concertman1971

@umpstu I have a granddaughter in Wildomar....are you tempting me?

@Dottelifesorry to hear it, but I can understand. Here is my $0.02 on the umpire "shortage". Yes, parents/coaches/players can all be A$$hats, but... In my opinion, it comes down to a cost/benefit analysis. Umpiring for most of us is just an "Avocation" not a "vocation". It is not an inexpensive hobby. Uniforms, travel, dues, time all equal $$. I hate working one man games at any level. It is awful. Not a chance I am getting on the field one man for less than the total of 2 game fees. Will teams/assignors pay that, most likely not, but we as umpires have to remember, they need us. Rarely have I reached out to assignors looking for games. Yet every week, my inbox is filled with emails of guys looking to fill XXX spots at XXX fields this weekend. WE need to stand up for ourselves as umpires and as others have said, block schools/teams/coaches/assignors and do not work for them. The rate for a 7inning game should be $170 for 2 umpires at the MINIMUM. When we (collectively) work games for $45-65 each, we are telling the baseball community that is what we are worth. If we continue to take these reduced fees, it will be 10 more years before we get to $100 each. I do not know about you guys, but with annual dues/equipment/travel, we need to be figuring that we SPEND $8-15 PER GAME just for the privilege of umpiring. DONT SHORT YOURSELF!!! KNOW what you are worth and then take games accordingly. Rant: off

Is that Jacket Blue or black? Cant tell on my screen.............

Had the +POS Zero G in 2016(?) ish and loved it the 2 times I got to wear it. Incredibly light and great sight lines. However, took a mid 80s HS fastball and the top bar bent in and had a small Crack. Had to stop the game while I went to the locker room (read: parking lot) to get my backup. I have really wanted to order another one, but just could never bring myself to.

As described, good EJ! At your age I was still hanging out at Tower Rocods waiting for the newest Motley Crûe record to come out!

http://copilog3.jp/hi-gold/views/detail/13/#page/74 Couple of pages of the HI GOLD catalogue. That CP for 66K yen has me intrigued.....as do the plate shoes

https://www.ebay.com/itm/354319306490?hash=item527f138efa:g:3lQAAOSwTWZjQFcx&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAA8EG4Bo0YLYTe6efJtxh60UFU2Boa5lvE6%2BW%2FHLAQETuCSs61FhnLX%2BaJ%2Bzk5hiGANDMH7XqccTzvGfNrsFyudh1z5Rl%2BnW2iazXQUFpfgL3ib0d4cqWhRJw9hcs9cciki9H6ZizDjNmnZ15%2FYhMANziIlrR8tgqeCWXpoGlvMf4NsjO7Umvpg07w8ytbuEJHgcvLdwh15mfI5N2X9%2BNaMD44sUAgXZelWUayI8TjJNHDjueRNr7QcKr8IKx8zXiXhiON2XFNUq2TI8kzb8ydziWtnjNqQRdUK1zBkSyL4iJsRhZoe2slqjiVX7Zu3tsKqw%3D%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR4ChsIOCYQ near knock off of the ALL Star System 7 CP

When I was in Orange County, CA, travel was brutal. 1-2 hours was not uncommon, because of the traffic. I set my mileage to +/- 30 miles from my work, and then time blocks. Now that I am in TN, 45 minutes is no problem. Traffic here is nothing compared to SO CAL. I do think that 45-60 minutes is an acceptable amount of time, regardless of where you live. People have lives, and HS baseball is not a VOcation, it is an AVOcation.

All- I am doing some market research for a project and would like to know what area of the country (or world!) you are from, what sport you officiate (baseball/softball) and the number of umpires in the groups you are a part of. If you use arbiter, you can look at...... Arbiter->Lists->Officials->then it tells you the number in the group on the left side. If you are a State Official and know how many people are in your state group, the state/number would be helpful. Your help is always appreciated.

I really want this mask.....then i look at the weight of it. 28.5 oz! My go to has been either the Diamond Big League w/Team Wendy pads (replaced every 2 years) when it isnt freezing cold outside, as those pads tend to harden in the cold temps. At 15.5 oz plus the Wendy pads weight, it is no less than 10oz lighter than the EVO. Any users of the EVO out there that can comment on this?

Thanks for the feedback guys. Got a little something in the works. Details coming in the next 2 weeks or so...........

For those guys who wear tights under their plate gear.....Do you 1. Wear just shorts w/ a cup and then tights over them? Or 2. Tights with the cup inside the tights? Any particular brand of tights?

$75 shipped. Moving and don't want to take em. If you are a true 1st year guy, I will ship em to you for $60

I think it starts before you even park...No Arbiter pic, I already have a pretty good idea I wont get a text back. No reply to text, I assume the guy will show up 8 minutes prior, already dressed and ready to work the bases. If you arrive dressed, 8 minutes before the game, I can assume you don't know/care about signals. No signals means you will probably be taking all tags/touches at 3b with runners on, so someone (me) will probably need to look at 1b because he will be "locked in" at 3rd. If all this happens, I can safely assume that you will be in the car and down the road before I even have my chair out of the trunk..................

yes, the count should have remained 0-0

These guys typically wear the "pro chocolate" shirts. Those shirts/jackets are so hard to find at retail. Only available from the guy with the hanger in the back window of the 88 Ford Aerostar. (And he would never sell,as the shirt has "plenty of life left on it")

Absolutely love the Nike Roshe golf shoes on the bases.

Couple of pics for you gear heads as I take this apart. 1. 3 layers of protection inside. 2 thin dense layers, 1 layer of sofa Cushion 2. Rivets. Not Chicago screws. 3. Glue. Lots and lots of glue. 4. Stitching. Like the glue, there is a lot of it. My idea is to split the chest padding in to 2 parts, left and right, System 7 style. Thinking of using hex pad instead of the sofa cushion, then using velcro to attach the pads the the plates. This should allow for some air flow. So all (most?) of the metal rivets would go away. Thoughts?

@wolfe_man @MadMax @The Short Umpire adding @tpatience just for fun! Pics of the process for sure. When I get it apart, I will post the inside pics. I love the idea of velcro on the shoulders. Also, I do not see the need for the vinyl wrapped "wings". Just attach em!

Going to see a guy I know who does sewing. I'm hoping to use something like a heavyweight golf shirt material.

Ok, so I picked this up for $10 +shipping. Did not realize that it is brand new, and it appears to ever have been worn. Only marks look like they are from storage. It is going to a local shop to have the vinyl removed and replaced with a breathable liner. Tried it on. I am 6'4 and this baby has coverage for days. I really want to wear it tonight for my game, but it is too hot and humid here in TN.

Just wondering @NateWalter profile says MO, this happened in Sacramento, CA. You personally witnessed this?

I get this thought process, but there were 300-400 people @ +/- $5 per ticket at my game last night. We had to change in the lot (or walk the equivalent of 2 football fields to the facility). Many of the games i have worked here in Middle TN this season have had this kind of attendance. The schools have no excuse for not having a changing facility or security at games of any sport.

https://amp.sacbee.com/sports/high-school/article261510552.html Scroll down to to see the video.

This is the reason I do not "run for mayor" when the game is over.