BlueRanger

I would much rather have it just be me and give me half of my partner's check hahaha

Funny you should say that. Lol The Site Director was pissed off enough to have the sheriff's office escort him from the complex. But, the Tourney Director calls me and wants to know why we didn't restrict him to the bench first... (Wtf??? )

I'll shred my wallet for one of these once they make the magnesium throat guards in black...Lol @Thunderheads that thing looks sexy as hell!

Today I had my 5th-9th games of the season, 8u coach pitch tournament ball. First 2 games were very competitive, a couple of really close calls, but the coaches and parents almost didn't even acknowledge we were there... It was some of the most pure and beautiful baseball I've ever seen. A kid hit his first HR, a team turned their first double play, and there was an on-the-run throw from a third baseman for an out (he stopped and just looked shocked he had just done that) just beautiful stuff. Both teams capped off the 2nd game with a prayer in center field that my partner and I were invited to partake in. I had an absolute blast, and it honestly renewed my love of the game. The next game had 2 new teams. They were meh, coaches were a little pissy, but nothing too bad. Then came the last game... 2 new teams. The home team was killing the visitors 11-0 mid-way thru the bottom of 3 (15 after 3 was the mercy rule). Home HC is coaching 3B and keeps waving runners after the visitors can't make any sort or play. Then all hell breaks loose, 0-60 in about 15sec. As the ball is being tossed back to the coach-pitcher, one of the VACs just loses his @$!# and comes out of the dugout and about out to the foul line to scream like a lunatic at the HHC for his "great coaching" and waving runners while up by ~11. VHC is physically restraining him and trying to get him to calm down. I'm the PU for this game, and told him to can it and get back in the dugout. My partner is also yelling at the VHC to get his AC under control. VAC finally shuts up and stomps back to the dugout. Then decides to let a "THAT'S BULL" at the top of his lungs, so we dump his ass and give the VHC his official warning. Again: 8u coach pitch.... When the hell did this become acceptable? So I'm 2 weeks into the season and I've already run an asshat, from a coach pitch game.... -BR

The 3n2s are great for new umpires, given you can get a pair from Epic Sports for ~$75. They're really light and comfortable, but they are lacking in heavy protection and quality. The protection is fine for sub-HS, but anything above 75mph and you will feel it. Just get the NB or Smittys if you liked those.

I have the Smittys in both plate and base and they are one of the best investments I have ever made for umpire gear. They breathe very well in the TX heat and the plate version slides and slightly stretches over my F3 Shins soooo smoothly. I do agree the base version fits more like combo pants around the legs, but I'm big enough I actually like how they're cut. Can't speak to the Davis version though... -BR

Yeah, the "Quick-Dri" pads are basically glorified styrofoam encased in fabric. They belong in the trash, plain and simple. Get yourself some TWs, Wilson MemFoams, AllStar LUC, etc. to replace them.

Heard about that from one of our evaluator/instructors, it sounds kinda of like trying to reinvent the wheel... -BR

I think it depends entirely on the individual umpire. If you're someone like myself or @Heave-Ho, then stuff like: - City/League Championships - HS Playoffs (one day...) - Legitimate Travel Ball Tourneys for us, at least, IS a big deal, especially when you consider that we're not far removed in age from the kids we call, as opposed to decades or generations in other umpires' cases. Personally the game I am most proud of is my plate game for a travel tourney championship game this past summer that was a 7 inning pitcher's duel between two of the best teams in the age group in the NTX/DFW area. I think I rung up at least 15 kids, which was a total blast, especially since I had started ripping off Alan Porter's 3K call a few weeks prior. So, yeah, it's absolutely true there's almost always something bigger to get to, but I think it's also important not to forget that we aren't all at the same place, headed to the same place, or have the same aspirations. -BR

Totally agree with this. I'm going to sign up to do HS ball in a year or so, so I went and grabbed the F3s on advice from @MadMax and absolutely love them! Now, yeah, they are TOTAL overkill for anything below Varsity, but I see it as not having to buy shins for at least 5 years. Same thing with my Champion PX00, it's overkill for everything below JV, but like the F3s, it's light enough and breathes well enough that I don't have an issue with it. -BR

@Heave-Ho You seem like me a few years ago when I started, but don't do what I did and blow $$$ on cheap crap that breaks fast. Based on my perception of your ambitions to gradually move on to higher level ball, here's what I would get: CP: - Champion Body Armour Hardshell This CP is used by MiLB umpires, is very lightweight, breathes pretty well, and features excellent protection. I use this CP for all my games, which range from 9u all the way to 14u Majors (upper 70s low 80s pitching) and have never even seriously felt a shot! And the best part? It's the CHEAPEST CP ON UMP-ATTIRE!!! (~$55 depending on size) Shin Guards: Two options I would suggest: - Diamond Ump-Lites These sacrifice some protection for being ridiculously light and only having two straps. They should be just fine for what you're doing, but if you may feel shots to the legs a bit more. -Champro Pro-Plus/Diamond iX3/Wilson Guardians All of these shins are basically the same thing. They have a thigh plate with a floating kneecap and thicker padding, which combine to offer better protection. They're still lightweight, but not as much as the Ump-Lites. Hope this helps! Oh, and which starter package did you buy originally? -BR

Is it a mask or a dumbbell? Sheesh...

I drive an 04 Honda Accord, which gets solid mpg, and trunk is waaayy bigger than it looks. I can fit my Diamond 33" gear bag, my lawnchair, EZ-up, cooler, and my other vehicle essentials (emergency kit, med bag, jumper cables, etc.) no problem and room to spare. I would highly recommend this or a newer Honda Pilot, which has an aircraft hanger for a backseat when you fold the seats down. Would highly suggest these for the umpires that have families or just need a daily driver for home to game sites. BR

I want to see you post this for April Fools Day and see how many people bite lol BR

Ump-Attire is running a pretty nice clearance deal for baseball, those Champro Mag Rampages are only $99, Smitty Convertibles are $40, and the DynaLite Steel is only $40. Baseball Monkey is running a nice sale on Adams Umpire stuff, have already snagged a few shirts... https://www.baseballmonkey.com/adams-umpire-equipment-sale LestersUpstateSports.com is also running a fire sale to dump its inventory, they may be going out of business... iX3 mask in Silver was only $50 if you need a new one! Also some nice deals on other items. Cheers! BR

To be fair, he does offer the iX3 in Ice Grey, which isn't a widely carried color... Too bad he didn't slap some usable pads on it too. BR

I see what you @MadMax are talking about with the forehead shots for umpires, but I guess what I was thinking was that given OP is a newer umpire, he may be more susceptible to ducking or having too low of a head height, but neither here nor there, your point still stands. As far as the AllStar vs F3 question, you pretty much hit it on the head. My AllStar is comfortable, fits my giant head well, keeps it cool, can fit my sunglasses if need be, has great vision, and keeps me pretty well protected from most stuff I get at the HS level. The F3 looks pretty good, but I have to question if its worth dropping big $$$ on to fix something that isnt broken. -BR

@Rock Bottom I have the 16.5 F3s with low-cut plate shoes and they only overlap a bit, but the F3s don't catch my poly-spandex pants much. As to the HSM mask question, I would recommend the F3v2 HSM over the Allstar, simply because of the forehead protection. Now, I actually currently use the Allstar HSM while catching for HS, and it works really well for me, but I have definitely felt some shots to the forehead. I can only imagine this would be compounded from an umpire stance. The F3v2 is far superior due to the fact that it offers an extended forehead cage to solve this problem. I have no firsthand knowledge of the Schutt HSM. -BR

These are PERFECT for new guys! Especially when they're HS guys (like myself) just getting into umpiring or if they don't have a lot of $ to spend. You can grab a Champro Steel with TWs and a throat guard is about $80.

I own a Diamond BL and a Dyna-Lite, here are my thoughts: Dyna-Lite: It's pretty heavy compared to the aluminum BL, stock pads are ok-ish, throat extension is trash and you'll need an after market throat guard. It is pretty tough and is a bit cheaper, so it'll get the job done fine. Diamond BL: I. Love. This. Mask. Seriously. It's ridiculously light aluminum with very serviceable stock pads, a forehead extension, and a good throat extension. However... I would suggest you instead buy a Diamond iX3 and replace the crappy pads with Team Wendy pads. The mask is EXACTLY the same except for the pads and the different style of coating on the mask (which I have had no issues with). This will cost only slightly more than a BL, but offers superior protection. -BR

No argument here. Can't help but think that a game I had in the days before where I left a few over the line things alone, assuming my partner would get them, played a role.

Yeah, I would never say that during any sort of HS, high level youth tourney, etc. game. Most of the tournaments I do have coaches that often played college and minor or indy league, so I aim for a 45sec plate meeting. Been getting rave reviews!

Anytime for me. I straight up tell the HCs and the plate meeting if its lower level stuff that I will only talk with them, which usually works out fine. My advice would be to just say you'll only discuss it with the HC, and if the AC was/is still out of control or not listening, dump him. -BR

I mean, I'm somewhat fast, but this dude just sprinted/charged at my partner, so I wasn't even going to bother at that point. -BR

Total circus at this middle-school pop-up tournament I was working at a few weeks ago. All games played under OBR. EJ 1 & 2 [Game 1] 2 really good 8th grade (13/14u) teams. Partner is rocking it on the bases, and has nailed a few really close calls. Bottom 5th, 1 out, R1, R3, righty pitcher does 3rd-to-1st, partner balks it, visitors go ape crazy, VAC runs out from dugout and onto the infield to yell, I dump him, warn VHC, VHC goes out to talk, keeps it calm, walks back to dugout without incident. Next play: 1 out, R2, shot over F3, R2 rounds for home, slips trying to hold up, bang-bang as tag is applied as he dives back, partner calls him out, kid gets up, starts yelling and then slams helmet into the infield in direction of partner, dumped immediately. Don't worry! It gets better! EJ 3,4 [Game 3] New teams, same age group. Partner is PU, I am BU. In between innings, HHC and VAC get into it about a hard slide into second, both benches warned. Next inning, 0 outs, nobody on, 0-2 count, partner calls strike three, batter says something, gets tossed, I go to escort him off the field and VHC starts losing his mind and screaming "You're F-ing crazy! Get off the power trip, etc." he gets run. Game concludes and Visitor parents start yelling at us as we head to TD table to turn in the game cards. Rest of the day was peaceful and freezing! -BR