else. I don't want to bring politics in here, but let it be merit-based... please.

I trim the edges and ride the rest, it's actually closer to 1/2 acre. But good points!

I agree. I know my Apple watch counts about any movement as a step. It said I walked over a mile and a half mowing my 1/3 acre yard. Um, I don't think that's right.

I get this look too when I call the actual rule-book strike zone in Varsity baseball. Players look back at you, coaches and parents huff. Why? Because I called a strike above the belt and below the letters? I don't respond to them, but I have found out that you have to swing the bat to hit the ball. If you don't hit strikes, it makes it even harder.

Congratulations and thank you for serving!

I have no personal experience with them, but I had a friend with a lot of experience buy one from Out West and he hated it. He's had other plate coats and this was the worst he had tried yet he said. YMMV Flying Cross would be from Fechheimer and should be a superb coat. I've personally had Honig's and Fechheimer and found them to be very high quality and the fit was very good. They will last forever and clean up nicely when you take simple care of them.

In NFHS, I'm getting an out there all day long. MLB(BR) is another animal entirely, so I can see why he may have decided a "real" tag attempt wasn't made by F6 (he just waved meekly at him instead of going straight at him). Then, you also pointed out the runner seemed to be altering his path prior to a tag attempt so more leeway was possible. It's probably a combination of these two, but I haven't heard anything about the play and just saw it here for the first time and I don't have audio here at work.

I'll let others go into more detail, but the main idea is to heat the plastic to where it's pliable and then reshape it to fit your body and hold it there, or restrict it in place somehow, while it cools and re-hardens. You are re-forming the hard plates to fit your shoulders and arms mostly. If you do it a few times; heating, shaping and then keeping in place while it cools - then you'll end up with a CP that fits tighter to you than one out of the box could ever fit. You can use a heat gun (preferred) or hair dryer (same results, but takes longer). Don't overheat or you'll lose the shape entirely, no puddling here please. The best method is slow and steady. Remember to remove the padding first so that you are only heating the plates. I've seen guys use hard objects (i.e. a basketball) to reform the chest plate and then tape the plate to it or maybe they would rubber band the shoulder parts around a football or something of the sort to get the plates to form better to their shoulders or arms. Some do heating, restricting and then put the CP into a freezer to 'flash-freeze' the cooling and do several cycles. There really is no right or wrong way as long as you end up with a CP that fits you better than you started with, but I recommend exercising patience and take it slow. It's easier to add more heat to make a CP more pliable, than it is to reshape a melted plastic plate.

That's a pretty solid list. The only change I would consider is moving up from the AS mask to a more solid frame, but only from personal choice. From a cost standpoint, I'd say that's a great starting point and offers great value for the money. Personally, I'd keep the skull cap. I value it as much as my mask. It's one more level of protection against concussions. You only have one brain, protect it.

I have it on good authority that they purchased these. MLB gives the umpires $$$ per year (a few hundred) to use towards Mizuno products and they can purchase what they prefer. It sure feels like MLB is pretty frugal with their expenses and is not handing much out for free.

Congratulations and best wishes for a clean game!

Here is the article from Jim Kirk: https://www.ump-attire.com/Blog/Jim-Goes-Parental-with-Umpire-Cap-Bill-Length-Warning-on-Umpire-Empire-Post I realize everyone's experience is different, but the AS Skully does not move on my head all game. I wear 7 3/8 or 7 1/2 hats and use the L version and mine stays right where I put it. I just don't like the too-short bill, but I realize it was built for the MAG. I am thinking of buying an Axis Pro for the longer bill. To fix any shiny helmets, I recommend a simple coat or two of $5 spray-on Matte finish by Rustoleum. I've used it on several in the past and it lasted me several seasons. Thank you for the post. This is very helpful and more discussion and info is needing shared on these. I wholly endorse wearing one and the more that we can put out there, the safer our peers can be.

The same is true in my HS association. The local LL actually does a fair job of getting younger umpires going though. Many a good umpire has started at that level and advanced.

ROFLOL - I hear you brother! That was crossed out as not a real option of course. No way any of us are doing that option!

Gotcha. Each to their own of course. Ultimately, you have to do what works best for your situation. chinstrap

If it isn't AI, then this young man has excellent communication skills. I'd hire him to work in the bank's offices. He could forgo the umpire side hustle. Here's my AI response using the same language as above, but asking AI to elaborate and lengthen my reply: Certainly! Here’s an expanded and more detailed version of your response: If it isn’t AI, then this young man truly possesses outstanding communication skills. His ability to articulate thoughts clearly and engage effectively with others is impressive, especially for someone his age. I would absolutely consider hiring him to work in a bank’s offices, where strong interpersonal and professional communication are essential. With his talent, he could excel in client interactions, team collaboration, and even in roles that require precise documentation or customer service. Given these skills, he might not need to rely on his umpire side hustle; a promising career in banking could be well within his reach. It’s rare to see such poise and capability, and it speaks volumes about his potential for success in a professional environment.

Perhaps try going down a size. I did hear that you can buy padding direct from an AS rep like @Matt Arcovio. If that's still an option, you could possibly use the same helmet and simply adjust the padding to make it a snugger fit. Matt may have some suggestions here too, I tagged him. In my area, skull caps/helmets are still relatively unseen, in spite of me encouraging every partner to wear one. I've had 5 mask shots this year, way up from normal but I'm only doing plates as I recover so I'm seeing more pitches and doing lower level HS with new F2's, with no ill effects thus far. I am a big believer in the skully adding another layer of protection for your brain. I'd rather have inertia from the baseball knocking my mask off and then to my helmet than to my head & neck.

If a manager comes out and wants to ask a question, then make sure to call "time". I'm surprised how many guys just let them walk right out while the ball is still technically in play. I've learned to point them to my partner as @Velho suggests. Words can many times be used against us or sound feeble, so the less said the better off we are is often true. "It's his call on that, so you will need to direct any questions to him" or something like it works well. I would avoid giving them any information (I didn't see that, I'd make the same call if I were out there, etc.). It's been said to let them talk first and explain what their question is before we start assuming they are out there to argue or complain. He may not even be asking about that specific call, but about a missed base before it or something else. Before we start explaining why we're right, let them ask their question first, it may save us some headaches. Yeah, you're right on the last one. I've said it in the past and immediately regretted it as it sounds terrible like you said. Lesson learned and never-to-be-used again in the future - core memory unlocked.

The only difference between the two helmets, that I'm aware of, is the length of the bill. The Axis Pro (catcher version) is made for all masks and the Skully (umpire version) is made for AS MAG mainly. The Skully was specifically created with the short bill for the AS MAG due to it's unique forehead shape making it impossible to safely wear a regular bill underneath it, so they created the short-billed umpire skull cap (aka Bob the Builder). The Axis Pro has the same removable & washable padding and offers more colors (for catchers of course). This is why Max is so fond of saying these companies are for catchers, because they don't normally produce umpire-only gear. They just happen to have some gear they can throw out to umpires too, but it was made for catchers, and with them in mind, first.

+ Chad Whitson in a DX Kuta

I'm not sure on this one, that isn't an Enduro he's wearing in the pic. The one that he's wearing has a different neck pad and that orange trim appears to be plastic. I have heard that Chad Whitson has an Enduro also, but haven't seen him in it yet. It's hard finding recent pics and I don't get the opportunity to watch many games - and the highlights I catch seldom give me enough close views to notice umpire gear even though I'm looking!

If you tag the person that you want by using the @ and their name, then you'll normally get quicker replies. Some prefer negotiating via the messaging directly method too, you would go to his page by clicking on his name and then send him a message. It is a more private method of communicating sales details, payment, shipping info, etc. @Chris Hickman is well-known on here and does a great job when selling items. He has top-notch stuff and is well-recommended.