My season is winding down.... yours is probably too - or done already.

What is everyone doing?

I'm quite excited for this weekend... I'm getting to work the Single A - American Legion Northwest Regional baseball tournament. It starts Friday and ends Tuesday and I'll will probably get a half dozen games. It won't be the greatest baseball I've ever done but it will be the highest tournament level I've done. State champions from Alaska, Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Montana, and the local Idaho Falls host team (www.ifalbb.com)

I've got some great people to work with. Should be an exciting learning experience. Any of you northwestern, umpiring superstars visiting Idaho Falls for the tournament - please contact me? It would be great to put a face with some of the threads we have shared.

Perhaps if I have time I can share some of the tournament "events."

Last year's AA State tournament had a semifinal game forfeited because the pitcher threw 12-1/3 innings... and he was doing a great job, his team was about to win... then the protest and forfeit. Ouch!

Well, join-in the thread and tell me what you are doing.
:)

[Edited by DownTownTonyBrown on Aug 9th, 2005 at 11:35 PM]

I am getting ready for the start of football season. Have first scrimmage to work Saturday where I will be white hatting. Will have a bunch of rookie officials with trainers in behind them. Should be interesting.

I'll soon be having arthroscopic surgery on
my right knee, followed by rehab. Then I will
be looking forward to baseball season.What an
offseason,eh?

Fall ball cranks up in September. I'm off for the month of August. There is adult ball going on, but I avoid that nonsense.

So do I.

Well,
 

Hey Tony, if you meet Dom Howard while umpiring say Tim in PDX says "Hi" . . .

BTW, the Oregon rep in that tourney played a AAA scedule all regular season and then only joined the other A's for the qualifier. Don't think they are much good at all.

For me gear is stored away.

I have been named to the Oregon Athletic Officials Association Baseball Mechanics Committee and we start state meetings in September.

Our area does have NABA ball going on by I won't work that crap.

Fall ball starts the first Saturday in September so I will be training and evaluating 3rd and 4th year umpires that work that.

Just building a list of new gear to buy over the winter.

I've been done with summer ball for about 3 weeks. Certainly enjoying my time off as I pretty much took the whole summer off after having a fairly packed HS schedule. Getting ready to start working out again and getting ready for basketball (43 days). I've got a few junior high baseball games that I'm going to work. Looking forward to completely ending my season as it's been a fairly solid season.

The gear is stored!
 

Finished final tourney last night and I'm glad its finally over, it was way too hot and humid, was fun, but it was more survival than anything!

Looking forward to getting in shape for basketball now, we have about two months and then we hit the courts.

Thanks
DAvid

Re: Well,
 

What's made the list so far?

End of the season here. Did the State Championship Jr Legion on Monday. Both teams didn't have any pitching left by then and the game ended up, not that exciting (9-2).

Mens play-off game tonight, (I don't know why) but Im done after that.

Few weeks off and then we start with Ice Hockey on the 28th.
First of four certification seminars for CT. Staff met 2 weeks ago and were just putting final touches on presentations. Then a 7 to 8 month season. Looking forward to it because I didn't skate but 10 games last year due to knee surgery.

Definitly, NO FALL BALL

Re: Well,
 

My first games are Friday morning: Wyoming vs. Alaska and then Oregon vs. Washington. It's going to be sweet!

I am facing about 30 days of physical therapy. Coming back from Austin from the State Board Meeting, I helped a little lady (weight about 100 lbs) with her bag (weight about 100 lbs). Going up to the overhead bin was no problem. Coming down, I tore a tendon in my elbow.

The orthopedic surgeon said: "Well, you certainly can't call strikes with your arm like this."

I said: "You mean I can't <i>signal</i> strikes. I can damn sure call 'em."

He said: "So you prefer surgery to therapy, huh?"

The good news is the Board named me the state clinician. We're about to embark on a mission to improve the training in Texas.

I was the first statewide clinican back in 1990, but the executive director thought it would be better if the chief umpire was in Dallas where the TASO headquarters were.

The current group has returned me to my rightful place. (That's a big grin, guys.)

We'll be working on the curriculum for the next few months. If you have tips, ideas, suggestions, complaints, let me know.

Time for me to put away the navy and black hats and get out my white hat. First football scrimmage is next Friday night. First varsity game is the Friday after that.

But, instead of putting baseball away this season, I'm going to work HS fall ball on 4-5 Saturdays instead of working youth football. I also have the rest of the playoffs for the adult league I assign. Probably about 15 more games left in total for me.

And the basketball rules meeting is in mid-October, which isn't too far away.

Thanks to Baseball Heaven on Long Island we have tournaments right through the middle of October in addition to the fall leagues.

Ed H

All three of my boys finished their seasons by the last week of July. This weekend I will do my final game of the 2005 season if I am not somehow talked into working any fall development leagues as a favor to my association.

The kids start back to school the week of the 23rd. and hopefully some sense of order will return to our household.

For the first time in four months my wife will not be able to claim the title of " baseball widow "

Like Tee and others, I too will be making a list for some new equipment for the spring. At the top of the list, I will put new plate shoes down, as my + POS have seen there last season. I also plan to turn in some of my Cliff Cleen shirts to Goodwill and buy new Honigs shirts.

For the next week and a half, I plan to take my boys fishing every time my wife or boss turn their backs!! Wish me luck!


Tim.

[Edited by BigUmp56 on Aug 11th, 2005 at 04:47 AM]