Dumb ballbag question...

[BT_Blue]

10 hours ago, lawump said:

Whatever the size of the difference, this difference can pucker an umpire's cheeks faster than anything else:

All I know is that one day I went to rub up the baseballs before my plate job and instead of them reading, "New York-Penn League," they read "American League".  I asked the clubby what was up.  His reply was, "you didn't hear?  Gooden has a rehab start tonight."

And that's how I found out (through the label on a baseball) that I was umpiring my first game with an actual MLB pitcher.  Talk about not being able to fit a pinhead up my a$$!  

Good thing it wasn't a super star pitcher or anything! GOOD LORD!

[lawump]

43 minutes ago, BT_Blue said:

Good thing it wasn't a super star pitcher or anything! GOOD LORD!

Let's just say I learned what the term, "big league curveball," means.  It's also the day when I truly learned why they stress timing so much at umpire school when teaching plate mechanics.  

[dumbdumb]

11 hours ago, lawump said:

Whatever the size of the difference, this difference can pucker an umpire's cheeks faster than anything else:

All I know is that one day I went to rub up the baseballs before my plate job and instead of them reading, "New York-Penn League," they read "American League".  I asked the clubby what was up.  His reply was, "you didn't hear?  Gooden has a rehab start tonight."

And that's how I found out (through the label on a baseball) that I was umpiring my first game with an actual MLB pitcher.  Talk about not being able to fit a pinhead up my a$$!  

article in the paper the next day said you were calling by sound.

[lawump]

27 minutes ago, dumbdumb said:

article in the paper the next day said you were calling by sound.

"Strike!"

Batter:  "Where was that at?"

"I don't know, but it sure sounded good!"

[MadMax]

On 11/12/2021 at 7:56 PM, lawump said:

"I don't know, but it sure sounded good!"

I’m not trying to one-up @lawump at all. He’s probably seen measurably more HV pitches than me… 

Fastest I’ve ever been a PU for was 101 MPH, dealt by the then-AA prospect for a club based on the south side of the third largest city in the USA. I’ll admit… I would have been mortified save for two factors – one was the Latino catcher in front of me who was built like a tank, and I had caught in a farm club bullpen when I was 18 (I wasn’t part of the roster; merely a guest HS kid catching in the bullpen to spell the rostered catchers (it was a different time in the 90s)), and had caught what I was told was 95-96. Still, it’s absolutely surreal. 

Most impressive pitch sequence I’ve ever been a PU on was for a club based in the Midwest USA at a city that spans into two states across a big river. First pitch came in, I balled it as inside. Catcher asked “by how much?” I replied, “Just off”. Next pitch came in, same velocity, same spot, and I kid you not – it was perhaps a 1/2 inch towards the plate, enough to skim the black/white line. “stREEEEEEK” I delivered, with the batter looking back ever so slightly, “Did he adjust?” “Yup,” I replied, “that’s the edge”. The next pitch came in at the same spot, this time you could tell the velocity was different. Batter got his hands to it, but grounded out to 3B. 

3 pitches, all at 92+ MPH, and all 3 within a tight grouping like that. It’s the consistency that’s so impressive. 

[dumbdumb]

14 hours ago, MadMax said:

I’m not trying to one-up @lawump at all. He’s probably seen measurably more HV pitches than me… 

Fastest I’ve ever been a PU for was 101 MPH, dealt by the then-AA prospect for a club based on the south side of the third largest city in the USA. I’ll admit… I would have been mortified save for two factors – one was the Latino catcher in front of me who was built like a tank, and I had caught in a farm club bullpen when I was 18 (I wasn’t part of the roster; merely a guest HS kid catching in the bullpen to spell the rostered catchers (it was a different time in the 90s)), and had caught what I was told was 95-96. Still, it’s absolutely surreal. 

Most impressive pitch sequence I’ve ever been a PU on was for a club based in the Midwest USA at a city that spans into two states across a big river. First pitch came in, I balled it as inside. Catcher asked “by how much?” I replied, “Just off”. Next pitch came in, same velocity, same spot, and I kid you not – it was perhaps a 1/2 inch towards the plate, enough to skim the black/white line. “stREEEEEEK” I delivered, with the batter looking back ever so slightly, “Did he adjust?” “Yup,” I replied, “that’s the edge”. The next pitch came in at the same spot, this time you could tell the velocity was different. Batter got his hands to it, but grounded out to 3B. 

3 pitches, all at 92+ MPH, and all 3 within a tight grouping like that. It’s the consistency that’s so impressive. 

pick me, pick me, pick me, ew, ew, ew, pick me, says little johnny for the first part. here is the 101 mph list. A.J. Burnett, Rob Dibble, Kyle Farnsworth, Eric Gagne, Ubaldo Jimenez, Tim Lincecum, Jose Mesa, Seth McClung, Guillermo Mota, Tony Pena, Billy Wagner. And the winner is.

I am going with Rob Dibble. Apparently, from old ariticles, he also had a nasty (isn't that his nickname) slider to go with that fastball. hope you got to see that, sounds neat.

gee, and you remember when the old plates had that black around them. don't tell anybody.

and whats the old joke about accountants and engineers. if you line up 10 feet from a girl that wants to kiss you, and you her, and you make her keep walking half the distance towards you, the accountant says she will never make it. the engineer knows when it doesn't make any difference anyway.

[Kane Holland]

I play shortstop and I pitch for my freshman team and every time I throw a ball it’s not accurate I feel like I think too much about the throw but at the same time, I feel as if there is something wrong in my mechanics but mainly the ball goes off to the side and is rarely on target. 

[The Man in Blue]

23 hours ago, Kane Holland said:

I play shortstop and I pitch for my freshman team and every time I throw a ball it’s not accurate I feel like I think too much about the throw but at the same time, I feel as if there is something wrong in my mechanics but mainly the ball goes off to the side and is rarely on target. 

Try wearing two ballbags.  Sounds like you are off-balance ... 

[Marcus6]

23 hours ago, The Man in Blue said:

Try wearing two ballbags.  Sounds like you are off-balance ... 

and put an equal number of balls in each 

[The Man in Blue]

Mom in Row 1: "Why does that umpire keep walking around in circles?"

Bench coach #36/assistant to the back-up score book keeper: "We didn't return the foul balls and now he's out of balance."

[ErichKeane]

I'm Jealous of all of you who get enough balls to have a 2nd bag!  I think the most I've ever had is 4 balls!

[The Man in Blue]

There is a "wife's purse" joke in here somewhere ... 

I actually don't carry balls in my left bag unless they have loaded me down.  Left bag is my brush, extra indicator, Ump Life folder, red pen, green pen (sometimes -- in case coach uses red), and sweat towel (when needed).

I just don't like the one-bag look.  😁

[Kane Holland]

While learning to throw a ball harder, you cannot go wrong with consulting professionals.
I can ask your school coach for tips and corrections on how to pitch fast. They can spot what you have been doing wrong at a single glance.

[The Man in Blue]