Jonump

3rd year here and when starting tried a bunch of different stuff and stocked up on the various new gear you talked about. So my beginning covers your gap. Don't have the context of the older stuff for the most part but maybe the "starting from scratch" perspective is helpful. I hope so. I had the budget to choose among the gear, so leaving that out as a factor. Varsity/mens leagues on down in ages. 1)pants GD feel a little heavier than the Smitty Polypro V2 (?) but both wear pretty light. Slight edge on smitty for the heat, slight edge to GD for the non-wrinkle capacity. Like em both, good sales often. 2) Went from the Wilson WV which seemed to be the standard mass market high end one for 2 seasons to the GD enduro. Much better fit, comfort breathability and I don't feel like I've lost any protection. Love it. 3) Again went with Wilson after using diamond and found them the most protective. Then went to Force 3 for sooo much lighter, lower profile and more comfortable feel with the same level of bullet proof protection. I've forgotten they are on sometimes. They seem to be the most well liked among the various options among a broad spectrum of umpires Feels like in general its a true statement that light tech (foam, magnesium, kevlar etc) has been able to supplant bulk in the last bunch of years.

Oops, reading too quickly and didn't realize you already gave the warning. At that point you have got to follow through unless you can legitimately pretend you didn't hear it. Time to either 1) point and give a players number to eject. I wouldn't really care who, they brought it on themselves. 2) restrict a coach to the dugout 3) go to the coach privately and say "I gave the warning, someone has to go. It can be you or a player you think said it. Got a likely suspect?" I'd probably favor #2 as the last chance to keep everyone in the game. Next time coach is tossed for failure to control the bench.

agree with the above about the effectiveness of a simple "knock off the profanity guys" and if its becoming a problem you can also couple that with a quiet aside to the coach, maybe with the lineup card out so no one is showing anyone up, where you can enlist him as an ally in whatever tone is most helpful--friendly, stern, what have you: friendly: "Bill, we don't want to go here but I'm hearing loud and clear profanity from your dugout and I need it to stop. I don't know who is doing it. I don't want to just point and toss, but I will if I have to. Can you please handle this now so I don't have to make it a thing?" 10:1 coach goes back and says "alright guys cool it on the language"

How about just saying "call is confirmed. You are out of challenges. Don't do that."

In my mind he had fallen over the fence and was clinging to it on the dead ball side so therefore touching it, and certainly went all the way over and out of the field. My mind is a weird place though, so not sure that's what OP intended as a visual

If his "entire body would be on the dead ball side of the fence" I have kill it and bump according to (FED) 5.1 (i) "leaves the field by...OR over any boundary or barrier such as a fence" Impressive feat.

Many thanks, potential significance noted.

Oops, missed the "same size you wear" on the officials depot site. still, would appreciate a real world opinion

Mr. Mad Max, How does the 44L relate to your standard size as a coat? Awkwardly phrased but I mean how would you ballpark the right size for it if you were say a little loose 42 regular? Some of the websites say different stuff. Do you buy the same size as you wear? I don't think I deserve to wear one yet, but have aspirations. They look cool and great for cold weather

With great respect for Mr. Madmax, I don't think it's a ridiculous question at all. I recognize we don't have jurisdiction beyond the fence, but we do have a game management role. I had it in a JV game with very few around in the stands except for a clearly-close-to-the-team parent who was kinda/sorta coaching the players informally doing this right behind a short cramped backstop, so about 3 feet from me and the players. Isolated, rough and ready city field. Two very rough teams, though with excellent, development-oriented coaches. No admin for miles Ridiculous and distracting. Same as relaying signs by someone in the crowd, and I think appropriate to stop. I did address it. Was going to say something to the coach like "Is that a coach over there? If not, please ask your parent to stop signaling the hitter before we continue" and he would have done it, but I opted for the low-key direct approach. Its a neighborhood where there is a LOT of back and forth at the games. "Hey man, do me a favor, can you not call out the catcher position before the pitch?" "hey I"m I'm being polite!" (which come to think of it is a slightly odd response and indicative of someone who may have had similar discussions before) "You are being polite, and I'm not asking you to move. Calling out positions is a little different and its distracting, and I'd appreciate it if you can stop" He grumbled off and I heard the coach ask him what was going on a little later, parent said "yeah, I get it actually." So, it worked. Which I recognize does NOT mean its the right approach. But I think it was right for this game. My other/next step would have been to go to the coach and say I'm going to treat your guy as a coach since I've seen him interacting with you and the team a lot today, and I need you to tell him to stop this, Or I've gotta restrict both of you. Lets not go there. I'll hold the game till he stops, and you go talk to him. Again, this approach felt right and in keeping with the vibe of the day. Have at it.

still in pilot/beta, certainly still creaky (I love the "calibrate every few innings") and definitely too expensive and unwieldly for the vast majority of youth fields and orgs...at the moment. reddit thread on someone seeing it: Give it 4 or 5 years and probably becomes pretty common, yes? "I'm sure that train on the horizon won't bother us much"--the american buffalo I'm not sure how interested I will be in standing behind a plate confirming calls. Bases would still be fun but the whole point is to reduce the need so far fewer 2 man games.

I have him placed at third. First thow by an infielder, 2 bases from the time of the pitch. Runner on first awarded third.

I have it as a balk as described, for the reason thatsnotyou stated. I had a version of this conundrum a few weeks ago in a JV game. P with pivot foot parallel would come set WITH his foot in a steppped-back-to-first base position, then would deliver the pitch. Looked for all the world like a balk but I don't think it was. He just came set in a funny position. But then sometimes he brought the foot back from that position to a more conventional set stance and then delivered, now I have it as windup out of the set position and balk. Took me a bit to process what I saw to be honest. I think I have this correct but would welcome comments

You should have restricted him to the dog-out. I'm sorry. I'll let myself out.

A few random thoughts with no conclusions: I wonder if a partial/half-pay hold would be useful in this situation? You could also have a hold and it "goes hard" a certain time in advance, maybe a day or so. I've had plenty of last minute assignments so there is certainly time to readjust on the assigners part. Arbiter has blocks and firm blocks ( I don't understand that one--override a block on me, firm or not and you are on your own) so you could have holds and firm holds. One is paid perhaps the other adjustable? Maybe do it by level? Games at a certain level or distance are paid on the hold I wonder if a bidding system could work? I wonder if you could arrange it so you could have only so many cancelled holds before the ump gets paid? Like I said, I haven't thought these through, but it feels like some creativity could improve stuff on both ends.

I'd just like to say that as a 3rd year, 57 year old umpire with aspirations to be better, you have been a helpful and inspiring voice on this forum for me since I started and I'm sure thats been true for others. Sounds like you are in a tough stretch and I hope it gets better. But you should know that what you do and share has a really meangingful impact. Thanks.

ejected and suspended for the season, coach ejected, maybe same. If the coach objects to either of that I look forward to the appeal and to having the video played in the hearing

So I posted a question/concern about the temperature range capabilities that Derek was kind enough to provide a thoughtful answer to. Have since used the DX30 in multiple high school games in the (alleged) low 50s with wind chill and took a couple of solid hits to the foam and with no issues. Very happy since it's incredibly comfortable to wear. I kept it inside the truck cab instead of the bed to be sure to keep warm just in case. And of course its in the 40s today. Sheesh.

Machado is a master of the intentional unintentional play. He is uncannily good at anticipating what position will be most disruptive and getting there to mess things up while maintaining deniability. I feel like he is in the middle of these plays regularly. Certainly has been against the sox, and that's leaving aside his very intentional takeout of Pedroia back in the day Still, I don't think I could call interference here...not enough evidence of intent when its plausible he was just going back into the base on the pickoff throw. Master criminal

What I don't see mentioned much is the adaptation period expected and how long it took to equal out in the minors when they were experimenting...I mean, at this point many of the players have more experience with ABS in the minors or on rehabs than the major league umps do. And some of these "misses" may be perfectly accurate pitches under the old rules of "any stich of the basebal over any part of the plate is a srike" as opposed to the new middle of the plate standard and a height formula that DOESN'T HAVE A VISUAL REFERENCE POINT. Some guys leg proportions are different than others, for instance so bottom/top of knee (for instance) may have diffferent results for different guys even though the umpire is calling the same reference point accurately.

The Fed Case book has an example of the batter legally switching during an at-bat: (6.1.1 F under pitching) and concludes an ambidexterous pitcher cannot switch in response. He/she has to wait for the next batter. But the switch by the batter is legal. I vaguely remember another reference but I can't find the cite right now. I mean, if you are going to get one wrong you picked a fairly rare one

This thread and brother beerguy55 made me remember this: It was a JV game I attended as a parent in my first season umpiring. It was certainly informal, one was team mainstream decent the other was from an underesourced program that had lots of new players, many from families where English wasn't spoken at home and where baseball wasn't necessarily a thing. Our coach was younger and the other had been coaching in that school for decades "retiring" from varsity down to JV and now "just helping out". He had a great "been there done that" vibe. This story is from direct observation and our coaches recounting. The umpire was older and obviously infirm, hunched over and walking slowly. Players noticed and were laughing to themselves a bit. He told the coaches he was retiring soon, wasn't physically able to do much, having just got out of the hospital and would have trouble calling the low strike especially and he wouldn't be able to move up the line. He said didn't do many games but he grew up in the neighborhood and knew the program and when the desperate "we have no umpire" call went out he volunteered to do the game. Our coach after the plate meeting said, "guys, the umpire told me he is basically blind. Don't freak." and then told them what he said. I think the other coach did the same. So the set up was somewhere between comic and sad, depending on your mood, and the game started. Pretty raw level of play, terrible zone. Some pretty long distance base calls. And the teams were.... great...simply great about it. There were some shocked looks on some calls, but NO complaints. The coaches occasionally conferred with each other. One coach told the ump "blue I think he got him" on a close play at third against his own player. After the game EVERY SINGLE PLAYER on both teams fist bumped him or shook his hand. It was amazing.

Just a shout out to the forum here and all the members who post constructively. I've been lurking for a while with only the occasional post, and this forum is BY FAR the most helpful of all the social media umpiring sites. 3rd year here and have learned a LOT on the forum and so appreciate the almost always civil tone and friendly expertise. It's rarer than it should be and important to those of us trying to get better. In contrast, I had to stop reading almost all the facebook groups, as the threads constantly devolve into insults, sniping and one upsmanship--not to mention proudly incorrect information. It can be lonely without this site. I think I was 25 or 30 games in before I even saw another umpire, and then it was like pulling teeth to get some of the senior guys to talk to me at all, much less do a pregame or postgame or explain some rationale behind a technique or movement. I've often thought this is the number one problem in attracting and retaining new umpires, not the crowd antics. "Survive the suffering!" is not the best recruiting strategy, perhaps? Around here there is barely any infrastructure for mentoring, monitoring, evaluation, etc. especially if you aren't cut from the good old boys club cloth. And there are plenty of people in the old boys club who may have a lot of years, but mentally froze in place years ago. I've had a few career changes (57), so I knew how to persevere in the face of indifference, but man did I appreciate--and still do appreciate--the significant exceptions, the veteran people who enjoyed helping someone else get better. They are awesome. And lots are on this site

Derek, that helps a great deal thank you. Especially the physical clue of it being flexible and the keeping it warm beforehand. Sounds like flexible= working, stiff=too cold. That's easily testable and reassuring. I think for the coldest weather I'd have it in the warm car, do a long sleeve compression undershirt then a looser fit over the protector, then the shirt/jacket. Sounds like a lot but I think it would work. Again, thank you.

I think your gut is right that it is not the ultimate in professionalism. Fan boy-ing the coach is not cool for the other team. I think you can acknowledge his status, tell him you know of his reputation even using the words above, and you are glad to meet him in person and share the field. shake his hand. I imagine he will respect you much more than if you asked for a picture or autograph. In one you are just acknowledging the elephant in the room. In the other you are asking for a favor.