mac266

Remember, that bullet referred to the college summer ball coaches, but the ejection story was about the youth coach. I didn't give all the details on the college summer ball for that reason. These guys did everything correctly -- asked for time, waited for time, and then came out to speak with me. No one in these games was even remotely close to being out of line. They were passionate, but not out of line.

I'm totally not joking. I have PTSD from combat and from law enforcement (treated and doing just fine, thank you). To me, umpiring is a way to focus my hyper-alertness and energy; it's an escape from always looking over my shoulder, visually checking every person I see for weapons, noting exits, reading body language for threats, etc. Plus, I have loved the game since I was little. It's a few hours where I'm just in love with the game and not worried about evil. It is genuine therapy for my PTSD. HOWEVER, evil is still real. Just because I have a few hours when I don't have to think about it does't mean it has disappeared. I was umpiring a college summer game last week in Nebraska. I had the plate, and when I work the plate everything outside the foul lines is completely tuned out. I seriously have no idea what people are saying because I'm so focused. And to be honest, this was the fastest game I've ever umpired and I wanted to be ready for anything. This was a close game with a lot of close calls (post game video review showed we got ALL of them right!). There was a lot of talk coming from the benches, but I truly had no idea what they were saying. If the ball is live, I'm focused on the ball! Between innings, the home team assistant coach approached me and told me the visiting team was making racist comments about the home team's center fielder, who was black. Despite a law enforcement career in which I spent almost my entire career in the ghetto and came to hold a very dim view of humanity, I have to admit I was a little shocked. He then told me what they said, which I will NOT post here. Suffice it to say, there was no room for interpretation; they were blatantly racist statements. I approached the visiting team head coach and told him about the accusation. I said that I had not heard the remarks, but if I had, the offender would already be gone. He said nothing and walked away. NOTE: I'm also a trained interrogator, and have been trained in reading body language, micro-expressions, etc. This is not voodoo; it's science, and I have been documented to be more accurate than a lie detector (93% per occurrence versus 77%, so I'm significantly better than a lie detector!). This guy's micro-expression and body language told me one thing: The accusation was true, and he knew who had said those terrible things. Even though the courts have found me to be an "expert witness," it's not in a baseball rule book. I'm not ejecting on that one, but I laid down the law, nonetheless. I'm new to this college summer league and I'm hoping to use it to break into umpiring in the NCAA, so I didn't want to become "That Guy" after my first game with them. But, racist remarks are very severe. Think about it -- I dedicated two careers to standing up for people who can't stand up for themselves. My spiritual beliefs are grounded in the idea that every human being is made in the image of God, and therefore has value. These acts were more than a simple insult; they were an attack on the fabric of what it means to be human. I simply can't stand for that. I called the assignor and told him what happened, and then told him my plan for the next game: If I hear it (and I tend to hear a lot more when I'm working the bases), I'm ejecting the offender immediately, no warnings. If I don't know who said it, I'm asking the dugout. If they happen to tell me, I'm ejecting the offender. If they don't tell me, I'm ejecting the head coach because he's responsible for their behavior. The assignor agreed, and then he called someone at the league and each team owner. I'm told each team had a come-to-the-divinity-of-your-choice meeting. Later that day, I was sitting in my hotel room going through my mental preparations for another fast-paced game, where I would be on the bases. I kept thinking about the injustice of it all, and it made me sick to my stomach. I mean that literally. I wondered if I was coming down with something or if it was being incensed at this whole affair. It was definitely the latter. It also didn't go away the entire game because I had no way of knowing what would be said next. To be honest, I was LOOKING for racist comments. We had some close plays (also 100% correct on post game video review!), but I was more worried about some idiot in a hood. There was a lot of bench jockeying again, but no racist comments. It's been nearly a week and I'm still angry about it.

Like most of us, I started my umpiring career doing kiddie ball. You guys have helped me a TON, especially at first. I've been going to clinics and getting advanced guys (NCAA Division 2) to give me evaluations so I can get better, and I'm taking everything they said to heart. This year, I worked high school in the spring, but this summer season I'm working in an independent minor league as well as college summer baseball. The college summer ball has a lot of division 1 and 2 players, so the game is FAST, even faster than the indy league I'm in. This is how far I've come: I did two college summer games last week, one behind the plate and one on the bases (they are using just 2 umpires during summer league). Between both games, I had roughly 12 **CLOSE** plays and four obscure/rare rules. These games are livestreamed with a color commentator, and we were able to go back after each game and look at our close plays in slow motion and with a close-up zoom. Guess what? ******ONE HUNDRED PERCENT CORRECT!!!!!******** I'm jazzed. The coaches came out on EVERY close play and obscure/rare ruling. Sometimes they were passionate, but at no time did I ever consider ejecting anyone. They know how to approach umpires and make their case (even if they don't know the rules) without getting an early shower. When viewing the stream after-the-fact, the color commentator said, "These coaches have been all over these umpires all night," but I didn't see it that way. There is a difference between passion and being an azzhat, and azzhat gets you an early shower. So my son, whose 16th birthday is coming up, is a high school player and umpires kiddie ball. But those kiddie coaches and parents are off-the-rails crazy, and I won't let him umpire without me. He's small for his age, so he looks younger than he is. Throwing a kid out there without me would be like throwing a lamb to the wolves. So when he umpires kiddie ball, I umpire with him. Queue tonight's story. This is a Babe Ruth league, 13U. This is a "developmental" or "rec" league, hardly competitive, and the baseball is terrible. The entire thing could be classified as a "travesty to the game." They couldn't even play catch between innings. At the plate meeting, the coaches had asked that we warn each pitcher once on balks, and then call them every time afterwards. Each got a warning for not coming set. Then this happened: Runner on 2nd, I'm in C (my kid had the plate). The pitcher was engaged with the rubber, took the sign, and came set with a clear and discernible stop. Then he started his pitching motion and then STOPPED, and I mean STOPPED. I balked him and awarded 3rd to the runner. The coach came charging out yelling at me about how that's not a balk. I explained the double set and how that's a balk in every rule set. He argued (loudly yelling, not being passionate, but being an azzhat) that "IT'S JUST A WAY TO CHECK THE RUNNER!" I replied, "No, it's a double set in EVERY rule book." This went back-and-forth a few times with him getting more and more animated. Finally, when I repeated about the double set once more, he yelled, "SHOW ME!!!" I gave him a rather long leash up until that point -- charging, yelling, arguing instead of asking for a rules clarification, etc. But when he demanded I show him where it is in the rule book, while knowing I don't carry one on the field, I tossed him. He threw his hat and stomped off. I held up the game until he left the area. All game the idiot parents were heckling me about what a bad call the balk was, and how he shouldn't have been ejected. Even after working some high level ball all year, this had to be my first ejection of the season. 1- The guy is an idiot for not knowing a basic rule such as that, and 2- He's an even bigger idiot for thinking an imitation of Earl Weaver was going to get him anywhere but home early. FACT: I'm still going to do some youth ball when my kid is working, but that particular team is blacklisted.

Yep, I saw it happen. Is a rabbit considered a part of the field? Do we leave it in play or rule some kind of interference???

I've had a few firsts as an umpire in the past two weeks. Here they are: - Immaculate inning. - batted ball hit a rabbit that was trying to avoid it. - heart attack in the stands. - four different left-handed catchers.

It sounds like you did everything right. By the way, travel ball parents and coaches are batSH*# crazy, and 11-12 seems to be the worst age for it.

No, it's for the OP. He called it INT in his post and then explained OBS.

Please, please, please, if you're going to umpire, know the difference between obstruction and interference.

Go to YouTube and look up the "skunk in the outfield" trick play. Comments to your question: 1- The coach should learn the difference between the baseline and the base path. He meant to say the runner was out of the base path. 2- The runner establishes the base path when a play is made on him. It is **NOT** a straight line between the bases. That is why I brought up the "skunk in the outfield" play.

I'm not sure if the pay is public. Let's just say it's better than high school and not as good as college. They are hiring guys in specific areas to cut their travel costs, so I'll be in Colorado Springs, Trinidad, and Roswell. The league covers a much bigger area than that, but they will have guys in each area to cover the umpiring. We will get a travel stipend and they put us in a hotel for games in the same place for multiple days in a row. We will not be working with the same partner all the time, as availability is the #1 reason assignments are made. Training: No, unfortunately. They grabbed the best guys from our high school association, and I've noticed the vast majority of us who were selected have all gone to umpire clinics and don't want to rely on the association's training as our only training. Our initial training program for new umpires is awesome for a high school association, but we do not have a mentorship program or evaluation program to continue to improve. Once you're released to umpire, it's all on you. Those of us who take it seriously go to clinics.

This is a huge umpiring milestone for me. I've been hired to umpire in the Pecos League (independent minor league) this summer! I know it's a shoestring operation, but it's a step up from high school and therefore I'm counting it as progress. I'm trying to break into collegiate umpiring, but unfortunately Pecos is mandating that we use a 2-man system. I know collegiate ball uses 3-man, but I figure it's at least a step in the right direction.

Exactly. In my state, a high school coach that gets ejected also gets suspended for an additional game, and it affects whether or not he will remain employed as a coach. In travel ball, they're back on the field in the very next game.

Travel ball is full of batSH*# crazy people. The only ejections I've ever had were in travel ball tournaments. Two of three were coaches in 11 year-old or younger brackets. One was a 16 year-old player.

Has anyone ever mounted a go-pro or other camera to their mask or helmet (I use a hockey style helmet)? Yes, I understand that an unlucky foul ball would end the camera's life, so I'm more interested in a cheaper one.

This is coming from the state that doesn't know how to pump gas...

I didn't feel bad at all. It was so filthy that I loved rewarding the pitcher for it. Quite frankly, I was almost laughing at the batter inside my head for being fooled so badly; right now he's sitting at home blaming me for a crap call

So there I was... ...calling the dish for a men's league (MSBL) game. This was their most competitive division. The visiting team had been a lower level champion last year, so the league bumped them up to the highest level. They were comprised of guys 25+ who had played in high school, etc., and ruled the roost at the lower level. But they were in for a surprise. The home team's starting pitcher had pitched at Cal State, gotten drafted into the minor leagues, and made it to AA before injuring his arm. He had gotten whatever medical help he needed (I don't know if it was Tommy John's because I didn't ask), and was playing in the men's league to get him ready for Pecos League (independent minor league) in an attempt to get back into the game at higher levels. The home team catcher had played professionally in Canada over 18 years ago, before he and I were cops together. His throw down to second was a laser beam. For a men's league, this battery was brutal. The home team pitcher commanded the zone like he owned it. I have to admit, it was absolutely the best pitching I've ever had the opportunity to call. The catcher knew how to frame correctly, and probably bought his guy a few inches on the outside. After putting guys behind in the count with fastballs and changeups on the corners, and sliders, he threw what I can only guess was a "slurve." The ball looked like it was going to hit the batter, who jumped out of the box. Then it curved directly over the center of the plate, and did a 12-6 break at the end. The catcher's mitt was set up directly behind point of plate about mid-thigh high, and he didn't move it a single inch to make the grab. It was the FILTHIEST pitch I have ever had the pleasure of ringing up a batter on. Had the visiting team dugout watched the catcher's mitt, they would have known it was a good pitch. But all they saw was the batter diving out of the box and assumed I sucked. The batter was livid that I had rung him up, but he hadn't seen the pitch at all since it was half-way to the plate. He was an idiot. The next batter came up, and the same thing happened. I rang him up on the filthy slurve over the middle of the plate after he had jumped out of the box. Once again, the catcher's mitt was set up point of plate, mid-thigh high and didn't move an inch. The batter was so angry he turned around and yelled at me on the way back to the dugout. I probably should have ran him, but I just gave him my umpire glare with my helmet on. The final score was brutal; 25-3, I think, and all three of the visiting team's runs were scored after they swapped out the pitcher.

It was a point of emphasis in my state last year. We were directed to be anal retentive enforcers about it. First kid with jewelry earns a warning for both teams. Second one gets ejected. I never had to eject anybody (thankfully!), because that's a big booger to pick. But the leadership was constantly reminding us that this was a point of emphasis and demanded we go after it aggressively. As we approached post-season play, I discovered that only my area had actually been enforcing it. The rest of the state completely ignored the directive to be anal about jewelry. This year, no one has said boo about jewelry. So I'm back to asking the coaches if everyone is "legally and properly equipped and prepared to compete in a sportsmanlike manner." Once they say yes, it's on them.

I'm an old paratrooper, so I can spit shine the bejessus out of my plate shoes. The problem is, I'm rather weary of doing it. The other day, my partner had his plate shoes looking like patent leather and I asked him how he did it. He told me he used "Shape Up," a paint-on coating. I had tried Shape Up over 25 years ago on my combat boots, and it always looked great when it was new. But after a while it started flaking and peeling off, so I swore it off and went back to old school spit shining. I did that until the Army got rid of black leather boots about a decade ago (they are suede leather now). My partner said he has not had any problems with flaking or peeling. He says the area where his shin guards rub the shoes does come off, but he just touches it up with some more Shape Up a few times a season. Has anyone else had good experiences with the stuff? Maybe they have made the product better in the past 25 years since I tried, or maybe it just didn't like the leather Army boots were made of?

You can catch a foul ball for an out. This is baseball 101. So you have me greatly confused.

Ummm....if anyone on the defense catches a batted ball, the batter is out. He's not out on the IFF, but he's out on the catch.

Yeah, you did everything correctly. I have grown to hate working younger level baseball, most especially because of the coaches and parents and their ignorance of the game and how to interact with umpires.

I'm quoting myself because I forgot to mention that in my world, it's "whisky," not "whiskey." Scotch whisky is spelled that way

Thanks, and yes, I didn't articulate it very well. We are taught to listen for both sounds. I attended a clinic in Phoenix this past fall where they did the blindfolding exercise you mentioned.

Haha....yeah, but there's no way I'm selling it!!!! Out West Officials still has navy blue plate coats: https://www.outwestofficials.com/collections/baseball-jackets-1/products/navy-performance-plate-coat-by-out-west-officials I have one of their plate coats in black, and it's definitely not on par with my blue Fechheimer (that was a GIFT!!!), but it works just fine. They will tell you to buy a size larger and have it tailored down, but holy Moses, the tailoring cost me $110. I'd go with the correct size and it will probably fit.