mark38090

It only takes one to take a toenail off in the top of the second inning to make you realize you should have plate shoes. Voice of experience...

I drive a 1990 Dodge dakota with 300k miles. I have a topper on the back so I can carry half the house if I want to. I get 18-20 mpg so gas isn't a killer but no ac in the Florida summer is really bad after 3 or 4 games.

I was volunteered 17 or so years ago because I was coaching a team that was practicing and on the adjacent field the umpire didn't show. It quickly became more interesting and I no longer had to worry about politics or parents. I can still teach the game, watch kids play ball, get a little exercise, all while making a little money. My career is correctional officer for 20 years.

@Wolfe_man had some patches laying around that I needed, sold them cheap, shipped them fast. Great transaction.

So, using your analogy, you're saying since the guys in the majors throw tantrums after they don't agree with a third strike, check swing, or other call it becomes OK for the kids. That's an interesting view.

I was taught at my very first clinic to do if with younger kids. The reasoning he used was that it makes younger pitchers feel like you're not the enemy. I never really thought about it beyond that and I've just done it since then. I only do 9-10 and 11-12 except for the rare occasion I do 13-15 when there's a local team.

I will say this, I work in a very rough prison setting and I view its use this way. If I can be written up or punished for using a word, then that word is off limits for everyone in that same setting. I don't believe in the not ok for me but ok for thee rules.

I'd absolutely buy all 4 if you find them.

I'm doing some state tourneys this year for Babe Ruth and they want patches on all our shirts. I called home office and was informed they don't sell patches anymore, you have to buy new shirts with patches sewn on. If you call games for different divisions or leagues do you want a bunch of shirts that are dedicated to one league? I've seen the velcro thing which is going to be my path but have you seen this with others?

I've had this problem this year for the first time ever. I had a home team visiting team stereo competition in a game this year. Each team trying to out volume the other. It's extremely annoying to say the least.

I'll take a stab. I'd say it simulates the pitching motion with intent to deceive the runner and I've got a balk.

I have the champro and it works great.

This is from the Babe Ruth / Cal Ripken2021 rule book.

Improvise...

I've seen this similar with 11/12 yo on d3k with R1 and R2 no outs. BR strikes out catcher misses ball, BR runs to first while the other runners advance. Catcher throws into right field so R2 scored R1 to 3rd, BR standing on 1st. When play stops I inform coach BR is out because first base was occupied with less than 2 out so he wants me to send all the runners back.

I just had this same situation and I created a post about it. My issue was they would start the music when the pitcher started his windup and it would play well into the second pitch. When I told them to turn it off when the better got in the box they all looked at me and said they didn't have the control. It's sitting 10 feet behind me against the fence and extremely loud. I don't have an issue with it if it's finished when the batter gets in the box but starting it mid delivery and into the next pitch was my problem.

I've been knocked out by a pitcher throwing low 80s and a foul sharp directly to the upper portion of my mask. I remember going down to one knee then my next memory was paramedics helping me up. They were there watching another game a couple of fields away. I had a concussion and believe it or not a neck sprain. It was 6 months before I could see clearly enough to track a pitch and then probably a year or so before I could do any type of upper level plate work without serious flinching. I really thought I was done with umpiring ball games. I never gave any thought to equipment before that happened but it certainly changed my mind. My mask when I got hit was a used mask I bought at a garage sale for my son to use playing ball at the house and it was at least 10 years old with torn up pads and weighed as much as a Volkswagen. When I got hit it broke the weld on the center bar. I bought my first new piece of equipment that week and I was shocked at the difference in the weight and the way it fit. Same with my cup, after sucking dirt in a 9-10yo game from a ball that came from underneath and tagged me 3 times in 2 games I ordered the nutty buddy. Me being a cheap butt I realized my health was worth spending the extra money.

I had this Saturday, 11-12 Cal Ripken 50/70, home team has "walk up" music they play introducing each batter. My problem was they would start it while the pitcher was in his windup and let it play thru that pitch and longer. It was very distracting because it was sitting at the backstop behind the plate and LOUD. I fermenter a tourney that had a rule about artificial nose to distract the pitchers but i can't find anything in the rules. I told them it needed to be finished playing before the pitcher started his windup but they continued until I had them remove it completely. What should I have done in this case?

Had his phone in his hand the better part of 2 games today. While I realize this is machine pitch it really looked horrible.

My worst is a 13-15 Babe Ruth game. Lots of chirping between the teams all night and every pitch called was wrong in one teems eyes. Where I work everything is solo, on a big field it's not fair to anyone. Anyways, the game is 7 innings or 2 hours but we're tied going into inning 9. Wild pitch goes to the backstop and R3 comes home, this field is incredibly sandy and the runner slides but his the sand pit in front of the plate and never reaches the plate, no question on what I saw. All hell breaks loose in the bleachers behind me and finally I have a mom stand up and scream, "you f*ing idiot, you're f*ing blind!. Because it's so late there's no one there to deal with her so I tell the coaches she's got to go out the games over. The coaches wouldn't deal with her and I should've just called the game but thinking these kids have played hard in spite of the parents and I felt compelled to deal with her. That turned her up from a 6 to a 12 in half a second, "I'm not f*ing leaving and you can't f*ing make me leave". I'm a local LEO in a neighboring town but I'm very familiar with this town, local PD is literally in the parking lot of this facility so I call the cops to help her leave. Turns out she wasn't leaving with them either and it turned into a use of force after she started swinging on them. While they're dragging her handcuffed kicking and screaming out of the park the coach comes to me and accused me of cheating all night and they were quitting. I felt horrible for her son to see this and felt really guilty about it for a long time. I know she was incredibly drunk and it wasn't my fault but feel like if I had just called the game she wouldn't have been arrested and dragged out. My coworkers all pointed out that perhaps my decision could have prevented something far worse had I not done anything and she drove away in her condition. That was 15 or so years ago and I've never called a game over there again. Had there been a board member there while the game was still going I wouldn't have been in that position.

This was Cal Ripken Majors, 11 and 12yo.

Is there ever a time when it's OK to remove a kid from the game for safety when he throws the bat after every swing? I had 11 and 12 year Olds this weekend and had one kids that absolutely launched the bat with every swing. To the point I wouldn't let the on deck batter out out the dug out when this kid was beating. I got hit twice by this kid and the 3 base coach almost got hit.

Academy sells some really nice tactical law enforcement style boots that are great. I personally wear the Under Armors every day at work and I also wear them on the bases. Lots of support and light weight.

My first pair of plate shoes were the GD convertibles. They lasted forever.

How does the weight compare on these electricity shoes to the New Balance? I sometimes do 4 or 5 games on a Saturday and lighter shoes keep me from feeling as tired.