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wolfe_man

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Everything posted by wolfe_man

  1. LOL - I did not have the plate for this one, I was running a lot in the field (2 man). If I had been on the plate, they would have been swinging a lot more - or being called out on strikes a lot more. The man on the plate is a good umpire, but he's old-school and pretty much kept to his zone the whole way. There was a lot of walking them around.
  2. Thanks for sharing. This sounds like a very tough day. I'm glad you decided to come back. Never let them dictate what behavior is acceptable. Most fans/players/coaches want a rule set that keeps them in line. If you allow them to push you, it's going to be a long day. As some on here will say, if you shoot the first monkey, then the others quiet down too. Have fun out there this year!
  3. I just wish they had surprised us with it... now it'll take 6 months for it to happen.
  4. Ugh... our HS JV games have no mercy until 5th inning... so our minimum is 4.5 innings. I've had some pretty lopsided games where the strike zone has to get huge just to keep it moving.
  5. I hope it's worth that drive time for you guys. 5-8 hour round trips, plus 3 hour games better pay you a couple of hundred dollars minimum in order to pay off in my mind. Those types of drives the costs start to add up: gas & food for example can go $40-50 pretty quickly. Wear & tear on the car adds up, but I realize you can deduct mileage. Finally, my time is worth something also. I grumble a little when I have to go 45+ minutes for a HS game. I start wondering if the $55 is worth the time to/from and while there. I know people tell me all the time that you drive to your job too, but then I make a lot better wages at my job than my hobby. When I have several teams within 15-20 minutes drive, I prefer them over a longer drive... but sometimes it is good to see other teams for a break. All this said, I do understand if this is part of your cost in order to realize your goals/dreams. For me, I'm content with HS baseball. I'd like to do college maybe someday, but this is more of a hobby/fun/exercise/part-time job for me. I get some sun, watch the game I love from the best perspectives, interact with the kids and make a little money. I will say though, I'd never do it for free at this point in my life. When it quits paying or being worth my time, then I will have to move on to coaching or something else maybe. If that offends you, I'm sorry as that's not my intention. This is my opinion and how I choose to spend my spare time. You may choose to spend your time however you see fit also.
  6. In OH, we're finishing up basketball, so BB is the only sport. FB was played in the Fall. It won't affect us here, but I will say I have about 6-8 solos as of today. I'm sure hoping they get filled in as the games get closer. My first year I did like 15-16 solo games. That makes for a long year.
  7. Okay, pretty easy to do. Two solid, steady pulls and it came off with pliers. Then, straightened the three barbs and pulled the bottom piece out from the inside. My hat (Richardson umpire cap) doesn't even have a hole at all, so all that shows is the impression from the button circle.
  8. Well, I'm sure that's it not because he isn't going to report it if it's under $600 per school. So there must be another reason, right?
  9. How long have you had it this way? I'm wondering how long it'll last before the middle ends start to turn up. I'm thinking that's the reason they have button at least (to keep the ends from turning up).
  10. I've got an old hat close by, I'll try it.
  11. I'll try testing an old one. I would think it will leave a hole where the "rivet" held the hat in place.
  12. I haven't done it yet, but the thought has crossed my mind.
  13. Another one I remember for a whole different reason. I was the PU during a JV Division I game a few years back. The whole game I just felt off. It is very hard to describe, but I knew I wasn't seeing the ball right and my zone was terrible as a result. I honestly wanted to just walk away during innings and not come back. The fans and coaches seemed okay with it, but I felt like I was terrible. I kept apologizing to the catchers for missing pitches that I would normally grab. The best I can describe it is that I felt like my head was turned at an angle so I had to look out the side of my vision, except I was looking straight and my head was not turned! It really affected my depth perception and made it very difficult to judge any pitches at all. Mercifully, the game ended early due to a run rule in the 4th by the VT. As I was talking to my partner after the game, he was trying to cheer me up with "it wasn't that bad" and "so what, we all have bad games" - but I knew this was the worst I had ever done in my life. I seriously was considering hanging them up - it was that bad in my head. As I was sitting there trying to figure out what had caused such a poor game, trying to think if my stance was off, or maybe my head height was wrong, when all of a sudden I remembered taking a shot the game before off my AS MAG's main eye bar, literally off the point on the top eye bar, dead-center. The ball fell right flat down in front of me, no reflection at all. It turns out, I had gotten a mild concussion and it was affecting my vision! I had a mild headache and soreness after the game when I was hit, but there were no other signs of a concussion until I tried focusing as PU that following game. After this nightmare game, I took a few nights off and was able to return to normal and all has been well since, but I'll never forget that game and what I almost did as a result. Short version - sometimes you may not be aware of how much a mask shot affected you until a couple of days after the impact. Other times, you may know right away that something is wrong. When you do see it/feel it, then do not be afraid to stop a game and do what is right for you also. We expect athletes and coaches to speak up and remove a player if they are injured - we should do the same for ourselves.
  14. Okay, we started reminiscing on another post about how bad some of the games we've had to officiate were. Some due to no pitching, some for high scores, some no doubt because of fans/coaches, etc. I'll start... the one I remember the most is the one that "broke the camel's back". I made up my mind during this game to never work any Babe Ruth baseball ever again at this facility - or at least I hear they've turned things around. The final score was 47-35 and it lasted almost 4 hours. There were more walks and pitching changes than I care to remember. It was the worst baseball I have ever seen or had the misfortune to be around. It burned a deep memory into my head and left a very bad taste in my mouth that I can still remember years later. So what's your story? What nightmare game can't you get over in your head and why? This is a discussion/sharing post, so jump right in!
  15. We should start a worst game ever post... and what was the score... I'll go do it now!
  16. I did reach out to them once (no photos) but they won't even acknowledge they have a mask. I can't get to the right people and they're not going to forward my emails to them either.
  17. Yes, sir. I have had them on Wilson, Adidas, Nike and All Star masks with no problem.
  18. Arik already has one! He’s on the tester list now.
  19. I sent this mask (and the Adidas) off to Tony for a gunmetal powder-coat. I'll see if the mask looks any different (beyond the obvious) without the vinyl. Perhaps, it'll offer more clues at that time. Again, this wasn't posted to start an argument or prove anyone is right or wrong. This is simply a topic for discussion, but my mind really would love to know, without any doubt, what this truly is. I'm not sure that we'll ever find out, but I am interested in learning all I can.
  20. Lastly, photos from the side to show the "rake" or angle of the fixed chin-guard on an Adidas and the "Nike". Notice that the blue frame has a straighter chin-guard than even the Adidas, which is based off the most recent Nike Ti platform.
  21. Some side-by-side photos of an Adidas next to this "Nike" mask. I know the bottom wicket (U-bar) has the appearance of what we've come to know as Wilson, but those ear-guards are not like any Wilson I've seen. Is it possible this was the first version of the Nike and they had only made two fixes (wider ear-guards and straighter chin-guard angle) at the time of this masks production? The top U-bar (wicket) is also a bit smaller and more pinched than the Adidas. Reminder: I have already done side-by-side photos above for Wilson vs. "Nike".
  22. I'm going to resurrect this old thread because I came across another one of these last week and scooped it up. Let me state right up front, I'm not interested in starting an argument or proving anyone is right or wrong. This is merely a topic for discussion, if you desire to have it, and an opportunity to learn. To those who feel that these are Wilson masks, then why do they all seem to come with Nike pads and harnesses? Yes, we can all see the bottom wicket (inverted U) that appears so typical of Wilson masks; but we can also see the ear-guards that no Wilson mask ever had too. This particular mask weighs in about 1.3 lbs WITH the vinyl and pads still on it. That's way lighter than any Wilson vinyl covered mask that I've held. The dimensions are off also. If you read above, then you know this is wider and shorter than a Wilson mask. The chin guard is angled more up and down than any Wilson I've ever held or seen also. I found this particular mask to be very interesting, even more so than others I've had. There is a promo tag on it. I've had several Nike Ti's and a couple of Nike steels before, but I've never seen this tag on them. This proves that Nike gives them away (promotion) for their sponsored catchers as we all knew, but the fact that there is a tag saying so makes me think this was one of their first models/promos. Tag says made in Thailand - not Japan/China/Taiwan as the Nike Ti's are (and where I supposed the college steels were also made). It was made in 2005 - this is towards the middle of Jorge Posada's career. It was around this time when he went to Nike to create what we now know as the Nike Titanium. I realize that Nike hasn't kept records, or isn't willing to release them at least, of the Nike mask platforms. Therefore, we're all left to wonder if this is truly a Nike or a Wilson. I know what I think, but I'm curious if anyone has any hard evidence or proof to fully convince me of it being either one? Opinions are just that, I'd like facts if anyone has them. I can find old photos of Nike-branded masks that appear very similar, but that isn't hard proof either. If not, then this is going to have to be one of this "I feel" times when we all are left to believe what we believe.
  23. I have MAG pads on all of my masks now. Black on my black MAG, graphite on my old Nike College Steel and navy on my Adidas. I'd post pics, but just sent the Nike and Adidas off to Tony for a gunmetal coat. Along with the black MAG I use a black Spyder TG with the vinyl still on (no tinking). I did send a 2nd Spyder to Tony for the gunmetal coat. I'll post pics when I get it all back. I had to think a long time before deciding to keep my MAG stock-black instead of getting it coated gunmetal too after seeing the one on here!
  24. A normal triple-header for HS ball is 7-8 hours for me here in Ohio. I haven't done any this year, but I normally get Varsity games done in 1.5-1.75 hours, JV and Freshmen normally are under 2 as well. I certainly hope that super long games are not a trend that we start up on Monday next week!
  25. LOL, tell me about it! I think I might have done 6 games, all tournaments, so I have no where near $600 to worry about.
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