The Man in Blue

That was my point. It isn't that the process has changed, it's that you went from casting a large net to dipping a dixie cup in the water while you are looking for who you want to put in the pipeline. OK, well, maybe it wasn't a large net to start with, but it was bigger.

Obligatory: do NOT do 5-6 games in that kind of weather. Now that you will not listen to that advice . . . 😉 ABSOLUTELY! I started doing this when I lived in Mississippi. I started with a sun shirt, but moved on to the pull on sleeves. I'll say, I never really notice much cooling effect from the evaporation, but keeping the sun off of you makes a world of difference. You might also consider checking out https://thighpro.com/collections/men/products/short-sleeve-mock-neck . (Here is a thread from the man himself: If you don't have lighter weigh pants, get some! Here is a past thread with some other good tips and discussion on dealing with the heat: ! Now, if we could just get a long sleeved umpire shirt made from some of these cooler/cooling fabrics . . .

I still find it peculiar that starting the whole process hinges on four 1/2 day camps (that are open for everybody, not just those looking to break through) in just four cities each year.

If the ball is already dead, it is already dead. There is no reason to make any proclamation. If there are no runners on, there is no reason to announce you are about to bend over. If there is a runner anywhere and the ball is in a live (but relaxed) state, CALL TIME. I've told it before, and I'll tell it again (though I am sure the details fade each time). Early in my career and I'm working a double header with a new (but good and experienced) partner. I had plate the first game. During our between game swap out, he asks me "Why do you call time when you go to brush the plate? Everybody knows what is happening." I shrugged and called it a habit. During the second game, he has plate. With play relaxed (LIVE!) and a runner on third, he comes around to clean plate. As he is sweeping the plate off, R3 comes sliding past him. The defense starts squawking (of course). He settles everybody down and comes to me for a quick meeting. The first thing I said was, "That's why I call time." The second was, "I didn't call time. So, unless you did, I have a live ball and a run scoring." Fun!

Yep, I posted on that over here:

Since my comment posted three times, I figured I'd have some fun with the magic of editing.

Which hand do you use for that mechanic?

Which hand do you use for that mechanic?

I'm just being realistic, man! 😁 We all have picky particulars as to why we do or don't like our gear. Like I said, I flipped a Force 3 because I didn't like the way it breathed (or rather, didn't breathe). Other than that, I liked the fit, I liked the protection . . . but it wasn't something that I would wear day-in-day-out in the MIdwest heat. I find my Cobalt to be "puffy", but it handles the heat well and the fit and protection are amazing. If it weren't for the stream of hot air coming up the channel and hitting me in the face, I wouldn't even think about the fact that I had a CP on. I like the way my Schutt breathes, but I never went down the customization road and it feels "clunky". I am looking forward to this! I like the size (thin), I like the design . . . fit will be the wild card. It has arrived, but I did not get a chance to use it this weekend as I had hoped. Hell, I haven't even got a chance to take it out of the box . . . my wife broke her tibia while we were on vacation so I've been playing manservant for the last two days. Well, I always do, but more so.

This is exactly what I was picturing in my mind. However, I would argue touching the back side of the wall/fence is touching DBT (even if he didn't touch the ground). The back side is in DBT.

Which is why the orgs need to change their writing procedures. I know nothing can ever be perfectly dialed in, and a rule book cannot cover every possible scenario, but they have a bad habit of either over-writing or under-writing rules. Write it up, send it to 50 random umpires, and find out if they are receiving the same message you are trying to deliver. This is a case of over-writing. Simply taking out the word "bounding" keeps the rule intact and makes it more accurate and applicable. Bounding ball striking short fences on top of the field walls in foul territory down the left and right field lines: In Play.

Even with housing and food provided, that's low. I do agree that "benefits" should have an impact on the pay scale. Realistically though, "benefits" are just perks that some provide and some do not. This goes back to the lack of unity in umpiring communities. If we (collective we) agreed to set a standard or normalized expectations, we would make progress. Instead, Weekend WCS Wally is happy to take an extra $10 and a hot dog to work by himself for 16 games this weekend. Idealistically, I wish I agreed with you on this one, Max. That fee should be going to providing some sort of vetting, training, uniforms, and/or benefits. However, I am too damned jaded. That cost does not compel umpires to take care of their uniforms (look around, you know that!). It is simply a revenue stream. Oh, sorry, "it pays for your background check" which protects . . . the organization charging me the fee, not me. When I first got into the avocation, USSSA softball tried to get a foothold in the area. They hosted one tournament, and then got mad because umpires refused to purchase all their RED (and, at the time, very low quality) gear. Guys in the area refused because they were currently locked into having to buy USA softball gear from the ONE approved (read: paid his money up the chain) "official" vendor. Now that USA has died its death here, a local guy brought USSSA back into the mix, and he has had to lure guys in with providing the shirts and hats and offering to pay their registration fees. Again, and to your point here, COLLECTIVE POWER. Two caveats with that: 1) this is coming out of the TD's pocket, not the organization's, and 2) there is still a large number of umpires who have not continued with the "new local" tournament org. At least with NFHS, you can buy from a variety of vendors of your choice. Even then, I have stopped adding the IHSA logo to purchases. I keep a set of IHSA hats, and that is the best they are getting out of me. (BTW, IHSA does receive a royalty every time their logo is stitched, stamped, or dyed into a shirt, jacket, or hat.) DISCLAIMER: All of my comments are based in the youth/amateur game. Obviously this changes at collegiate and higher levels.

Are you sure he said he was a captain in the Navy? He may have said he was going to be the captain of your crew because he only wears navy.

If it doesn't work out, I may put it back up here. 😎

Truist Park ground rules have those poles as live (not DBT). https://www.mlb.com/braves/ballpark/ground-rules Bounding ball striking short fences on top of the field walls in foul territory down the left and right field lines: In Play.

Everybody has agreed we have a catch; that was never a question. The question is: when is a fielder considered to have entered DBT? Are we killing this and awarding a catch-and-carry, or are we leaving it live?

Added: @BrentRad (I hope I tagged the right member) put out an episode about youth tournaments on his podcast The Fourteen Twenty Sports Bar Podcast (he used to have "Hey, Blue!"). Nothing groundbreaking, but worth a listen!

Blue Man Solo. Navy shirts required. Better yet, I will charge 45 teams a $1k entry fee each, then not pit any of them against one another. I will schedule every game as a forfeit . . . everybody wins! I just need 450 $2 plastic tchotchkes (all saying "Champion" of course). 45 teams x $1,000 each = $45,000 revenue 45 teams x 10 players = 450 tchotchkes needed 450 tchotchkes x $2 = $900 expenses 450 players x 2 parents and a sibling = 1,350 fans 1,350 fans x $20 gate fee = another $27,000 in revenue If you can play a game with one umpire, why can't you play one with just one team?

I'm a push mower (old man relaxation). We have about 1/4 acre, and I am easily over the mile and a half mark when I mow (usually close to 1.66). I typically take my watch off and put it in my pocket when I umpire school ball, and I have not done any summer ball yet (not sure if I will), so I can't give you a good answer there. I wouldn't think the Apple Watch would count squats as steps . . . did you have it set some other way? (I say this as somebody who has had one for over a year now and still can't figure out how to do much with it.)

My wife's nephew was playing at a new complex where we live, so my wife wanted to go watch. It cost $45 for the three of us to get in the gate for a single 14U game (which was cut down to a 1:15 time limit due to weather) at the end of the night. I should get into putting on tournaments.

First, I feel as if the runners are getting more than the award if it is left live. Second, in a recent thread on a thrown ball, many umpires made the argument that the ball could travel through dead ball territory, as long as it didn't touch anything, and remain live. (I don't feel we ever reached a 100% rule supported answer on either side of that.) Third, if no part of him touched anything in DBT, then his entire body could not have left the field of play. Something has to be holding him in bounds or in place on top of the fence (the top is not DBT). If he touched the DBT side of the fence, he touched DBT.

$65 is low. Especially with that revenue income. Tony Stark can afford it. The outfit I usually work for pays $75/game. Just checked their team fees, and their tournaments run anywhere from $700 to $2,100 with 3 to 5 game guarantees.

I will admit that I used to struggle with calling the chalk when I did far more softball and bounced back and forth. The size of the ball and the difference in the batter's boxes can make the chalk a strike in softball. Adjusting my mental reaction took some time (and shifting to just baseball helped). Low level ball (the stuff I don't call anymore), I would consciously go chalk to chalk as long as it seemed hittable. I know that caveat adds in some seeming inconsistencies. Just curious . . . if y'all could change the rulebook strike zone, what would you change about it? I would take away the knee scrapers. Many umpires struggle on that low pitch anyway, so I would say the entire ball must be above the knee.

Where did this "no strikes above the belt" crap come from? I hear people claim this frequently and I find it impossible to believe an umpire is forgoing more than half of the strike zone. Whenever I hear a parent, player, or coach claim they had an umpire calling this way, they immediately lose all credibility with me. The only thing I can come up with as a source is the TV strike zone box.

Illinois post season! Go navy! Waiting for a "not so social" version so I can see this. Only found one video on Youtube, but could not see anything on it.