BHBLUE

As far as I know the team is still planning to play in NAFA. They have practice tonight and Sunday. Why the edit??? Nevermind, you don't have to answer.

You absolutely did! Others can take a lesson from your kindness and recognition of a fellow human being in need of life sustaining Gatorade. Or did I agree to kick a call in "you know who's" favor? Either way, it was much appreciated.

The memory is usually one of the first things to go as one gets older. Tell "T" good luck and give Ken a big ole kiss from me. ;D

So, if a runner touches a dirty 1st base on her way to 2nd has she missed it? How about a batter who steps on a dirty plate and hits the ball? Is she not out? Enlighten me. My understanding is that there was no question about her foot being over the plane of the rubber. I may be mistaken. But this talk of waiting for the bases to be full or empty before calling an IP is a little disturbing. Help me out with that too if you will.

The OCG boys know him. Something about dirt covering the rubber if I recall....

1. Lamar University football 2. AFA 3. Free Gatorade

Nope....he was a nice guy. He helped me get to coach! LOL. Next time I work a OCG game, let me know if you want to coach and I'll see what I can do.

I can't say that these guys didn't tried to warn me personally when this thing was first announced. Ya'll gonna get me in trouble with EastTx again. :'(

I guess you added that umpire's name to your notebook. ;D

Great job! Earning a trip to OKC is special. Congratulations!

Wrong! Manville uses the Galveston TASO chapter, while LaPorte and Pasadena use Houston. I guess us "out-of-town" umpires all look the same to you. Also, let's clear up the whole concept of "inviting" umpires to work a tournament. We are independent contractors. We provide a service for a fee. You don't honor me with an "invitation" to work any more than you do the guy who works on your car, does your taxes, or cleans your pool. NEVER forget that! I was not at the tournament but do respect the comments and opinions of some of the experienced people on this board. Once I heard who the new UIC was, I suspected it would not go well. It sounds to me (like the majority of your posts) that this was a case of "garbage in - garbage out".

I may be a Triangle outsider, but I do know a little about the JUCO ball that's played around here. I haven't heard about this. Maybe the "woodwork" umpires are working it. You be sure and let me know when this happens so I will recognize it as what you are talking about now.

He never said that! Agenda??? My very first post concerning this tournament was in response to the OP of this thread. The rest have all been in response to your clueless statements.

This is an impressive statement in that, of a long line of absurd statements that you have made, it takes first prize. It deserves no response other than pointing out it's absurdity. Not sure where you "heard" this (if indeed you heard it at all), but I will suggest you find another source.

I'll have what he's having!!! Coming out of the woodwork? So that's where the good umpires have been hiding. 10 games a day? See how sharp these "woodwork-coming-out-of" umpires are about game 7 or 8. No thanks. 2 king beds in one room? What hotel have you been staying at? Maybe cavorting with bureaucrats has it's perks. Sometimes it's best to stick with whatever it is you know and avoid the embarrassment of speaking out of turn. I personally have no beef with this tournament or it's directors. When the terms of the original deal came out, I, like many other umpires, committed to work elsewhere. It's as simple as that. BTW, can you expand on your "understanding" of this "Big National Fall JUCO Open" you mentioned?

DAMan pretty much summed it up. I've never heard of a "nationals" not providing rooms for out of town umpires. The teams may be sorely disappointed with the quality (and maybe even the quantity) of umpires they get after spending their time and money to play in this tournament.

Still stirring #13?

I second that. Those guys worked their butts off getting the fields ready. One of them even worked a couple of toe nails off! They even set up a maintenance office in a black truck in the parking lot and had a crew member out there while the work was taking place on the fields.

BC, 13 will probably deny this, but his DD's team is a part of the SK Softball Mafia which controls ASA in the Greater Houston Area. These few teams may act like they don't get along, but make no mistake about it, the SKSM takes care of it's own. You won't see any of them getting bad "draws" for 1st round opponent, game time, or location. If other teams complain, it's off to Tomball for the Ronald McDonald in the fall where the only coaches you will find at the field are on break from the 10U soccer tournament being played there. Just by making these statements, I run the risk of being scratched from umpiring ASA in Houston. One can only hope!

Maybe the SK teams (like Eclipse) didn't get a good enough draw the first time. Looks like that has been corrected.

REALLY? Open mouth, insert foot! :D

You mean what you say in the broadcast booth won't fly on the field?

Good call Blue! You and Hill need one of the new indicators. ;D Exactly! I mean it is 8U right? 8)

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While you're at it, please explain the rules surrounding the concept of sportmanship. In a couple of weeks I'll be back to working youth ball and will expect participants and fans to adhere to them. After this spring, my tolerance level is about -2.