rainier

I dislike drop-dead limits. Just encourages stall tactics. Most of my leagues use no new inning limits. I like those, especially on Friday night. One league uses language like "time limit is 2 hours but no new inning shall start after 1 hour 45 minutes. Once an inning is begun, it must be finished." So what's the point of saying two hours? It only confuses coaches and creates a controversy everytime we end a game at 1:45. I've been trying to get them to change that wording every year to no avail.

I agree with this. It sometimes takes one inning to get used to the size of the kids, if you're doing a 12 yo game when you've spent the last two weeks doing 14's. After the first inning, it is what it is as long as it is consistent.

I wear the Charcoal Wilson that UIC and another poster referred to. I love it and will not switch until I need to. But I'm only 5'10" and I think it is short so it probably is not a good choice for someone 6'7". My bottom ribs are right at the bottom of the CP.

I've had two concussions from umpiring. One was from the catcher tossing his mask as he was running down the first base line to backup first. It caught me about an inch above the eye. The other was last season when I took two fastballs to the mask. I also took a heater to the hand and broke two fingers during the same game. That is the only time I have asked a coach to change the catcher. The kid kept ducking away from every pitch. I took the majority in the pads. I was an athletic trainer for a college football team in a previous life. Saw some pretty nasty injuries. The worst was a cheerleader who broke her neck in a fall.

Ignore the fans until it becomes a situation where you cannot do your job. Only twice have I ever said something to a fan. Once because he was yelling obsenities at the PU from directly behind him (who was a 16yo kid and not confrontational) and the other was to a fan a few weeks ago who was talking smack to the opposing teams batters as they were hitting. The latter guy responded with something like "in case you haven't noticed, we're at a baseball game". Mind you, we're at a 12 yo game. His coach stepped in and took care of the problem.

I've also do the soft-toss at the head thing. It works well. Just need to train your brain to trust that your gear will do it's job. I had to do it after getting a mild concussion from a fastball that the catcher seemed to just forget to attempt to catch. Worked well.

I'm guessing he is also a football referee. There is a FED football rule that does not permit the use of colored lenses on or under a helmet. Unless it is a pitcher, I'll not say anything. And if it is a pitcher, only if the opposing coach requests it.

The throw is timed to be at the same time as the landing of the foot. My hangup is that he rotates his hips and shoulders to second while his pivot foot is still in the air. That to me means balk. As the rules state you cannot turn your shoulders after the hands are set. His shoulders completely turn to second while the pivot foot is in the air prior to disengaging.

Runner on 2, RHP from a stretch already set. F1 steps with his pivot foot toward 2nd and throws in one continuous motion. I think my problem with this is the shoulder and hip rotation required to make the throw. This all occurs while the pivot foot is in the process of disengaging the rubber rather than after. Legal or not?

Problem I see with this is that to step backwards towards first to throw, don't you need to lift your foot? And by lifting your foot you are basically committing yourself to throw to either third or home (as an RHP). So how can an RHP step directly toward first in a natural motion without disengaging the rubber first or appearing to make a delivery home?

I took one in the indicator the other night. Not sure how since I put my hand behind my knee. Broke the indicatior, nothing to my hand. That game I also took one in the side of the neck after it ricocheted off the batter and one in the bottom of my jaw after it skipped off the catcher's shoulder. Yes I wear a 6 inch throat guard. I'm thinking of switching to a helmet, but I cannot find any that fit my head.

I straight strap all four straps, no crossing. I've had a big issue with one of the straps ripping apart the back side of my knee. One of the seams. If the fold and stitch were away from the knee, this wouldn't be an issue. And maybe that is something I can fix myself. Otherwise, I love this guards. They've done their job already.

Coaches that don't understand the IFF or dropped third strike rules and then come out yelling when they think I blew the call.

The non-continuous motion is what I was thinking. It was a fairly unnatural delivery. The coach being ejected part wasn't part of the discussion really. His actions did warrant the ejection. I only mentioned it because the ejection has led to league discussing why the balk was called.

Last night the BU I worked with called a balk because F1, from a stretch, raised his front foot up and slightly back while leaning toward 2B (runner on 2B). When F1 delivered home the BU called the balk. The BU explained to the coach that it was because he paused when he raised his foot. Was this a legitimate balk? It also led to the DC being ejected so it is being discussed among the league now.