Frank Rizzo

If the rule states that the catcher must have possesion of the ball, then it is obstruction whether he is fielding a thrown ball or not. This is how we call it in Fed. OBR is different.

Compression tights + Gerry Davis plate socks = comfort. I know a lot of guys dont like the tights because of the way the cup fits into them, including me. I wear a jock strap over the tights with the cup in the jock strap. Much more comfortable.

I bought a pair of smitty pants. Great decision. I got the charcoal grey. They look just like the Gerry Davis pants, and even have all the reinforced stitching, sweat technology, and expandable waistband. I just bought two more pairs of these. Best decision I ever made. No more $55 unhemmed pants. I did have to get these hemmed at a local dry cleaner. But I prefer that anyways.

I always use my indicator on the plate. I never use my indicator on the field. I never ask my partner for the count when I'm doing to plate. If a situation comes up regarding the count, I take it up with the official scorer.

I quietly asked the coach to replace the catcher after the end of the 2nd inning. He did so for the 3rd through 5th innings, but decided to bring the same catcher back in, for the 6th inning (which happened to be the last inning due to time restrictions.) My arm still hurts like hell but what can ya do? Ah well.

NOTE: A runner need not TOUCH a base. If he passes the base as in this case then he has TOUCHED it and it's up to the defense to appeal. So if he has passed 2nd base, is it still a force situation when they appeal the missed base?

This rule is in the Federation rule book. Once an umpire rules a ball foul, thats it. Your partner should be waiting for fly balls to hit the ground before he rules whether it is foul or not. He should be waiting for bounding balls to pass first/third, strike the fence, or a player to field it in foul territory. 8 yr old mechanics, no excuses.

Usually I let this go, as it seems to cause more problems than anything else. However, if the opposing teams manager notices a coach from the other team out on the mound, or somewhere else on the field, and wants a conference charged, I give it to him.

Hey everyone. Frank here from Atlanta. Been umpiring over 10 years now. 8 year old rec to Varsity. Glad to finally find a free umpire forum. All the threads look great, I'm excited to get into some rule interpretation discussions.

Malicious contact, all day.

How is a foul tip, foul? Oh yeah on the field pet peeves. I hate when the pitcher/catcher walk onto the baseball field. I hate when coaches/fans/players call you red, or black, when you aren't wearing blue. I'm an umpire, not a referee. The thing in my hand is an indicator, its not a clicker. SH*#ty partners. Bad catchers. Taking forever to give/take signs. Idiot coaches.

Situation: 15-18 recreational league, the pitcher was overpowering the catcher. The catcher missed a fastball thrown somewhere in the 70-75mph range. It was an inside fastball that hit me on the outside of my forearm. Any suggestions for this situation?