KayTup

I like to consider myself a one-man wrecking crew as I destroy kids’ hopes and dreams

This one got me good, thanks for the laugh!

Very good to know!! As I gain experience I’m sure I’ll start picking up more and more… when I see a signal I don’t understand I’m always sure to ask and find out.

I know a few guys who would disagree… but I would agree with you there

This is great, I appreciate it a ton. The bill of the cap IFF is pretty standard here in Indiana but very well could be different in different places.

Awesome! I appreciate the link, and I agree some are redundant. My biggest concern is understanding what my partner is trying to communicate.

Absolutely, I have that covered, but my concern is communication with my partner.

As a guy that has mostly worked as a one-man crew, I’m interested to know what some common communication signals are among partners? I know the infield fly (bill of the cap) signal, but what are some others I should know? I could use some training in this aspect since I’m often stuck working with a randomly assigned partner I’ve never worked with before.

Yes. Yes he does. I told him we should go with the black collar, he replied saying it was too late. He bought the first shirt he saw. Poor guy.

Those Smitty XLs look really nice! I have a black and navy pair of Adams bags right now, they work just fine for me right now. Personally, I liked the navy look… but charcoal or heather….. my god why would anyone do that 😣

I’ve seen some members here declare it a sin to even consider purchasing navy blue ball bags… I guess you can’t make friends without making a few enemies! 😂

That’s what I thought! Thanks for confirming my thoughts, I did end up going with the navy look. I had heard to match with the piping, but I had also heard so many people shunning the use of the navy ball bag.

I do indeed have black! It’s my favorite shirt, just wanted to switch it up tonight. I would much rather have simplified things and bought myself a powder blue shirt with a black collar (I believe smitty calls this their “pro” style blue shirt) but my partner insisted on getting the powder with the navy stripe. Either way, I did indeed end up going with a navy hat and ball bags, and it looked much sharper than I thought it would!

So, I have a Little League all star game to work tonight and I’d like to wear my new shirt… it’s the powder blue Smitty shirt with white and navy piping. What is the best course of action for matching? Should I go with a navy hat and navy ball bags, or stick to my typical black hat and black bags? Tried to find pictures to help me decide what looks best, but no luck. Here’s a picture of the shirt with the other items. For some reason, the navy looks strange to me in the mirror.

Got it! Thanks for the explanation, I knew about the slot, and I thought I utilized it, but obviously I wasn’t nearly as far over as I should have been!

Exactly. Appreciate the diagram! Definitely something to focus on.

This is awesome, I appreciate the diagram! Definitely saving that one to study. The slot is for sure something I’m still a bit timid about, feeling exposed is a real issue. And yes, I get that a lot about the grammar; I’ve always been a bit of a stickler for making sure I look neat and tidy with my writing; I guess that helps out with umpiring too 😂

I’ll make sure to help you keep the balance by ringing up any coach or player that looks at me the wrong way 😉

What, you don’t want to listen to 3 hours worth of whistling?

Nice one, clever!

Absolutely agree! The unfortunate part about the level I was working is that just about every pitch was over the catchers head (or in the other batters’ box) and to the backstop. At some point you just have no choice but to call a wide zone (wider to kids with longer bats, of course) so you don’t get stuck with a walk fest that goes 2 innings in 2 hours.

They’re coming in the mail sometime next week 😉👍

Interesting about your low zone, but consistency really is everything! The biggest complaint I’ve heard from coaches when I’ve been playing hasn’t necessarily been a “bad” zone, but consistency.

Really appreciate the advice! I’ve heard similar critiques about the strike three call, so that’s good to hear. As for the slot, I agree with that as well. I always thought I did a good job of lining up in a good spot, but watching some video (which I don’t usually have access to) I realized that I wasn’t very far from the catcher at all; I realize now why I struggled to see those low outside pitches! I appreciate the compliments on the look though; I always try to look as professional as possible no matter the level and be as confident as possible. You get less questions from players, coaches, and fans that way. Thanks again for the thoughts! EDIT: Grammar

Haha, love the advice! Luckily, I haven’t had to run anyone just yet… but the time will always inevitably come. Thanks for the warm welcome guys!