mac266

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.

Nope. He's not open and I was done with him. So why get him started again? I was seeing red, and it would have turned into something ugly.

Thank you. Where I work, the schools do not invest in baseball like they do football. We don't even have lights on our diamonds! No, I'm not joking. So, no, there is no video available. That being said, knowing him like I do, I seriously doubt he would be open to any feedback from the directors or assignor. He won't take it from ANYONE, not just me. He literally tells partners that in his pre-game meetings. Another reason I don't want to do that is because I'm very reluctant to bring problems to the directors. It would seem like I'm a tattle tail. I do prefer to solve issues with the person I'm taking issue with, and I already tried that with terrible results. So, I blocked him. I may relent later and remove the block, but for now I'm not going to work with him.

My biggest beefs with the NFHS rules are 1) the immediate dead ball on a balk, 2) the 3rd to 1st move, and 3) judging ball or strike when a batter intentionally leans into a pitch (in NCAA, this is an automatic strike regardless of where the pitch was). I voted my mind but I'm not confident I'll get the changes I want.

High school varsity baseball. We're working a 3-umpire system. We have started doing that periodically during the regular season with umpires who both know the 3-umpire system and have a reasonable chance at working post season. Our post season games use the 3-man system, and if you've ever made the switch from 2 to 3, you know it can be difficult. So anyway, I'm PU. I know the other two umpires very well. I actually work with U3 at our regular job and we started umpiring together. I advanced to JuCo a few years before he did, but ONLY because of his work schedule. When his schedule changed, I got him a job at the JuCo level. U1 is much more experienced than either of us, but has never advanced beyond high school. He is, as assignors would say, "uncoachable." He has a reputation for being a competent umpire, but also very thin-skinned and you can't tell him anything. So I rarely try. Three times during our game, U1 failed to rotate home. I would glance up and he's cutting infield like he would be doing in a 2-umpire game, putting both U3 and U1 at second base. Finally, between innings I tried to discreetly say something to him about rotating home. He literally started yelling at me. He never missed a rotation and I need to worry about myself, you see. I was so angry I was seeing red. Look, we've all done it. We've all missed a rotation or muffed a call, and we work together as a team to get it right. But if you refuse to take any instruction, own your mistakes, and get angry when called out, I don't think I can work with you. In my opinion, this is an integrity matter, and integrity is EVERYTHING with me. What do you think? Should I block him in Arbiter?

By the way, I just joined BOTH the American Legion and the VFW. I highly recommend that you join one or the other (or both!). They have tons of great programs for veterans and advocate for us on Capitol Hill.

I haven't logged on in a while, but here's me: Army 1993-present

Whelp, I regret spending almost $300 on what is essentially trash. I am a helmet guy for various reasons (and pretty inflexible on that) and I need the absolute best protection possible. A college umpire I know got his master's degree in something-or-other by testing the amount of impact various umpire helmets protect you from, and Force 3 was the best. He even demonstrated how some of them make the impact to the brain WORSE. But the spring system in the Force 3 helmet absorbed the most impact. The problem is that after less than one season of use, the pads are literally falling apart. We are generally advised to replace our mask pads every season, but these didn't even last a season. They are literally coming apart! Initially, there were no new pads even available but now Force 3 wants $100 for a set. How about this: NO! I'm not giving them $100 to put trash pads that won't last to replace trash pads that didn't last. A few years ago when Force 3 moved to a different warehouse, I had a long series of rather terrible customer service interactions. So this settles it: I'm voting with my wallet and I'm inviting all of you to do the same. Until they can bother to make a product worth standing behind (and actually stand behind it -- or let's just start with answering the phone or replying to an email, which they've so far ignored), I'm not giving them another red cent.

In Colorado, I've NEVER met a fellow umpire who believes this nonsense. Our high school and college seasons are in the spring, which means I've umpired in snowstorms before. You're insane if you think that's a reasonable dress code in Colorado.

FED umpire manual??? What on earth is this??? I've never heard of it.

Someone asked me this and I'm afraid I have to defer to the hive. I think we have a double play here, assuming the defense properly appeals, but I'm not sure. Situation: R2 only. Batter hits a fly ball to center field. R2 goes back towards 2nd to tag up, but never touches the base. F8 botches the catch and drops the ball. R2 advances to 3rd without tagging up and B-R safely gets to first. The defense's head coach talked with an umpire and convinced him there was a catch and the drop occurred on a transfer, so they reversed the call and called B-R out. They left the runner on third. It was the defense's assistant coach (who also umpires) who asked me this question; he said it was never a catch and the out should never have been awarded, but let's assume the call stands. We have a catch without the runner tagging up, so if the defense properly appeals, that's a double play, correct?

Follow up: How about this pink one with my black plate coat? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09VYCJ59R?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_1&th=1&psc=1

The plate coat in my profile pic is navy blue; I also have a black one. However, the navy one can only be used at high school or lower levels. Unfortunately, no one has navy blue uniforms anymore, so it hangs in my closet. It was gifted to me by a retiring umpire, but I think I've used it once. I do wear a turtle neck over my chest protector in colder weather (I have a navy one and a black one, one for each plate coat). Anyway, in the old days, umpires used to wear a different color of turtle neck with their plate coats, sometimes sharply contrasting. So, what if I got a powder blue turtle neck? Would that be ok to wear when my partners are wearing powder blue? How about when they are wearing a black jacket with the powder blue stripe? Thoughts????

I'm in Colorado. I have the Mid-American 3-man clinic on my calendar already, but I don't always get the weekends I want. I'm in the Army Reserves, and I'm currently a brigade commander, which means I'm on a plane 2-4 times a month. I'm definitely willing to travel for a clinic. I have also been to the Umpire Training Institute's 2-man clinic and would consider their 3-man clinic, as well. They were a great bunch of guys and put on a great clinic.