mac266

I have a Fechheimer and an Out West. The Fechheimer is rather old; it was a hand-me-down. That being said, I love both. I do not agree with the first reply; I think the Out West is both top notch quality and the material is great. I get tons of complements on it. I had it tailored after I bought it, so it fits better than the factory specs. The Fechheimer is a little big on me (seen in my profile pic)

DO NOTHING. We have no authority outside the fence.

NFHS rules, varsity game. R1, and fewer than two outs. R1 was stealing second on the pitch. The catcher received the pitch and gained ground to make the throw to second. However, instead of moving directly toward the base, he ran at an angle toward the batter and collided with him. The batter stood perfectly still. The catcher turned around and argued batter interference and I told him not to try to draw the call. I explained he cannot intentionally run into the batter to get the call; go toward the base. Same batter, a few pitches later. The runner (now R2)was stealing third on the pitch. The catcher received the pitch and, instead of working around the batter, ran into him to gain ground toward third. Once again, the batter kept his feet still. EXCEPT this time he ducked without moving his feet. The rule says that any movement which hinders or impedes the defense's ability to make the play is batter interference. While he moved, in my judgement him ducking DID NOT hinder or impede the defense. In my judgement, this was the catcher once again trying to draw the call. I once again no-called it and the catcher was angry. He argued this one until I shut him down. My reasoning is fairly well explained above, but to reiterate: The batter did NOT move into the path of the catcher. Rather, he stayed in the same spot. Him ducking did NOT hinder or impede the catcher. If anything, it helped the catcher by giving him a throwing lane. In my judgment, this was the catcher trying to draw a call that shouldn't be called. I spoke with both of my area directors. One said I was correct. The other said I should have gotten the batter interference. Thoughts?

This is a point of emphasis this year.

Not in NFHS. In fact, this is a point of emphasis this year.

What are they arguing about? That's as FPSR as a FPSR call can be.

I don't know the softball rule, but this was clearly intentional on the catcher's part. AT BEST she was trying to draw a batter's interference call, but I'm 95% certain that was just pure malice.

The ONLY time I take that play at first from foul territory is if I get squeezed HARD. As you said, everything in 2-man is a compromise. So what happens if the ball is misplayed at first and goes flying off somewhere but in live ball territory? That runner is going for second, and now we're in a foot race with a high school / college kid. That's a race I'm going to lose every time.

Correct. Post season starts next week.

I've been nominated for a high school state championship. We work 2-man and 3-man during the regular season (3-man only for high level varsity and post-season-eligible umpires). So they will be competent. But the only game we ever work in 4-man is the championship itself.

I've been using Smitty exclusively due to cost. However, the association I'm trying to get hired into insists on having a sharp crease. Smitty couldn't hold a crease if you welded them (sarcasm). I've looked at Gerry Davis, and they do hold a crease but they fade way too quickly to justify the extra cost. What else it out there that both holds a crease AND its color?

For those who work in NFHS rules, there is a YouTube channel and web site called Umpire Classroom. It's invaluable! PLEASE watch their videos! My question is for those who work NCAA rules. Is there an equivalent?

When and where are the clinics / camps for 2026? I'm particularly interested in 3-man clinics.

So there I was... ...working the bases at a JuCo game (NCAA rule book). R1, outs don't matter. The pitcher altered his delivery by stopping his free foot during the "kick," but -- this is important -- HE KEPT HIS HANDS MOVING and never did a "double set." The batting team's head coach went ballistic. "THAT'S A BALK! BLUE! BLUE! THAT'S A BALK!" I ignored him and continued to umpire. He kept going as if I didn't hear him, confidently and wrongly exclaiming: "He can't alter his delivery for the purpose of deceiving the runner. That's what the rule book says...VER-BA-TIM!!!!"

Yes, I have the CCA manual. Yes, I've read it. No, I don't have any experience with the 4-umpire system but I want to start studying up and getting ready for an upcoming 4-umpire game.