wolfe_man

The crazy thing is it’s not every location. Some of the PIAS will have reasonable shipping whereas others have absurd ones. I have not been able to figure out the pattern, but Goodwill is the same way. I suspect that they prefer to do business the old-fashioned way - but here’s the odd thing. I’ve bought stuff that PIAS had listed online that was months old (Nike Ti, TW Gold) and it must have been kept in the back of the store, because there’s no way it wouldn’t have sold out front for what I paid without shipping!

Yeah, their S&H prices are terrible and non-competitive.

And it is usually the pitching coach. LOL This is one of the reasons I had to learn to stop listening or taking offense when I heard it. The coaches feel a constant need to try to encourage F1 to keep him from falling apart when he isn't given free strike calls when he wants them. I've noted that F1's are getting rattled easier than they used to, and I blame society with it's 'everyone gets a trophy' mentality. If you don't give these kids every close pitch, in their mind, then they fall apart and get wild quickly. You have to learn to just call your game and ignore the comments (unless they're definitely directed at you and argumentative). It probably took me about three seasons of HS baseball before I realized that they're not questioning me every time a statement is made. Some encourage the batter, some do the pitcher - and some are just saying what they've heard others say - and most have no clue at all where the pitch was, so don't let them get in your head and keep calling your game. Remember, it's nothing until you call it, so don't rush. Focus, keep your head still, see it all the way, call it in your head and then you're ready to call it out loud. It is amazing how much proper timing and positioning will do to improve your game and then you'll normally hear less as a result, but no guarantees. But don't let them live in your head, forget what you can and ignore what you can - but if it crosses a line (coach, not fan) you need to address it and stop it using the tools you're given (Identify - Acknowledge - Warn - Restrict - Eject). If you try to be the nice guy or let them intimidate you, you're in for a long day. Stop it early on and set the tone and it'll be an easier day for you and hopefully with less chirping you'll be able to zero in and call a great game. Have fun out there!

LOL I came in last night, after a JV game, saying the same thing to my wife. You're up 0-2, and after three offspeed, junk pitches it's now 3-2... and we used an extra 20-25 minutes to complete the game. Finish him off! Why let them get back even in the count, keep the pressure on the batter! Got to be one of the dumbest things I see in HS baseball. The kid pitching can barely throw 3 strikes in a row, so when he's up 0-2, it's time to play stupid games and try to fool a hitter that can't hit it out of the infield anyhow. SMH

Youth league? Swing the bat! It was about year three that I started getting really good at ignoring those idiots morons parents in the stands. It took me that long to figure out they'll never understand, let alone agree with, most of my calls - no matter if I'm right or wrong! You call your game and be willing to receive feedback from those that offer help - and understand how to give said feedback in a helpful and useful manner. But if they're outside the fence, they don't exist, ignore them. And bless you for doing these games, I won't touch anything below 15U anymore - because of the parents and daddy coaches.

I always appreciate you sharing knowledge. Thank you. I watch a lot of MLB highlights and mostly to see the proper umpire positioning, so I probably had more of a head start than many in my group. I was doing a semi-modified version of it already, but I have been going out too far towards 2B so I'll adjust that this Spring. This technique should provide a better look at a pulled foot and get me closer to hear the foot hit and glove pop on those close ones.

It's funny this got posted (the topic in general). Our speaker at the last meeting of our association spoke on using this now, even though our OHSAA manual doesn't have us doing it yet. He said the same thing you just did. Read and react appropriately - and try to get to the inside view of the play (I asked if we stay out or cross inside). He kept using the buzzwords "shoetops" and "halo". We get close enough to see their shoetops, so maybe 8-10' max from the play. Get your nose in there and see what's going on!

LOL somehow I knew you'd get one! Please let us know if it elevates your game (or even just helps you feel more supported behind the plate). I'm intrigued and may make the jump too!

Does 2SF interfere with your ability to get to second on an overthrow at 1B? Being deeper makes you have to cover more ground to cover a play at 2B now. I will concede I see this being done at higher levels, but they have more umpires too.

Yeah, I started over last year. I don’t recommend it. Some of these I did find cheap and re-coated to save funds.

The whole thing is spray-painted flat black and then clear-coated. I've learned that if you follow instructions and let the paint cure, then put on a clear coat that it holds up very well. I haven't had any issues with them staying coated all year long, or even longer. The black middle (top) is also painted. As is the navy Adidas. If you can't buy it (or afford it), then create it I say!

I don't disagree with your view at all. In fact, I think it's spot-on target. But in this particular case, I do think that the umpires got it right per the NCAA rule-set and the circumstances in which they were confronted. That bat flip, and where it happened, was most likely going to create further drama in that game.

I'm told it's a sickness... and I may have a problem. Top Row (L t R): Nike Ti, Adidas, Adidas Middle Row (L to R): AS Steel, Belgard, Adidas Bottom (L to R): One of a kind Cro-moly (1 of 5 I'm told), Honig's I do HS in the Spring, hence the navy frames... and the rest are for Summer ball when I can have more fun! The bottom two will probably be my loaners when a partner forgets (or breaks) their frame.

I agree. Watching the video from CCS for the game the night before this EJ, I noticed the PU getting on GCU for excessive celebration after an inning-ending strikeout and the entire team was out of the dugout celebrating - and the PU was yelling at them (you can see him in the video addressing it). I have no problems with the actions of the umpires here. They handled the situation that they were dealt. We're not reading, or discussing, a bench-clearing fight between GCU and Nebraska, so the umpires did their job correctly and prevented that from happening by using the rules and taking action upon them when given the opportunity to do so. At the risk of sounding old, these players celebrate way too little with way too much gusto today. I was taught to show class and to act like I've been there before - even if it's your first home run. IMHO, the only reason for the over-the-top celebrations is to try to get in the other team's heads - which is exactly why we have to have Sportmanship rules and warnings read before games now.

Oh, I fully agree. For $100 it should be fitted to you.

I'm going to guess you cut from the buckle end, because the other end is leather and can't be cut for aesthetic reasons. I've had a couple of other belts that allow you to remove the buckle, make the cut, then reinsert it into the buckle and clamp it down tight.

"Get 'em out out of here, Blue!" 💨 I know we all see things differently and we all have different mindsets too, so there will be different responses to this no doubt. This umpire knew the history of the prior days game (lots of borderline excessive celebrations towards the other team) and ending (pretty much a bench clearing), so I feel that this was preventative officiating and within the U1's responsibility per the NCAA rules for Sportsmanship. Now, do I think that we, as umpires, should be tossing players whose crime is excessive celebration? That's another story with a whole lot more grey area. Do these types of EJ's offer good optics? Probably not,but it sounds like the NCAA wants their umpires to officiate this area, so the umpires don't really have a lot of choice.

Tell me about it brother. I was all excited, then went and looked at the price! $100? For a belt?

Ohio is $77 for Varsity baseball in my area. $68 for JV and Freshmen baseball. Zero for mileage, but most games are less than 30 miles round-trip.

I'd say it'll depend on the actual game and the teams there. But for most of the time around here, I'm not picking that booger.

I second it.

I figured as much, no offense intended. I was clarifying for those that may feel that way in general about a new CP being too thin.

The trend though is thinner and leaner. The new foams don't have to be as thick as they used to be to offer the same, or better, stopping power. Plastic plates really only need be thick enough to withstand the impact and refrain from splitting like a Champion plate might. F3 for example puts 3mm plastic plates in their CP. For those keeping score at home, that's barely over a tenth of an inch. The whole unit is around 1/2", so what Derek is showing is comparable to that. And Kevlar, that bullet-catching miracle within the F3 CP's, is actually a fabric and not substantial or comparable to a plastic plate at all... which, we all know, is why F3 added plastic plates to their CP's. The DavisShield played a part. We learned from it. There are good teachers and there are teachers that hurt you so you won't do that again. I think we know which one this was, but it still taught us something. Feedback, almost any feedback, is useful and can be used to improve if you apply it with thought. If thicker was better, we'd all be going up there with 2" thick pillows strapped to our chest and arms.

$old! Thanks!

The Adams also works as a pad replacement for the Gold as well. Just ask @The Short Umpire as he's done it on several of them. You just buy industrial strength Velcro (1" or 2" works well) from your local hardware/big box store and put it on the back of your Gold chest plate. Then, use the Adams shoulders already on the pad jacket and stick your now Velcro-d Gold plate on the Adams pad jacket. It takes less than 10 minutes to do the whole thing and it is less than 1/2 the thickness of a Gold pad jacket - plus it breathes now! I've done this to two Golds and I kept using the t-hooks and loved it! Lightweight, breathable, hydrophobic and protective! And at the time I did it, a new Adams was less than $90 shipped! The problem we face now is finding new, or used, Adams jackets since they've stopped producing them. But if you've got one lying around, then I encourage you to use it and send @MadMax your spare parts (plastic carapace, bicep protectors, waist enlarger, etc.) for him to use on other CP's.