Suggestions for UMPY Awards

[rth54]

The content of the balk video is excellent, but, the production quality is really sub- par, especially considering the price.

[sdix00]

The content of the balk video is excellent, but, the production quality is really sub- par, especially considering the price.

There are several comments about the production quality of the balk video and Maximizing. I don't think it is practical to expect much more.

Honestly, I don't think he has sold more than a few thousand of these videos.

say 5000 copies * $40 = 200,000 in Gross revenue. Basically nothing.

I don't see how he makes any money when considering the extremely small sliver of umpires who actually invest in these materials.

Spend any money to improve the production quality and any margin he had would be gone.

If there were any money to be made, then someone would have made a better product. Instead, there is nothing that comes close. Case in point: Consider "See a balk, call a balk". An absolute piece of s#it theft of my $30.

[rth54]

I hear what you are saying and I can see your point. As I said, the content is excellent. My comment on the quality is simply my observation based on my experience with the product in question.

[grayhawk]

The content of the balk video is excellent, but, the production quality is really sub- par, especially considering the price.

There are several comments about the production quality of the balk video and Maximizing. I don't think it is practical to expect much more.

Honestly, I don't think he has sold more than a few thousand of these videos.

say 5000 copies * $40 = 200,000 in Gross revenue. Basically nothing.

I don't see how he makes any money when considering the extremely small sliver of umpires who actually invest in these materials.

Spend any money to improve the production quality and any margin he had would be gone.

If there were any money to be made, then someone would have made a better product. Instead, there is nothing that comes close. Case in point: Consider "See a balk, call a balk". An absolute piece of s#it theft of my $30.

I absolutely agree with you based on when the video was produced. With today's digital video hardware and software, you can easily make something with very high production quality for almost nothing. However, unless the content needs to be updated (due to rules changes), there is really no reason to go back and shoot it again.

[boyinr]

1287417196' post='36167']

Umpire junkies are a VERY small niche market. However, I believe our discussion and opinions of umpire products do make a difference to manufacturers and retailers, and influence the buying decisions of our fellow umpires.

Last year I started the Umpire Merchandise Products of the Year (U.M.P.Y.) awards to recognize the year's best umpire products. This November I will continue the U.M.P.Y Awards and name winners in ten categories:

Best Hockey Style Helmet

Best Traditional Mask All Star FM25TI

Best Chest Protector All Star CPU4000

Best Leg Guards All Star LGU2000

Best Shirt

Best Pants

Best Plate Shoes New Balance NB450MK

Best Umpire Accessory Oakley Flak Jacket Sunglasses

Best Training Aid

I am soliciting suggestions and opinions regarding this year's selections from the umpire community. Which products do you think are deserving, and why?

Please see the above. I may be a little early on voting for the All Star CP and LG but it is really good gear. I also like the All Star TI. Not the lightest out there but I have all the confidence in the world that this will take any shot I will ever be exposed to.

[yawetag]

say 5000 copies * $40 = 200,000 in Gross revenue. Basically nothing.

That's easy for you to say. I'd love to have $200,000 over 10 years as a supplemental income.

[Umpire in Chief]

I personally think this could be done again with modern digital technology reducing the cost, giving better asthetic and production values and could be sold digitaly much less expensively and earn more money while reducing the retail price therefore making it more appealing via price and volume would increase and everybody would win.

[johnnyg08]

I don't know for me that balk video is what it is. It's not Shrek, or the Matrix, it's a baseball balk video that helps me interpret the balk rules. As for quality, it's fine for what I need. I like the price point too.

[Kevin Finnerty]

I personally think this could be done again with modern digital technology reducing the cost, giving better asthetic and production values and could be sold digitaly much less expensively and earn more money while reducing the retail price therefore making it more appealing via price and volume would increase and everybody would win.

Jim Evans's amateur-publication-for-the-price-of-a-professional-publication philosophy seems to him to be a method of simple profiteering on his highly valuable intellectual property. Instead, it simply makes for drastically lower sales volume. Any first-year business student can tell you that.

It's especially galling when you consider---as you illuminated---that drastically fewer umpires will gain the benefit of his vast wealth of knowledge, simply because a high price for an amateur publication is such a grievous insult to so many.

I would bet that if he were to burn those thousands of extra unsold copies of that unedited, ridiculously overpriced book, and have it professionally published and priced it to sell, he would gain the benefit of higher income from the project, while making a significant impact on the umpiring community.

There is absolutely nothing right about the way he does it.

And the irony is that materials like this that carry a bloated price tag are the ones from which people make bootleg copies for their friends.

[noumpere]

Best Hockey Style Helmet

Best Traditional Mask Wilson A3009X

Best Chest Protector Honigs K1

Best Leg Guards Wilson Charcoal

Best Shirt Officials Choice

Best Pants Smittys

Best Plate Shoes Honigs Low Cut

Best Umpire Accessory

Best Training Aid

Yes, Im serious.

That said though, almost all of this stuff changes over time and what you buy today with the same name may not be what I bought several years ago and still use even though Ive tried many of the other newer items that others have listed.

[sdix00]

Best Shirt Officials Choice

Yes, Im serious.

You said that with such a straight face. I almost believed it for a second.

[sdix00]

I personally think this could be done again with modern digital technology reducing the cost, giving better asthetic and production values and could be sold digitaly much less expensively and earn more money while reducing the retail price therefore making it more appealing via price and volume would increase and everybody would win.

Jim Evans's amateur-publication-for-the-price-of-a-professional-publication philosophy seems to him to be a method of simple profiteering on his highly valuable intellectual property. Instead, it simply makes for drastically lower sales volume. Any first-year business student can tell you that.

It's especially galling when you consider---as you illuminated---that drastically fewer umpires will gain the benefit of his vast wealth of knowledge, simply because a high price for an amateur publication is such a grievous insult to so many.

I would bet that if he were to burn those thousands of extra unsold copies of that unedited, ridiculously overpriced book, and have it professionally published and priced it to sell, he would gain the benefit of higher income from the project, while making a significant impact on the umpiring community.

There is absolutely nothing right about the way he does it.

And the irony is that materials like this that carry a bloated price tag are the ones from which people make bootleg copies for their friends.

I just don't see anything wrong here.

If there is money to be made by producing a better product and selling it for less, then someone will do it.

When that happens, Jim Evans will probably re-produce and offer the product on demand/electronically at half the price.

"America, F*** yeah!"

[Kevin Finnerty]

I just don't see anything wrong here.

If there is money to be made by producing a better product and selling it for less, then someone will do it.

When that happens, Jim Evans will probably re-produce and offer the product on demand/electronically at half the price.

"America, F*** yeah!"

Do you honestly believe that? Really?

He put that book out in 2010! And he's had years to re-produce that balk video with what is now rather old technology.

He's simply too greedy and myopic to see a need.

And what's wrong is that he side-steps traditional publishing practices (and the expenses involved), yet he charges what one would normally charge for a professional publication. That's a slap in the face to those who take the necessary steps and make the necessary expenses when they publish something, and it's an even bigger slap in the face to the purchaser of his publications, who pays a bloated price that is not justified by the cut-rate amateur publication practices.

Evans is an umpiring luminary, and his teachings are in most cases the umpiring gospel. It's a shame that he chooses to present his teachings to us in this rather slipshod way.

[johnnyg08]

I just don't see anything wrong here.

If there is money to be made by producing a better product and selling it for less, then someone will do it.

When that happens, Jim Evans will probably re-produce and offer the product on demand/electronically at half the price.

"America, F*** yeah!"

Do you honestly believe that? Really?

He put that book out in 2010! And he's had years to re-produce that balk video with what is now rather old technology.

He's simply too greedy and myopic to see a need.

And what's wrong is that he side-steps traditional publishing practices (and the expenses involved), yet he charges what one would normally charge for a professional publication. That's a slap in the face to those who take the necessary steps and make the necessary expenses when they publish something, and it's an even bigger slap in the face to the purchaser of his publications, who pays a bloated price that is not justified by the cut-rate amateur publication practices.

Evans is an umpiring luminary, and his teachings are in most cases the umpiring gospel. It's a shame that he chooses to present his teachings to us in this rather slipshod way.

Kevin, how would you rate the BRD? Childress used amazon.com on his last release. How would you compare it to what Evans produces?

[yawetag]

Kevin, how would you rate the BRD? Childress used amazon.com on his last release. How would you compare it to what Evans produces?

The information inside it is worth every penny. The design of the text is horrible, and I've told him such.

[Kevin Finnerty]

Kevin, how would you rate the BRD? Childress used amazon.com on his last release. How would you compare it to what Evans produces?

It is a vital tool for any umpire who needs to flow naturally from one rule set to another. It is a thoughtful and rather thorough approach to defining the differences in the three sets.

But it is a mind-boggling read. The way it is formatted is what is mind-boggling.

But the essential difference between the two as publications is that Childress's work doesn't pretend to be a professional publication and is priced fairly, and in line with the cut-rate publishing practices he employs. I bought mine for around $25.00, which is what it's worth. That price also ensures that more umpires will own one, which should be a goal of Evans's, but it is not. Evans's goal is low sales volume, but with a high margin on each unit. Or at least, that's what he accomplished.

[Umpire in Chief]

The BRD is a great tool but:

As Kevin said it is a mind boggling read.

The cover design just scream amateur.

That said it has an excellent index which is my starting point evry time because the material doesn't "flow" well

[sdix00]

The BRD is a great tool but:

As Kevin said it is a mind boggling read.

The cover design just scream amateur.

That said it has an excellent index which is my starting point evry time because the material doesn't "flow" well

The accompanying e-book, available for $15 on top of the original purchase, is really the only way to read this title.

I have a copy on my shelf, but never use it. e-book, all the time. Search "signs" NEAR "rubber" and I get exactly what I am looking for.

The BRD is not the final answer, rather, it is the wikipedia-style starting point.

[midmoump]

Fellas,

I'm about a week away from publishing the 2011 UMPY Awards on the Midwest Ump website. I have reached a firm decision for several categories, but I'm still debating a couple. I could really use some suggestions and insights (especially the traditional mask category). Here are the categories:

Traditional Mask:

Helmet:

Chest Protector:

Leg Guards:

Umpire Accessory:

Shirt:

Pants:

Shoe:

Training Aid:

Thank you for your assistance.

Pete

[johnnyg08]

Fellas,

I'm about a week away from publishing the 2011 UMPY Awards on the Midwest Ump website. I have reached a firm decision for several categories, but I'm still debating a couple. I could really use some suggestions and insights (especially the traditional mask category). Here are the categories:

Traditional Mask: Wilson Titanium

Helmet:

Chest Protector: WV Gold

Leg Guards: All Star System 7

Umpire Accessory:

Shirt: New Honigs are tough to beat

Pants: Honigs Poly's (can't wait for ump-attire)

Shoe: Reebok

Training Aid: BRD

Thank you for your assistance.

Pete

[hckyosgood30]

Pete, here is my vote.

Traditional Mask: Nike Titanium

Helmet: Allstar MVP4000ti

Chest Protector: Wilson Platinum w/ delta flex harness

Leg Guards: Wilson Pro

Umpire Accessory: Oakley Polarized Radar sunglasses

Shirt: 2011 Honigs

Pants: Honigs Poly wool

Shoe: Plate- Reebok, Base - Nike TR1.3

Training Aid: CCA Manual

[zm1283]

I know this is trivial, but the Nike mask shouldn't even count since it isn't available for sale and it isn't really even an umpire's mask.

[hckyosgood30]

My gear bag would disagree with you. I've owned wilson dynalite and titanium, allstar, Mizuno, and was forced to wear Easton and Rawlings in college. And out of all them my Nike out performs them day in and day out. Great piece of equipment. Superior quality, and light and comfy beyond reproach. So if you ask me it should go on the list and if Pete wants to look at one to compare just send me an email and I'm sure we can work something out. :meditation:

[Kevin Finnerty]

Pete, here goes:

Traditional Mask: Wilson Titanium standard profile (looks and feels wonderful)

Helmet: All-Star System Seven (after only trying it on)

Chest Protector: Wilson Gold (because I haven't tried the All-Star System Seven)

Leg Guards: Wilson Gold (because I haven't ...)

Umpire Accessory: All-Star chrome notched wheel indicator (awesome instrument)

Shirt: Honig's 2011 only! (because I haven't tried Ump Attire Ultimate)

Slacks: Honig's Polywools (Honig's has no rival in this area)

Shoes: Reebok Plate; Reebok Base

Equipment Bag: Pro Nine roller with retractable handle (you need to add this category)

Training Aid: Jim Evans's Maximizing The Two-Umpire System (even though it is a glaringly amateurish publication, the information is golden)

Happy gear hunting!

[jnazz]

Traditional Mask: Wilson Titanium

Helmet: N/A

Chest Protector: Wilson Platinum

Leg Guards: Wilson Platinum

Umpire Accessory: Honig's Ball Bags

Shirt: Honig's UA Ultimate

Slacks: Honig's Polywools for look and GD for comfort

Shoe: Reebok Plate: NB

Equipment Bag: Evans

Training Aid: J/R