concertman1971

Here is my review of the Gerry Davis D30 Enduro. No umpires were harmed in the making of this video. @DerekGDS had nothing to do with this....... https://youtu.be/kFZvw5wRon8?si=BNwKCuKZz3mn57hA

*cough cough*

Too big, Too strong!!!

L to R Air Zoom Infinity Tour AJ1 TW13 Air Zoom Victory

I agree with that 90% of the time. But the ones pictured work for me. The Jordan 1 have a nice size toe box

Come on fellas!! Got to have a little 'swag' on the field. I'm a Nike Golf shoe on the bases guy. Comfortable, waterproof (mostly) and they have a bit of style. Look sharp, be sharp. (Style I choose to wear is based on weather and field conditions)

**UPDATE** Contacted the assignor, let him know that the team had it scheduled for 14 innings, and if they were going to be playing 14, i would need to give the game back. Miraculously, the team said they would umpire the balance of the game. What we permit, we promote.

Baseball coach/assignor/program: "hey Mr. Umpire (contractor), we need you for a non conference game on the 12th of whenever and we are paying $3.50 (IYKYK). Umpire (contractor): sure, no problem. my partners and I will be there an hour before the game. See you then. Baseball coach/assignor/program (48 hours before 1st pitch): "Hey Umpire crew, we are going to play 14 innings. See you then" (no mention of $$) Umpire: (scratches head and wonders) So you want me to do 1.55X the innings for the same rate, and you expect me to just be available for all hours of the day? Well, I guess if that is what you want I better just show up and work all 14 innings and just take it or I may never get games again. --------------- Husband and wife in house" Hey Mr. Carpenter, we need our bathroom remodeled. Mr. Carpenter: Sure, I can do that for $3.50 (again, IYKYK) and i can do it on the 17th. Husband and wife to Mr. Carpenter on the 17th: Since you are here, and the downstairs half bath is also our bathroom, you will need to remodel it as well. Its only a half-bath so it is east and you are already here. Mr. Carpenter: (peeling out in his truck)....AUDIOS *&%#@ !!!!!! Why do we let these guys walk all over us? What we permit, we promote. Please push back. Just like when we let a coach scream and yell or we dont call a balk, we make it harder on the crew that works the next game, when we just "take it" we make it harder on the next crew. Just my $0.02 on being an independent contractor in the baseball world. Now, its time for an Old Fashioned. Thanks for coming to my Ted talk.

I fell like there is a whole thread on this!!

Never got a stomach ache going swimming right after eating. I think Mom just wanted me outside for another 30 minutes

Here are some dropbox links to my head cam. If they are video from behind the dish (1st link), cam is taped to the top of the mask facing slightly down, so you can see the whole zone. Minor league pitching and catching. https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/w2l1bl5a7bgu0yflv0jdt/20250110_102639.MP4?rlkey=39p8qj23wvh8lb2y0izobkupz&st=44nnrvu6&dl=0 This link is same camera, but worn around the head on the ear. Go to about 1:30 to get some action. (bring on the critique!!) https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/c5a4ldoqsunmi5z8ae423/20240812_132924.MP4?rlkey=33x3n6ybrd1fa3swlndtf07yu&st=l3ckq802&dl=0 If you click the picture quality, you can set it at 1080p. If you just leave it recording on a full charge, it lasts 'about' 2 hours. SO much dead time and plays where nothing is really happening. I found that if i recorded by the half inning, it was easier to find the action, as I could not what inning and the time stamp. Here is the camera. App is not very user friendly, and once you are wearing it, unless you have your phone with you, you can not see what the camera is seeing. People I know have had bad experiences with this one, but mine have all been solid. https://www.amazon.com/EP8-Camcorder-Wearable-Head-Mounted-Stabilizer/dp/B09TR4KQ81/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=29E3O2D88KGTT&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.o8i9jw8EFiJHwqXPfMv3HCrdpZoiiPhoNfKO3MY8EOXiHoL996pGrDUhlSxlYpl1BNAxdxCm05KK-Zv-X2NKbgP8pSxpLT3cO4YGHMUoe87zR4AmS32emJreW0Ri3o1onVWzaukoJVvpRgDDn4rQRQ6eEXZxPFYI8Yp3UkRSQyf2jIu52475o7kXAxQDuaXjvUBl6p-7V6pEi-rQXavTxm2I_ZGZolyTjc6BClqeD4I.h4ekBQX5todO2R3K04hZiN7IliC6hGsTFhKdckACKdc&dib_tag=se&keywords=head%2Bmounted%2B4k%2Bcamera&qid=1736742953&sprefix=head%2Bmounted%2B4k%2Caps%2C195&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&th=1

Sooooo.......1st it was jewelry, then it was eye black. Will the tinted after market eye shield be what we have to enforce this year? I get this one, it's an actual safety concern should there be a head/neck injury.

I did see some REALLY nice tapered, flat front charcoal pants at Costco. I am SOOOO tempted to get them to wear them for HS games. Would anyone really notice????

I 100% agree with this!

Tailored and tapered is the way. I bought the new Davis V2 Tapered and ordered the BFX Tapered. Pricey, but now I dont have to pay the tailor to taper them for me. If you have big legs or you aren't at least a little bit trim, flat front tapered are not for you.

UMPLIFE Professional Garment Bag used 1 season, just isn't for me. $60 shipped to lower 48. Smitty Major League Style Fleece Lined Umpire Jacket - Black and White. 1 season of use. No fading, rips or tears. Moved back to CA and no one here uses this jacket. $50 shipped lower 48.

Stay tuned..................................................................................................................

FTFY

See below for most HS/JUCO Football- Clock operator.....CHECK. Locker Room............CHECK Basketball- Clock operator.......CHECK. (sometimes 2!!) Locker Room.....CHECK Baseball- Clock operator.......Ummmmmm, hey guys, here is this brick sized box you will need to hold and there is no way to attach it to your belt. Also, we think the batteries are charged. Locker room.................... IYKYK

@grayhawk tell me you haven't worked in TN without telling me. Having worked the "Spring Fling" (state finals) in TN, I can confirm some of the guys working those Finals have been working the State Finals for the past 20+ years. They are set in their ways and if (god forbid) they did not get to the State Tournament, would probably quit and take all of their friends with them. My one EJ this year was the easiest of my life. Game 4 of a 4 game series, HTHC had enough of the way his team was playing. Play at the plate, I call SAFE. He comes out, i meet him at the edge of the dirt circle, warn him to not enter the dirt to argue the play at home, he goes right around me. Boom. gone. Easiest EJ ever. He wanted to go and made it easy on me. Easily defendable, looked good on video, report was easy and the assignor replied "got it, thank you". Had I not EJ, would have looked terrible.

But they sure are lightweight and cool!!!

☝️This, this right here.

Above are some stats that would challenge the perception that OKD is causing more PB. I will I am a bit biased on the OKD stance (think of all the Thighs that need PRO tection). My instincts as well as my DMs from guys complaining about "lazy" catchers are guys that caught in HS/college in the 80s and their knees are shot from it, so they think OKD is being lazy. It is not lazy, it is evolution. Guys knees are saved. Strikes are "stolen". Yes, balls are blocked. We are shown on X, IG, FB all of the passed balls in the OKD stance, but are rarely shown the PB from the traditional stance. (IE the Pads). This may/may not be fully correct. I worked the Pioneer League this past summer and teams were limited to a maximum of 6 total challenges per game, and once they got 3 incorrect, they were out of challenges. Let me tell you, when the pitcher challenged 2 pitches and got them both wrong, the hitters were NOT happy. The catchers still used OKD regardless of how many challenges they had left. I do not see MLB/NCAA allowing unlimited challenges. Just my $0.02

I read this in the old guy voice shouting "get off of my lawn" (sorry @beerguy55) The amount of hate that OKD gets is unreal. Lets think back to the 80s.. Tony Pena- OKD guy (MLB Debut 1980) Terry Stienbach- OKD guy (MLB Debut 1986) Benito Santiago- OKD guy (MLB Debut 1986) The list goes on. Did you happen to see the Pads game the other night? Yup. a pitch that "should" have been caught missed and went to the backstop with runners on. Guy was in the "traditional" stance. Catching has evolved. We as umpires need to evolve with it. Stay on top of the latest trends in catching. OKD isnt going anywhere, anytime soon.

Interestingly enough, I have gotten tix this way, so I'm saying there's a chance..........................