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I am with you on this. All it does is drive fans crazy that the umps are terrible when they miss a call half an inch off the plate on a 90mph slider that has over a foot of movement. They could even keep the box and remove the ball marker.
This is the biggest issue I have with people that complain. No, the hands are not part of the bat!. No, a bunt cannot be an infield fly no matter how high the bunt goes in the air.
The foul lines are not the basepath, interference and obstruction do not need to be intentional to be called, the ball does not need to stay in the infield for the infield fly rule to be enforced, a foul ball is determined based on where the ball is when it's fielded and not where the fielder's feet are at the time the ball is fielded, and the list goes on. A good rule of thumb is that the louder the complainer, the less knowledgeable they actually are about the rules.
I always wanted to have my teams let infield flies on the infield grass drop because then all hell breaks loose because so many people don't understand the rule. I never had the stones to actually have my teams do it though. Any time an IFF gets dropped it is hilarious though.
I've had multiple instances while umping LL that they've been unintentionally dropped. It's guaranteed mayhem. The players in the dugout, coaches, and spectators all start shouting conflicting information because 90% of them don't understand the rule. The players on the field get that deer in the headlights look and almost always end up doing something stupid.
It's Foul it hit home plate!@!@!#!#
After an inside pitch, yelling "charge the mound".
Quick update - the Pirates found out about Toren's cancer and Bob Nutting (owner of the Pirates) gave me a call yesterday. He said he wants to invite us to a game and make it a really special experience. Basically he left things wide open and said to work with his staff. For example, Toren will likely get to participate in batting practice, throw out the first pitch, be ballboy for a couple innings, etc. We will also be seated in the owner's suite for the game. So exciting - Pirates are a pretty classy organization!Apologies in advance for the novel..........The fans were so awesome to us all game. When I caught that ball, they booed the heck out of me when I refused to throw it back. I just stood up, pointed to my shirt and yelled “that isn’t happening!”. At that point I had no idea that it was # 300. Then next thing I know we are being whisked away by security and taking pics/videos with Cutch and the other Pirates. This will be a day that Toren never forgets!
I think I (and maybe others) had forgotten about your son’s health journey. I’m sure it makes it even more special for your family.
How is he doing?
So happy for him!
Thank you @AAABatteries ! Yes Toren was diagnosed with Acute Leukemia in October of 2022. The first 10-12 months of his journey were extremely difficult for all of us (Toren, younger sister Zanya, mom and dad) but he fought hard and taught me a lot of things about resiliency and character. Kids are just different beasts compared to adults. He's now in the maintenance phase of treatment and doing great. I dare say he's pretty much back to "normal" and we can certainly see the light at the end of the tunnel. Obviously from the video you can see that he has a nice, healthy head of hair again (unlike his dad). I told him last summer that he would soon have more hair than me and here we are! There were a couple FBGs (won't mention any names) that were instrumental in helping us get through this.
Yesterday was an absolute surreal experience for us. I really am a diehard Pirates fan and Cutch has always been my favorite player growing up (I wasn't old enough during the Stargell/Clemente days). Let me tell you about the unbelievable chain of events that had to happen for us to get that ball:
1. I had just gotten back from a business trip Thursday night and was not really in the mood to go to a game over the weekend. Toren was adamant that he wanted to see his Pirates.
2. My wife and I had planned for the 4 of us to go to the game on Saturday. However, the weather was really crappy and we decided to scrap that plan.
3. Toren was adamant that he now wanted to go on Sunday (last chance to see the Pirates in Philly unless they meet in October - lol yeah good one). We have close friends who are Phils season ticket holders and usually just buy their tickets. They had already sold them.
4. Wheeler was pitching and the weather was going to be gorgeous so there were only a handful of seats left. In fact, 4 of us going together was no longer an option. I asked Toren to pick who he wanted to go with and he picked me over mom! She's shorter than me and would have had no chance at catching that ball!
5. Tickets for 2 were also extremely limited. Basically there were upper deck and a few remaining seats just beyond the outfield fence. Obviously the upper deck tickets were cheaper but I decided that giving him a nice view and experience was worth the extra money. The potential for catching a HR ball did not play into my decision at all lol.
6. I told Toren at the start of the game that if the Pirates are losing late, we are leaving early to beat out traffic. They're facing Wheeler so we both agreed the odds of that are pretty damn good.
7. Suwinski hits that grand slam (after some sloppy Phils defense) and I tell him that we're sticking around until the end of the game.
8. The 9th inning hits and all I'm thinking is that I just want the game to end and go home. I wasn't even paying attention to what was going on at that point.
9. Then the play happens and well you all see the amount of fortuitous luck that directs that ball into my hand lol.
When we were in the clubhouse with Cutch and the other players/staff, one of the guys asked Toren if he plays baseball. Since his diagnosis, he has a port in his chest to receive his infusions and cannot play any contact sports. I thought about mentioning his cancer right there but decided not to. I felt that the moment was about Cutch and not us. In hindsight and now witnessing how classy of a man Cutch is, I feel that I made a mistake. It likely would have made that moment so much more special for Cutch if he knew that the Pirates fan (in Philly surrounded by red) who got that ball has gone through hell for the past year and a half.
The chapter isn't over yet. The principal of Toren's school has connections with people high up in the Phillies organization. He contacted me today and wants to get the word of Toren out to the Pirates. Not that I need or want anything for our family but me somehow catching that ball has probably changed his life. After what he's been through, I want him to be spoiled. I still just can't believe it happened. It doesn't even feel real and Toren's story makes it an absolute miracle.
p.s. I hate the fact that I'm all over the internet but it was all worth it for Toren to experience this.
I've umped for a while now. I do everything from 10-year old travel ball to high school varsity playoffs, as well as legion and amateur ball.
Man, that is so freaking awesome!Quick update - the Pirates found out about Toren's cancer and Bob Nutting (owner of the Pirates) gave me a call yesterday. He said he wants to invite us to a game and make it a really special experience. Basically he left things wide open and said to work with his staff. For example, Toren will likely get to participate in batting practice, throw out the first pitch, be ballboy for a couple innings, etc. We will also be seated in the owner's suite for the game. So exciting - Pirates are a pretty classy organization!Apologies in advance for the novel..........The fans were so awesome to us all game. When I caught that ball, they booed the heck out of me when I refused to throw it back. I just stood up, pointed to my shirt and yelled “that isn’t happening!”. At that point I had no idea that it was # 300. Then next thing I know we are being whisked away by security and taking pics/videos with Cutch and the other Pirates. This will be a day that Toren never forgets!
I think I (and maybe others) had forgotten about your son’s health journey. I’m sure it makes it even more special for your family.
How is he doing?
So happy for him!
Thank you @AAABatteries ! Yes Toren was diagnosed with Acute Leukemia in October of 2022. The first 10-12 months of his journey were extremely difficult for all of us (Toren, younger sister Zanya, mom and dad) but he fought hard and taught me a lot of things about resiliency and character. Kids are just different beasts compared to adults. He's now in the maintenance phase of treatment and doing great. I dare say he's pretty much back to "normal" and we can certainly see the light at the end of the tunnel. Obviously from the video you can see that he has a nice, healthy head of hair again (unlike his dad). I told him last summer that he would soon have more hair than me and here we are! There were a couple FBGs (won't mention any names) that were instrumental in helping us get through this.
Yesterday was an absolute surreal experience for us. I really am a diehard Pirates fan and Cutch has always been my favorite player growing up (I wasn't old enough during the Stargell/Clemente days). Let me tell you about the unbelievable chain of events that had to happen for us to get that ball:
1. I had just gotten back from a business trip Thursday night and was not really in the mood to go to a game over the weekend. Toren was adamant that he wanted to see his Pirates.
2. My wife and I had planned for the 4 of us to go to the game on Saturday. However, the weather was really crappy and we decided to scrap that plan.
3. Toren was adamant that he now wanted to go on Sunday (last chance to see the Pirates in Philly unless they meet in October - lol yeah good one). We have close friends who are Phils season ticket holders and usually just buy their tickets. They had already sold them.
4. Wheeler was pitching and the weather was going to be gorgeous so there were only a handful of seats left. In fact, 4 of us going together was no longer an option. I asked Toren to pick who he wanted to go with and he picked me over mom! She's shorter than me and would have had no chance at catching that ball!
5. Tickets for 2 were also extremely limited. Basically there were upper deck and a few remaining seats just beyond the outfield fence. Obviously the upper deck tickets were cheaper but I decided that giving him a nice view and experience was worth the extra money. The potential for catching a HR ball did not play into my decision at all lol.
6. I told Toren at the start of the game that if the Pirates are losing late, we are leaving early to beat out traffic. They're facing Wheeler so we both agreed the odds of that are pretty damn good.
7. Suwinski hits that grand slam (after some sloppy Phils defense) and I tell him that we're sticking around until the end of the game.
8. The 9th inning hits and all I'm thinking is that I just want the game to end and go home. I wasn't even paying attention to what was going on at that point.
9. Then the play happens and well you all see the amount of fortuitous luck that directs that ball into my hand lol.
When we were in the clubhouse with Cutch and the other players/staff, one of the guys asked Toren if he plays baseball. Since his diagnosis, he has a port in his chest to receive his infusions and cannot play any contact sports. I thought about mentioning his cancer right there but decided not to. I felt that the moment was about Cutch and not us. In hindsight and now witnessing how classy of a man Cutch is, I feel that I made a mistake. It likely would have made that moment so much more special for Cutch if he knew that the Pirates fan (in Philly surrounded by red) who got that ball has gone through hell for the past year and a half.
The chapter isn't over yet. The principal of Toren's school has connections with people high up in the Phillies organization. He contacted me today and wants to get the word of Toren out to the Pirates. Not that I need or want anything for our family but me somehow catching that ball has probably changed his life. After what he's been through, I want him to be spoiled. I still just can't believe it happened. It doesn't even feel real and Toren's story makes it an absolute miracle.
p.s. I hate the fact that I'm all over the internet but it was all worth it for Toren to experience this.
This was 14-15 yr old's? That is terrible and worse than minors play in little league. That is not low level travel ball. I don't even know what to call it.
At least today they scored 5 runs off a reliever who came in with a 7.00 ERA. When they were down 9 in the 9th. After scoring 0 runs in the previous 17 innings against the Phillies.
At least today they scored 5 runs off a reliever who came in with a 7.00 ERA. When they were down 9 in the 9th. After scoring 0 runs in the previous 17 innings against the Phillies.
Today the Mets are at the Dodgers at 4 est. Blacked out for me on the MLB appYour avatar says you support the Dodgers though.It is ******* stupid. Where I live the Pirates, Phillies, Mets and Yankees are blacked out. The closest of those stadiums is a 3 hour drive
Rotation wasAt least today they scored 5 runs off a reliever who came in with a 7.00 ERA. When they were down 9 in the 9th. After scoring 0 runs in the previous 17 innings against the Phillies.
Weren’t they a playoff team like 2 seasons ago? What the hell happened?
Dodgers are killing it…Today the Mets are at the Dodgers at 4 est. Blacked out for me on the MLB appYour avatar says you support the Dodgers though.It is ******* stupid. Where I live the Pirates, Phillies, Mets and Yankees are blacked out. The closest of those stadiums is a 3 hour drive
And being shutout.
The pitching has actually been pretty good this year, despite all the runs given up during the Philly series.Rotation wasAt least today they scored 5 runs off a reliever who came in with a 7.00 ERA. When they were down 9 in the 9th. After scoring 0 runs in the previous 17 innings against the Phillies.
Weren’t they a playoff team like 2 seasons ago? What the hell happened?
*Cease (just traded)
*Lynn (old and fat caught up to him)
*Giolito (tried pitching injured **theory**, traded low, now out for season w/elbow injury)
*Rodon (lost in free agency)
*Kuechel (old and bad caught up to him)
Closer Hendriks got cancer, now he's pitching for the other Sox. Tim Anderson has always been a bag of douche and now he sucks at beisubol too. Jose Abreu left in free agency. Grandal got old- fast.
Team is now basically just Eloy, Robert, and Crotch I'm leaving that auto correct.
That right there illustrates the issues with umps. So thin skinned, so much want to be the star of the show, no repercussions for their actions.
I would say no, no and no.
The scored 0 runs off Chris Paddack in 7 innings. Chris Paddack!
The biggest question right now is which player is going to be reluctantly added to the all star team.
Yeah, I so want to leave the Orioles Magic group on social media. They are ridiculous, if it's not a perfect game from each player they want to fire Hyde and trade for "good" pitching.
Kjerstad coming up. I haven’t seen who is going down though.
Drives me nuts. They are fine.
I know Hayes went on the IL, so maybe to replace him?
The biggest question right now is which player is going to be reluctantly added to the all star team.
He's available for trade....The biggest question right now is which player is going to be reluctantly added to the all star team.
Kopech seems like the logical choice, but yeah....suxors man.
post.
After watching the latest White Sox loss, I switched over to watch the rest of the Cubs game just in time to see Pete Crow Armstrong get his first major league hit, a go-ahead home run against the Astros.
Which led me to this
My wife, son and I went to Phoenix for spring training this year. On our last day, we decided to go to the White Sox vs. Cubs "Spring Breakout" game that featured the prospects for both teams. The game ended up being cancelled due to rain, but all of the players sat at tables in the concourse for signatures for well over an hour. If you wanted a signature from all of them, you definitely had the chance to.
Being White Sox fans, my son was totally stoked to get autographs from some of the Southside youngsters like Colson Montgomery, Noah Schultz, Bryan Ramos, Edgar Quero, Jacob Gonzalez, Nick Nastrini, etc.
But I have to say, this was my favorite picture of all of them. My son is a baseball fan so he obviously knew who PCA was and wanted to get his autograph. Pete wasn't quite as thrilled with signing an autograph for a White Sox fan. He looks a bit annoyed at the whole thing.
Verlander chewed him up badly in his first two at-bats. It was good to see PCA hang in there against Abreu and get a good solid swing.
This has been creeping up my yearly to-do-list every year. ...We need a west coast cornhole in arizona. What could go wrong @urbanhack?After watching the latest White Sox loss, I switched over to watch the rest of the Cubs game just in time to see Pete Crow Armstrong get his first major league hit, a go-ahead home run against the Astros.
Which led me to this
My wife, son and I went to Phoenix for spring training this year. On our last day, we decided to go to the White Sox vs. Cubs "Spring Breakout" game that featured the prospects for both teams. The game ended up being cancelled due to rain, but all of the players sat at tables in the concourse for signatures for well over an hour. If you wanted a signature from all of them, you definitely had the chance to.
Being White Sox fans, my son was totally stoked to get autographs from some of the Southside youngsters like Colson Montgomery, Noah Schultz, Bryan Ramos, Edgar Quero, Jacob Gonzalez, Nick Nastrini, etc.
But I have to say, this was my favorite picture of all of them. My son is a baseball fan so he obviously knew who PCA was and wanted to get his autograph. Pete wasn't quite as thrilled with signing an autograph for a White Sox fan. He looks a bit annoyed at the whole thing.
I'd love to see these pics but they aren't showing up for me. I need to do Spring Training one time in life before it's too late.
@General Malaise - Updated picture links. Imgur doesn't seem to work here anymore.
![[icon]](/data/avatars/s/5/5167.jpg?1660313464){kind=avatar}