NavyBlue

Great folks running that business down in San Antonio. They'll take good care of you. I buy from them routinely here in Texas. Have purchased from them when they come to the state baseball and football meetings and have shopped in their physical store as well. You can shop with confidence.

I'll reach out to him.

Yes, he's worked for me down here. What do you need?

"You make your reputation behind the plate, and you lose it on the bases." I believe they are equally challenging positions if executed properly. Never underestimate the bases. Folks can accept a few missed pitches, but they never accept a missed call on the bases. There are many calls (two hundred or more) behind the plate in a game, but only a few on the bases. Missed base calls get everyone's attention. That said, I'm taking the plate when offered my choice, if for nothing else than the game management issue noted previously.

He moved backwards in the box and turned to watch the anticipated play at 3B, interfering with the catcher's throw in the process.

NFHS. R2 starts to steal 3B. We get BI on F2's throw to 3B, but, R2 only goes halfway and retreats back to 2B. Are we still calling BI even though there was no play at 3B? I suspect there's some judgment involved. If R2 only feinted a steal and we had the BI, vs him actually trying to steal and retreating, vs a full steal attempt.

The baseball mechanics are your cockpit procedures. The baseball rules are your air traffic rules. The baseball field is your airspace. Time to fly.

Appreciate all the comments, they've been helpful. Interesting that if a batted ball strikes the umpire in the infield, the umpire kills the play. If the lights go out on an infield hit, the umpire kills the play. In both cases we don't know what would have happened. In one case we put the batter on 1B and in the other we might replay it (for FED). On the bright side (pun intended), since they were those newer lights, they came back on immediately and the game continued.

NFHS. R1. B2 hits grounder towards 3B. F5 gloves it fair just behind 3B. Just before he gloves it the stadium field lights go out. Bleacher lights remain on. There is enough light to see that F5 gets the ball. BU calls "Time!" and kills the play for safety, so F5 never throws to 2B or 1B. Once the lights come back on, is it a "do over", or do you place B2 on 1B and force R1 to 2B (like if the BU was hit by a batted ball)? Happened last night and the PU put B2 on 1B and advanced R1 to 2B. DHC was furious that it should have been a do over instead. Thanks.

If he drops it from the stretch/set, then don't we have an illegal pitch? Which would be a balk? He hasn't begun his pitching motion. NFHS reference? 6-2-4a says it's a balk if it "does not cross the foul line", it doesn't address if it DOES cross, that's what I'm looking for. It makes sense that it should be, but it just doesn't say that. Perhaps it's just such a rare occurrence (if ever) that we let NFHS 10-2-3g handle it? In which case I'd call it a balk as well.

NFHS. What's the ruling if...with a runner(s), F1 in the stretch or set, F1 drops the ball and it rolls across the foul line? Rule 6-1-4 addresses dropping a ball during PITCH, which this is not. Rule 6-2-4a addresses ANY dropping of a ball while TOUCHING the pitching plate, but it does not explicitly tell us what to rule if the ball crosses the foul line, only what to do it if does not. Why not just delete reference to the foul line in 6-2-4a? If F1 drops the ball while touching and it's not part of a pitch, make it a balk. Why the distinction, and if the distinction is important, why not address what happens when it crosses the foul line? Thanks.

I'm eating an Oreo right now, so I'll call this the Oreo principle. We don't care how the fielder gets the ball (one side of the cookie), and we don't care what happens to the ball after the tag of the base (other side of the cookie). We are only concerned with the creme filling...did the fielder have secure possession of the ball when he tagged the base. Sometimes immediately after F3 gains secure possession of the ball while in contact with 1B the BR collides with him and the ball falls out of F3's glove. Coaches and fans will scream, "Safe! He dropped the ball when the runner collided with him." Don't care. If you judge that F3 had secure possession of the ball for even just an instant while in contact with the base, the BR is out. Always have milk with Oreos.

FED. Bottom of 9, score tied. R3 and R1. Balk called. R3 scores, but R1 does not advance and touch 2B (runs toward teammates instead to begin celebrating the win). Does 8-4-2-p apply for abandonment? Can we just say that R1 was taking a circuitous route to 2B for his balk award and R3 scored during that circuitous route so at best it's a timing play out and the game is over? Or, can we just say that this is nothing because 9-1-1e2 does not apply since R1 was not forced?

Single game, behind the plate. Double header, first game behind plate, second game behind mound. This is a fatigue/safety issue for the umpire. This is the cost of a nationwide shortage of umpires.

What is the "it" for which the passion is fading? Gotta define the passion and that might help reignite it. Are you in in for the money? Love of the game? Joy of providing a game for the kids? A craft you want to perfect (or at least achieve excellence)? Is it just an evening hobby? Figure out the why and you'll find the answer.