Season Starts in 12 hours

[Umpire in Chief]

My season starts in just over 12 hours.

 

In the past 4 days the game location has changed 3 times.

 

The number of games have changed 2 times. 

 

I've had no scrimmages. They have all been rained/snowed out. 

 

But I'm still giddy like a kid the night before Christmas. 

 

 

[BRUMP]

Don't suck.

[umpstu]

I agree. Try not to suck.

[mjr_2013]

Young man, shouldn't you have been sleeping instead of posting about it???   
 

[BT_Blue]

Lucky. Still at least another month for me. Thankfully there will be college games to watch starting in two weeks.

[Ump29]

Very lucky. I have about 3 months to wait !!! Spent the last 2 days shoveling snow !!

[Typhoon]

At least you'll be in shape to start the season.

 

Tony

[T-Rav]

My first HS game is tomorrow, I have plate, it should be a good game.

[johnnyg08]

Don't suck

[Umpire in Chief]

Well, I'm proud to report I feel I had a very good game. I dished the first game 7 complete in 1:40 Final 7-0. The visitors put up all 7 runs in the 6th inning if not for that inning maybe could have gotten in 1:30. 

 

I had about 4 pitches I wanted back. 

 

Second game was not as quick the final was 7-6 with the visitors winning again. 

 

I had 2 unconventional Double plays. 8,2,6 & 4,3,6 unconventional plays are always cool to get. On the 8,2,6 DP I was following the play well, but wish I had maneuvered to the outside to take the play like they showed in the D-II clinic. 

 

 

My goal for the two games was to always be set for plays and knowingly giving up the 2-3 steps extra distance in order to be set. And I did really well for the most part. It really paid off on a steal of second I had. I got to cheat a little because everybody yelled "He's going" So I got a half drop set before the catcher threw. I got 1 more step in flight, turned and stopped, didn't even try to get another step, got set in the modified scissors for the bases and saw the glove rake across the top of the runner's hands for the out. Although the runner was really fast, it was a good quick throw I saw everything perfectly. Now I might not have been as close as I would have been before, but I realized I didn't need the extra distance. Good results like this encourage future good mechanics.

 

I did have one awkward moment and hopefully it is something only an umpire would notice. R2 I'm in C. Chopper hit to F5 it took a weird hop and he stops the ball has trouble grabbing the ball off the dirt. R2 is half way between F5 & 2nd, so I can't start back towards 1st because there is the possibility of a play on R2. F5 picks up the ball and fires to 1st. I turned, got hands on knees set and banged the BR out at first. But when I did my punch out I stepped with my right foot as I banged him out. I can only imagine it looked as awkward as it felt. 

 

It was cold, very cold and windy. We're lucky we had this little window of sun poke through it rained all day Thursday & Friday. Saturday it was sunny, but the field was unplayable. Sunday like I said. Now today it is raining again. 

 

I also heard something new from one of the Tuskegee players on the bench in the second game. I was in A and a there was a screamer hit down the first base line. It hit <6" foul and I gave it a big foul call. He yelled out to me, "Hey blue. You ain't missed one all day. That would have been a good one to start with."  

[noumpere]

Well, I'm proud to report I feel I had a very good game. I dished the first game 7 complete in 1:40 Final 7-0. The visitors put up all 7 runs in the 6th inning if not for that inning maybe could have gotten in 1:30. 

 

I had about 4 pitches I wanted back. 

 

Second game was not as quick the final was 7-6 with the visitors winning again. 

 

I had 2 unconventional Double plays. 8,2,6 & 4,3,6 unconventional plays are always cool to get. On the 8,2,6 DP I was following the play well, but wish I had maneuvered to the outside to take the play like they showed in the D-II clinic. 

 

 

Thats dangerous to do with only two umpires because if the ball gets overthrown to center and the runner then tries for third you will be chasing with the ball coming from behind you.  You are better staying inside in this like on a steal I think.

[Umpire in Chief]

So I mentioned to my wife yesterday that since this was my first college game where I was actually scheduled to work and wasn't an 11th hour replacement now that I am on a conference staff I wanted to pick up a copy of the local paper to get the box score (I'm a 21st century guy and generally don't touch printed newspapers) to save as a memento. My incredible wife called someone she worked with who gets the newspaper to bring in a paper today. She gave it to me and I open the sports section find the box score and bam, my name is misspelled. So I go to the school website and it's spelled incorrectly still.    It's not that hard to cut and paste from Arbiter.

 

http://www.ecsuvikings.com/sports/m-basebl/stats/2012-2013/tuecsu.html#GAME.CMP

 

Oh well. Also they misreported the time and temp. It never got above 45 degrees yesterday. I also doubt there were 51 people there.

 

But I'm still keeping the clip. 

[LMSANS]

So I mentioned to my wife yesterday that since this was my first college game where I was actually scheduled to work and wasn't an 11th hour replacement now that I am on a conference staff I wanted to pick up a copy of the local paper to get the box score (I'm a 21st century guy and generally don't touch printed newspapers) to save as a memento. My incredible wife called someone she worked with who gets the newspaper to bring in a paper today. She gave it to me and I open the sports section find the box score and bam, my name is misspelled. So I go to the school website and it's spelled incorrectly still.    It's not that hard to cut and paste from Arbiter.

 

http://www.ecsuvikings.com/sports/m-basebl/stats/2012-2013/tuecsu.html#GAME.CMP

 

Oh well. Also they misreported the time and temp. It never got above 45 degrees yesterday. I also doubt there were 51 people there.

 

But I'm still keeping the clip. 

Does that make you a Wookie?

[Umpire in Chief]

 

I can only wish I had some hair.

[spiritump]

finding your name for the first time in a box score of a NCAA game was a time I will not forget--still have a copy in my office.

[BT_Blue]

I wish I had saved the paper from my first game. Game seriously sucked.. but still would have been cool.