Props to ASA on the new DVD
 

Well I got my DVD Saturday and I really think it is great. If you are a clinician, this is a must have. This provides great visuals and everyone at our clinic was real receptive to it.

ASA, JJ, et al did a top notch job on it and I commend em. I host my clinic Mar 7 and I've adjusted the schedule to add this DVD to it.

I have no doubt there will be detractors and it is for sure a little pricey, but I think worth it if you would like to advance or are a clinician. I think one thing it will definitely do is get UIC's on the same page of some of this stuff.

Good job ASA.

Make sure you leave time for Q&A during the video. I have used it already four times for clinics and it has worked great. We have viewed one section, had a Q&A, and then viewed the next....etc.

Boomer, Kevin, JJ and all others who worked on this did super good. Only found one minor mistake (there are no 2-0 counts in ASA slowpitch if the count starts 1-1!) but I ain't nitpickin...and if I did, I would bet there would be few nits. Only thing I can think of is to make some of those umpires a little more rotund. :D

It was probably a Masters game.

I also saw the DVD at the NUS in Phoenix this past weekend. Very impressed.
I thought that the balance was great with the animation being fairly lifelike without being too cartoonish.

Hopefully, this will get everybody on the same page as the message will be consistent from the NUS to the Region and State UICs down to the local umpires.

In your dreams :rolleyes:

Its not such a far fetched dream. This could do it for the basics, then maybe, just maybe, ASA will stop catering to the lowest common denominator and some advanced umpire mechanics can be taught and allowed. As it is, NCAA has taken the base line teachings of ASA and improved upon them dramatically.. leaving ASA behind the times. This video is for the lowest common denominator - the bare bones basics - and is definitely a good corner stone building block.

Im taking a screen shot of the above quote and putting it in my wallet :)

Why bother? wade types that into some response at least weekly during the season...:rolleyes:

yep, you dont need to screen shot that one; stick around you'll see it again. :D I only write it because its true though and I would love to see ASA umpire training program continue to grow. The DVD is a good small step in the right direction.

dang.. i thought he had nothing but disdain for the NCAA and the people who officiate their games :confused: ...if i was wrong.. my bad :)

Yeah, take wade's opinion of NCAA, ASA, CIF, etc. about as seriously as Harold Stassen and Pat Paulsen's runs for the White House. :D

Who? :D

There are good NCAA umps and there are bad ones. NCAA out here, Pac 10, etc - does a real good job at training their umpires and has really improved that past few years. Because my employment does not permit me to work NCAA, when I work with a good NCAA official I always like to get their input and pick their brains for how NCAA is teaching it. I usually find myself in agreement with the reasoning behind NCAA's methods.

A perfect example is going out in 3 man.. for simplicity, ASA sends you out on a can of corn; they dont trust their umpires to to think so the general rule is "go out on everything" and in fact that is enforced on national evals. NCAA teaches nuance and the thinking umpire on a play like that - they dont go out on everything. Plate stances and other things are all more examples.

Irishmike represents the stubborn "we can't change" old guard and ASA will improve as that old guard fades away and gets replaced with young blood and fresh ideas and a willingness to look to other places for ways to improve. There are many who wont even look at NCAA to see what they are doing. They still believe ASA trained these NCAA umpires, so there is nothing to learn from them. Mention a NCAA method at NUS (I did)... thats good for a laugh or two.

ASA is the foundation of fast pitch umpiring - NCAA built upon it significantly. Many, for their own insecurities, refuse to see how its being done elsewhere and how those ideas might improve our own umpiring.

Their excuse when they admit flaw: well we gotta train ___{insertnumberhere} umpires wah wah, and many are stupid, so we can't teach that.

Now comes the DVD... and they could if they wanted too, go deeper into the systems.

edit ..

oh wait, let me add :D

wouldnt want to forget that.

Training is, by far, the biggest problem that every ruling organization faces. Keeping tens of thousands of umpires consistent is obviously a daunting task, further complicated by varying levels of interest on the part of each umpire. Getting everyone in lock-step is an impossible task, but one for which we should still strive.

I've not seen the DVD, but from what I'm hearing, it's a great start.

I just wish it weren't so damn expensive. They can't REALLY cost that much to make, can they, ASA? You're not fooling the techie over here.

If your goal is to get all umpires in lock-step, drop the price. You'll gain much more interest in the product, and the knowledge (and hopefully the consistency!) will spread faster.

wade, as part of the young blood movement (20 years old, sixth year ASA) i take offense that you are just willing to pass on the problems of the current guard to us. I have had enough problems convincing my UIC's that I'm the umpire that they hired, let alone trying to figure out how to get everyone in lockstep! Therefore, I will only accept your apology if you teach us how to pass our problems to the next generation behind us! :)

In all seriousness I cant wait to see the DVD this weekend in Bloomington. It sounds like it will be a helpful tool

Dave, as a umpire and college student, I wish ASA would drop the price on everything!... or at least give a college student discount. I have other things to buy like books! :)

That isn't true, but yes, I'm going out on a fly ball. It is called "responsibility". To be so pretentuous as to presume a fly ball will be a "can of corn", IMO, demonstrates your contempt for the nuances of the game.

For someone who does what you do, you certainly talk out your *** alot. WTF do you know about me? Besides not a ****ing thing, you know even less.

Many of the people you refer to as "stubborn" or "Old Guard" routinely offer alternatives. And they will question what they believe something is right.

This is true and I've had this conversation with MB, HP and a number of other initials that would burn too much space to list. But it isn't because the people are stupid. It is KISS. For a lot of the ball worked on the local fields, there is no need for high-level mechanics for low-level play.

Not all umpires aspire to move up the ranks and much of their training needs to include survival and that is what the basic mechanics provide. These umpires are in the majority of registrations in many areas. You try to hold them to national tournament standards for umpires and you will lose many who just don't want to be bothered with it. In turn, games, leagues and tournaments become extremely difficult to cover. That is not fair to the umpire or players.

Like it or not, they still have a product to sell and expenses to recoup. The DVD was basic championship play as it was meant to be. There is already another DVD in production that will probably cover the one-umpire and three-umpire systems. There are many other options which are being studied for the future.

Thanks for playing. One day you may actually get IT and I'm not referring to the computer world.

And this :D is for you.

And the rest of us have a load of money and fewer bills, right? :confused:

Please let me know where that place is. :rolleyes:

I love the college kids that have no idea what is going to hit them when they move into the real world. :D

The real world? you mean that place with jobs and house payments and, god fobid, kids that are mine and i have to take care of? its not all partying and craming the last minute for exams?....... is it too late to go back? :)

I'm with you on that one! Training materials should not be so darned expensive, but I can understand how some of the uniform items are so pricey. I've got shirts that have lasted 4 or 5 years, shorts that have lasted 3 or 4 years, and the pants have lasted about as long as well. For getting punished as much as my uniforms do, they've held up very well.

People need to remember it is a business.

The production cost of the DVD was in the neighborhood of $38K. What the material, packaging, branding and any other ancillaries were, I have no idea.

After the response to this DVD, will subsequent DVDs be less expensive? I certainly hope so.

Talking with KR at lunch on the first day of the UIC clinic (he sat next to me at our table), they had a $35k budget for the DVD production. They they estimated that they would sell between 1000 and 1100 of them. Hence the $35 price tag. All they originally wanted was to recoup the cost.

Now they have found that the DVD is a huge success, and that some associations want to buy them in bulk. They've far exceeded the 1000 estimate (at OKC, he said they were around 2500). So they've basically offered the DVD's to the commissioners for $25, and will be using the excess "profit" made on the DVD sales to fund the 1-ump and 3-ump DVD project - expected to be out for the 2011 season.

Washington was selling the DVD's at last weekend's school for $25. Not even making money on them. In fact, they gave away around 20 of them.

Finally, it comes out! Hob-snobbing with the bosses! Now he is too good to drink with his old "buddies". That explains why you were so clean-cut. :rolleyes:

That's why I didn't recognize you when I ran into you outside the Appaloosa.:D

Hey, HE sat next to ME. Not the other way around.

(BTW, M.Bo. was at our table, too.) :D

I'm not exactly sure whats gotten into you to where you follow me thread to thread and forum to forum attacking my posts, even attacking me on fan forums; but you really need get grip. You are losing it. I'm sure you've had a lot of people in your life you have been able to bully and intimidate, but you are barking up the wrong tree.



Hey the issues! I'm almost surprised you were able to address them without personal attack

For the record, I agree with you and agree with those considerations. But there can be a higher standard.

I believe they should separate those levels of umpires and there should be various standards. I think UIC's can and should be able to certainly handle training and evaluating more than a single standard. The problem is the lowest common denominator of mechanics becomes the highest rigid standard during the most important games... nationals.

I dont have a problem with them recouping their expenses or even making money, especially if it leads to bigger and better projects in the future. I think they did a great job. I'm not sure where you came up with that mumbo jumbo or why you addressed it at me. I said it was pricey, and it is.

I would say, dont worry about buying it at this point. If you can get to watch it a few times, I think you could get a visual of things you've heard described and that would be enough for now. Besides it will likely be on U tube soon anyway...

Actually, I'm somewhat surprised it hasn't ended up on torrents just yet.

Its like you read my mind, I did look for it last night

I'll make this real simple for you. I read discussion boards. If I disagree with something stated regardless of location or individual, I will post my opinion. That is why they are called discussion boards. If you have a problem with that, that is just what it is, YOUR problem.

I have never, nor ever intend to bully anyone on any plane. Maybe you think such a thing is necessary, I don't. Bullying is for the weak.

If I attacked you, you would know it. If it ever came to that point, there would be boundaries.

IMO, you routinely misrepresent yourself and the statements of others. I don't know if it is intentional, but if you have an issue with folks disagreeing with or offering what they consider corrective comments, you are living in the wrong country.

From what I have been told, you are an upcoming umpire in your area. I hope that the attitude and contempt for others demonstrated on-line is not reflective of your performance on the field.

There are a lot of people who read this board and while we may occasionally get silly, there is a great number that appreciate the serious conversations and opinions. I believe we owe it to them to be forthright with the information provided and keep dissenting opinions on a professional basis and that does not include debasing comments.

Okay, I'm done with this thread, knock yourself out as I'm sure you will want the last word.

Occasionally?

Mike, that's my M.O.!

And, I hope you are not as a big of a pompous *** and as degrading of a jerk to your umpires as you are on this forum and other forum. Maybe next time I'm around certain folks who know you, I'll ask em. You cant possibly be as bad as you treat umpires on this forum and have worked your way up as high as you did; even as a big fish in a very little pond. IMO you should be ashamed of yourself at how you represent your umpires here and elsewhere online; but you are so arrogant, you arent. I represent me, a lowly up and coming umpire :rolleyes: . You represent an entire state and all of their hard work.

Mike, wade, with all due respect, you're both losing everyone's respect around here for this bickering. In all honesty, I would greatly appreciate it if you would just go outside, knock yourselves silly for an hour, get it out of your systems and buy each other beers afterward.

Frankly, I expect better from both of you.

Kudos!

I'm just getting tired of seeing Rowe v. wade.

Yawn...don't we have any coaches we could pick on?

Now THAT's funny! Very good! :D

:rolleyes:

I don't get the complaint about the price.
Less than the fees for 2 games in my association( for the Plate Umpire DVD and the Case Book + shipping) and fully deductible as an expense for the IRS.

Wow, thats crazy good. :D

Returning from 10 days off line, I saw the length of this thread and immediately thought, "Mike and Wade must be at it again."

Agreed...as a matter of fact, it's so good, I wish I had thought of it!

*takes a small bow*

Opportunity was there, so I took it. I'm surprised it hadn't been said before, as it was just TOO perfect. :)

I even briefly considered the possibility that Mike and wade are actually one and the same person, presenting opposite viewpoints until somebody catches on to the joke. ;)

Conspiracy theories...I love it! :D

Went to the NC ASA state clinic today, and our clinician made use of the DVD. Excellent production job. Man, I wish I'd had this DVD many years ago...

It was well received at the rules clinic today. Its just a good video. I will show it at my clinic next week. My clinic is mostly rec ball younger umps and I think it will be invaluable. Its a great visual of how ASA wants it done.

Ha! I was wonderng if you were there. It occured to me that you might be at some point during the the day. I wish I would have thought of you a few days ago, I would liked to have met you.

Unfortunately, the ASA DVD was the highlight of the clinic IMO.

I agree. It's a very difficult process to "talk" someone through mechanics without showing them. Relying upon the book alone is a fatal mistake for an umpire. Clinics are a much better way to learn, but some clinics are better than others. Publishing a DVD with the exact mechanics straight from the horse's mouth is probably the closest we'll come to "the perfect way to deliver the message."

Doh! I was there! We shoulda posted because there are a few folks who could have been there on this board. Personally, I enjoyed the clinic and I already have the DVD :)

I didnt win anything though. Not a single thing at any raffle yet this year. That blows.

I just want to know when someone posts it in torrents... :D or any ISO images of it are always welcome. :rolleyes:

*cough*me, too*cough*

Although on one of the torrent sites that I go to, I found some amusing results when searching for "mechanics."

My favorite was "MILFs and Mechanics."

Maybe it's a DVD for how to call 10U games?

MILF's they do a body good... erm... sorry meant milk. ;)

Nothing in the raffle for me either. I already saw the DVD, at our HS meeting last week. Love it - I think every umpire should have a chance to see and learn from it.

I was disappionted with the clinic. For a "rules clinic", we spent precious little time on rules. The session on the "Line up Management" spent time explaining what starters and subs are...but there was only superficial mention of DP/FLEX - the most misunderstood thing about line up management. The IRS session, while informative, has nothing to do with rules and took a full hour. Plus, I'm not a big fan of having ppt. slides read to me. I can already read.

I can nit-pick more (you should have heard us on the way home) but you get the idea.

Wade - where were you sitting?

Finally got to see the video yesterday, at our first local ASA meeting. Thoroughly enjoyed it and found it to be a great training tool.

I agree that visual aids can be a tremendous help in teaching. Which brings me to something I noticed when our "Umpire Edition" rule books arrived last month...

While the updated umpire information is well-organized and presented, noticably absent are the usual field diagrams showing umpire positioning and movement. Yet in several places the text refers to "the following diagrams" and even includes a "key" explaining that in the (non-existent) diagrams "P" = "Plate Umpire", "B" = "Base Umpire", etc.

I always found the diagrams to be quite helpful. That they are referenced in the text numerous times leads me to believe that they were intended to still be there and that their omission was an editorial gaffe.

I also noticed a subtle addition to the umpire signals... Wiping off the IFF! It's now actually in the book (even though it's been around for YEARS).

MILF's and Mechanics. :D

No way I'm clicking that link at work! :eek:

Sadly, it's safe for work.

Do you really think Scott would be looking up porn at work? He's a teacher, for chrissakes!

No, but they could be having one of their 97 teacher (ahem) "work" days or make-up-an-excuse holiday they scatter throughout the year... ;) Antioch music teacher accused of child porn
Former Virginia Beach teacher sentenced in child porn case
Substitute teacher's porn conviction sparks tech debate
Teacher Quits After Porn Incident

Notice I carefully separated whether I think Scott would be... from whether I think his job means he wouldn't be...

I was up front. I was the one who asked a few questions about the spiderweb cracks in the bat and the Easton Clarity. I knew the answers but I wanted to give heybucket folks answers from a higher level than me so I asked on their behalf.

The line up mgmt was nothing, you can download that presentation on cactus.

For me I consider clinics like warming up my car in the morning - gets me ready to go but mostly for networking purposes. I spent a lot of time talking with certain folks about things so I had a good time. I also am always on the prowl for PPTs, guides, and information so I had a few UICs burning me stuff from their laps to my handy dandy thumb drive.