eddieq

Discharged from PT today. Look out players, this blue is coming back

Appreciate the feedback and suggestions. I'll look into the incrediware (sounds like something out of The Incredibles).

I suffered a knee injury in May. My PT is going well and the doctor does not want to do surgery at this time. I was using crutches right after memorial day but moved to a cane within a week or so. I am off the cane now and I've been weaned off of the hinged brace as of last week. I've been told I can return to the field this summer/fall (on the bases or doing slow pitch softball) while I continue to work on strength and mobility. Yes, I am primarily a softball umpire. Don't hate me lol Do any of you other old fellas use/wear a knee support while working? I know there are a number of different style compression sleeves out there, but I suspect most of them just function as a wallet flush. I'd appreciate the benefit of anyone's experience here. Thanks!

Crappy for the batter for sure, but that's on the coach. If the coach wants to come and argue about it, it will be a short one and a long walk to the parking lot.

Closest I can see is 5.09(b)(2) and the comment. It specifically talks about first base, but the language ", he leaves the base path, obviously abandoning his effort to touch the next base" leads me to feel like it could be upheld on other bases as well. I was watching the game. It felt like he was believing he'd be out on the force and pealed off. He came right back, though, as soon as he realized the safe call. The Philly announcers were thinking interference, but there was nothing there either. Donny Baseball probably wouldn't have made a fuss if Orion wasn't throwing grapefruits. At least Lindsay gets another 2 fer ejection video out of it.

Apologies. I am a USA softball guy mostly, so I was referring to the USA rules. 7.6 "The batter is out" 7.6.R "When hindering the catcher from catching or throwing the ball by stepping out of the batter’s box.". Effect - The ball is dead. The batter is out. Each runner must return to the last base touched at the time of the interference. I believe USSSA treats this the same way. I don't call high school because my work schedule doesn't allow me to take enough games to make the registration worth it, so I don't have access to those rules. I do see the NCAA exception in 11.20, so good call out there (pun intended).

Ok, I'm a softball guy where we would call the batter out on INT and send the runner(s) back. Is this called differently in the little ball/big field game?

Softball guy here - the USA Softball umpire manual specifically directs us that if time hasn't been declared, to call time in order to clean the plate or the pitcher's plate. So yes, I call time when cleaning the plate, but I'm not making a huge deal out of it. A crisp hands up and "Time!" then I do my duties there and get right back into position and we roll.

Yup - I've done that as well. They usually say, "no swing".

When I'm working solo and the DC disagrees with a banger at first, I appeal to the first base coach. Only had one of them say, "Yeah, my runner was out".

Maybe he's worked with 250 partners because nobody will work with him twice.

One of my huge pet peeves when I meet a new partner is when their first words are their resume. "Hi, I'm Ed and I'll be your partner today. Nice to meet you." "I've been umpiring for 38 years." "Nice career. What's your name? Or should I call you Blue?" "You may call me Steven. I've started umpiring at 14." Often this same guy is the person you described. Has their own brand of mechanics, isn't in position, makes it about himself. I'm not the best umpire. I never will be. But I try to be in the right position, hustle, and make the calls as I see them. And above all, make it about the game, not about me.

Congrats! Not a LEO here but a first responder. Fire police officer (traffic control at emergencies basically). Stay safe out there!

You mean the "whoops, sorry about that fastball to the ribs"? That's how we handled stuff like that as kids. Not condoning it of course.

I'm for option A. It's not my problem. If I'm the defensive coach, I'm working with my catcher to use that. Set up later OR set up early but once she calls out the position, change the setup at the last moment. She'll eventually knock it off once she's repeatedly wrong.

My season is over (torn meniscus) but I'm considering leaving the gear for him to sniff out. Also because it hurts (physically and emotionally) to do the stairs and bring it to the basement.

Of course. The whole type 1, type 2 thing. Thanks.

Don't skimp on the gear because it's "soft"ball. I do a lot of community youth FP and the ball finds flesh just as easily as in baseball. Armor up

I'm actually the other way around. I've always umpired softball - fast and slow pitch. I have dipped my toe into the baseball game in the last couple of years - mostly doing the 10U around here where there are no balks, they have to hold the bag until the ball crosses the plate, etc, so for me, there wasn't a lot new to learn. Biggest differences I noticed. My strike mechanic. In softball, the mechanic is the hammer. I "outed" myself on the first strike call because I didn't turn and point for the strike call. I called the strike "down" in my stance, stood and gave a crisp hammer. USA Softball umpire manual for this year gives mechanics, but you should review the manual for your chosen alphabet https://www.usasoftball.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/120/2026/02/USA-2026-Umpire-Manual-1.pdf Pitching rules would be one thing to familiarize yourself with. Plate umpire gets "timing" type things (double touches, etc.) while the base umpires take care of the footwork (replants, etc.). There are no "balks" in softball, but you can call an illegal pitch which is a delayed dead ball and see how it goes, then apply the penalty (as necessary depending on how it played out). Also, the "look back rule" which in USA is 8.7.T. That one is always incorrectly applied or misunderstood. I don't know why, but it is. DP/FLEX players is a fast pitch nuance that also gets confusing but is overall not complex. A seasoned pro like yourself should pick it up Thrown ball out of play is always two bases from the time of the throw no matter where it came from or if it's the initial play or not. Other standards like infield fly, uncaught third strike, interference, obstruction are really the same. Overall, depending on what you want to call (fast, modified, slow) and which association/alphabet code is available in your area, grab a rulebook and an umpire manual and get out there and have fun. There are dual sport umps here that can give you much better advice, but those are top of mind for me. Edit: This is the high school section so you're obviously talking about school ball. What I said is still relevant

https://www.palegis.us/legislation/bills/2025/sb375 The PA governor signed this on May 13. In addition to a bunch of "shall provide training" language, there is a requirement of the bill that requires AEDs to be available at all PIAA athletic events. So the question for discussion - is this going to be "my problem" to ensure that it's there? Or is that 100% a school administration issue and we don't have to worry if it's there or not?

Topic adjacent - at a rec game the other night, one of the coaches said to me multiple times, "Hey blue, thanks for showing up tonight". That tells me they have a scheduling issue or something. I cannot imagine just "no showing" a game that I agreed to.

Oh, he'll do it again if he gets the chance. Especially immediate post game when they are still hot and stinky

Correct.

After my game last night, I needed to car space for some grocery shopping, so I brought my gear bags inside. Fast forward to this morning, I'm sitting having my coffee, checking email and such, and I hear my dog (Lord General Marble Rye - but you can call him Marble) running back and forth. The cadence of his running and the noises he was making told me that he had something he shouldn't have. Usually it's a sock, or he's stolen a dish towel from the kitchen. Nope. I turned around and he has one of my plate shoes because when I pulled my gear bags in, I didn't actually fully shut them. Everything is zipped up now. I'll admit, he's pretty strong for a low rider. The aforementioned Lord General https://ibb.co/C3ZpJrwJ https://ibb.co/9mzrQm67

Old thread. Sorry for the bump, but it's been nearly a year, and the cough is non existent. Lungs are still good. Taken plenty of shots on the chest protector and no injuries.