The Official Forum - Annual throat guard topic

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Quote:

Originally Posted by SAump

Year 1, I took a shot directly between the chestbone and the neckbone that left bruising and pain to the touch below. Didn't take long to realize I needed a better chest protection. Same year, an umpire busted his "cup" and another his collar bone. Same year, SB ump in wide stance took several shots to the cup over the course of several 13-15 yo. games after I was worked the plate earlier w/11-12 yo. Convinced me to keep my legs together and allow the shin guards to do what the shin guards should do.

Same year I took several foul balls off the extended throat guard. I felt it act as a lever. The top of my mask would fly forward as the throat guard bounced innocently off the chest protector. Then the padding at the top of the mask would slam harmlessly back into my forehead. Didn't take long to convince self that this event was much more preferable than the one below. I have taken several bad shots off the west vest gold. I felt them scare the hell out of me. This was usually followed by the batter or catcher asking me if I ws okay. It left me smiling from the "rush" in the brain which was also asking self, Are you okay? Are you really okay?

That was one heck of a year!

Quote:

Originally Posted by SAump

It looks no different from Tiger Woods reading a green. It has tremendous advantages over two other cumbersome positions found in baseball. It provides one with the comfort and balance of the Gerry Davis stance, an enormous amount of protection, a very good look at the strike zone, the ability to find the right place in a "crowded" slot, and the mobility of racing out of the blocks.

How can it help you? First, try the scissors to get a good idea about the proper height of the strike zone. Then bring the back leg underneath to discover the benefits I disclosed above. Of course, it would be easier going straight into it, a "half-kneeling" position. It may look funny to some people at first because those nuts are no longer exposed to any danger. But when they discover how powerful the legs feel after a nights work or how well they recover the next day, it makes it personal. I have to wonder why umps would shy away from it?

The look of the stance may be very revealing. I'll say the same things about that wide squat position {standard #2} which never helped my knees, or leaning over the urinal with my legs spread 3 feet apart {scissors #1} which never helped my lower back/neck. The good news is that you can look into it at home and decide for yourself how it looks compared to those other two I descibe above. If you use it and don't get immediate results, you can always go back to what pleases you, showing your nuts back there.

So it does look like a little kid who has to pee REALLY badly!

Quote:

Originally Posted by UmpJM (nee CoachJM)

Charlie,

You are supposed to wear it attached to a MASK!

JM

Now that cracks me up! :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by GarthB

Why?

The same reason MLB base coaches have to wear batting helmets.:rolleyes:

Quote:

Originally Posted by charliej47

I have been hit wearinig the protector and been hit without it. everytime i was hit, the protector didnot/would not have protected me. I lost teeth both times.

Let me see - you are weaing a mask and the pads encompass your entire mouth (if you are wearing the mask correctly). I cannot fathom how this was possible. Care to elaborate?

Quote:

Originally Posted by DonInKansas

The same reason MLB base coaches have to wear batting helmets.

Oh.....throat guards prevent you from getting hit in head while you're in the coach's box. cool. :rolleyes:

Oz, For years I wore the standard mask. Once the batter took a golf swing at a ball and it came up hit my shoulder, the ball came under the mask at the side. It caught me on the side of the face and I lost two teeth. I was in the slot in the scissor position. I got the protector and started using it and got hit again almost the same way on the other side of my face and lost one tooth.

Quote:

Originally Posted by charliej47

Now I understand! I just could not picture what happened. I think that you may have been too deep in the slot for this to happen.

There it is on ESPN

Quote:

Originally Posted by tcarilli

So it does look like a little kid who has to pee REALLY badly!

PU in Phillies/Mets game tonight is using the half-kneeling set position "like" I described earlier in this thread. He stands straight up and takes a step back. He is working behind the catcher (especially w/ lefties) and is working higher than I do. I work over the catcher's shoulder and work lower. Also the catcher's height (6-2 MLB player vs 5-8 14-16 yo kid) makes a difference.

I wonder if he is older than the avg MLB umps?

I just bought a new Craftsman electric hedge trimmer, 4.0 amps, best they had. It is a boss hog trimmer compared to the 2.6 amp model I had previous that quit on me.

The first 11 pages of the instruction manual were safety messages, many of which were no doubt due to legal department requiring such verbage due to some case brought against them for not warning users. Things like "stay alert", "protect your lungs", "bystanders must wear the same safety equipment that the operator of the tool wears".

If I choose not to protect my lungs while operating my trimmer then I expect no legislation to require it, especially after I have been warned.

I noted that there was no warning against using the electric trimmer in the middle of a swimming pool so apparently it has not come up, yet.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SAump

The yokes on you. HAHAHAHA

And another one...