During the last two weeks:

[Tim C]

If any of you have followed my "I have never done . . . " threads the following have happened to me:

To Rich Ives:

I had the plate of a game that was 22-1. That spoils my record of never having had a game where a team scored over 20 runs. First time is 3,783 games.

To Carl Childress:

Had the plate with a checked/unchecked swing situation:

Tee: "BALL, no he he did not go, he did not go!"

To All Rats:

I had the opportunity for long time officiating.com writer/poster "CoachJM" to attend a game where I was umpiring and afterwards have a great dinner conversation about baseball, umpiring and coaching.

It a very nice evening.

To All "I'll make my own calls, thank you" umpires:

While working a game last week as BU I was in "C". Squibber pushed up the first base line betwix the foul line, the pitcher's mound, etc.

Pitcher comes over, first baseman comes in and runner enters the picture . . . ball is scooped by the pitcher and flipped to F3 . . . runner kinda sorta slides towards the first base dug out and F3 makes a sweep tag.

During this I had moved over to "B" from my original "C". I have also adjusted twice to increase the angle between F3 and the batter-runner. I set to make my final call and I get straight lined as the F3 steps directly into my line while making the "tag."

Tee: (To my plate guy) "John, do you have a tag?" John gives me the closed fist, belt high in front of his belt buckel for all to see.

Tee: "He's OUT, on the tag, on the tag!"

First time I have asked for help in, well the same 3,783 games.

To All Blue Light Shoppers:

For the first time in my life I entered and purchased a few items at "Wal-Mart". As this decision violated my last great stand in America (I could do a column on my disgust with Mall-Wart and the American dream as we have seen it for decades) I thought it worth reporting.

So there you have my admissions that a few things have happened the last two weeks that surprise even this old hide, hard nosed, umpire from the past.

Regards,