Minnz

Anyone noticed some guys with shinier than normal pants recently doing MLB games? Could they be moving to the new SMitty Polyspandex ones in The Show?

Ignore and move on. With your back to him there is nothing good that could come from it. He said it, Didn't continue. Next play.

Technically, most states the coaches/schools can do this already. Most states don't actually require an assigner. Most are solicited and do sign with an assigner for ease. Some states do require an assigner assigned by the state. Will be interesting for the states with not controlling parts if something like this takes off.

I know many of us with 3-2 and 2 outs with only R1 or R1 & R3 situation we will NOT rotate in 2-man either. No reason to when with pitch the guy is off and play at home more likely than before 3-2 count on a clean hit.

I am interested, does your state list something different than FED for this rule?

Best pants ever. it is that simple.

I should have stated what I meant better. (Need to stop doing this on the phone) One minute from the moment the third out occurs is unrealistic. The NCAA rule is a far better idea.

Buy the new magnetic card holder Ump Attire has. Perfect size. If you fold lineup card right, no matter which they use, really simple to get access to the card for lineup changes on the fly. Made my life great this season.

The issue I find if the NFHS rule is poor. We aren't timing anything until the warmup is thrown. The bigger time lag is the hustle in/hustle out. The one minute to throw five pitches seems less of an issue on MO.

I am confused why it would be arrogant to enforce rules. Stopwatches/clocks are used at all levels above HS. Why should HS not be subject to timing rules that are in the rule book?

Some states are better than other. I will say New Mexico and Dana Pappas are by far the best at backing their officials in NMOA. Kudos to them. Miss working there.

More than optics. What if the runner is stealing on a straight steal. He hears it then hit the bat. He sees you signal foul tip this meaning he can stay there. Maybe if you don't signal he thinks it is a foul ball and heads back to first. Then you have a crap storm with a live ball on your hands. Why do you signal fair but not say anything? I mean why not only signal fouls balls and be audible and if you don't signal then we know it is fair. When you have a third strike and ring a kid up OR a swinging third strike and the ball is caught by the catcher, do you ever signal or say OUT? A pick-off happens, kid is way safe. 1B puts a tag on him, do you show safe casually since a tag occurred? We don't need to on can of corn nobody out. We don't do it on a clean hit to RC. It is about optics, being in the game, letting people know we got this when things happen.

Poor game management. You give him a free base and need him to score to end at mercy rule and you don't find a way to get him home. Clearly a learning moment as I see it.

Time calls and balk calls are echo central!

Key off the batter when in doubt. If the batter sells it and reacts to being hit give him the base. Easy to sell it on a borderline one when the batter reacts to being hit then if he just stands there. Sometimes you let the players do the talking so to speak. You get in trouble looking for a mark on a hand. Not every player has same skin and reacts the same to slight contact.

Fun except don't love to rotation into fair territory. Stick to catcher's left hip for the call.

Numbers don't matter in baseball for official lineups.

If you like green pants after one season go with GD pants.

I just moved to the St. Louis area and signed up to umpire after many years in another state. I am very upset to learn I have to buy all new shirts. I have been using the college style, not new MLB, black and light blue for all my previous HS and college games. I would join you in that petition!

Force out he called safe. Tag play no call.

This is where I think sometimes brain over rule applies here. If all game nothing happened and now this is first conversation, assuming the plate meeting/1B coach has been quiet all game, so let the real HC be the HC. Once he declares the HC let him be I say. Then you don't need to go into rule and potentially argue on that, thus making it longer. Now that you know he is the HC, the 1B becomes AC and he can't chirp at all.

Some great tips. I still think the shirt part is highly overrated. Get a good quality newer shirt with moisture technology in it and get a real compression hot weather SH*# on underneath and even a black in 95 degree weather isn't terrible.

Resist cream. Should be banned. For anyone saying it is cooler, then buy a better shirt. The new shirts are great for cooling even in black. Cream gets dirty and catchers HATE them especially if one of the teams are in white.

The wedge talk is for sure interesting. The bigger issue today is the lack of 360 umpiring done at home plate. 3BLX is a starting spot not a finishing spot necessarily. Start there and key off the catcher. The tighter you can get to right off his hip (usually his left) the better you can see the tag and touch of plate. Always be a 360 umpire at the plate.

I find it odd that he went to the two piece after.