Be prepared
 

During my game yesterday, the first pitch of the inning I get hit in my left hand. BOOM! My indicator explodes. As I stand there grasping my hand in pain, I look down to see my beloved and much used indicator on the ground in seven distinct pieces; the front cover, back cover, four florescent yellow wheels with raised red numbers, and a metal piece used to restrict the wheel movement to one direction while make a distinct clicking noise. (Say, it just occurred to me, maybe this is why the uniformed call them clickers?)

The offensive coach rushes in to see if I am alright. As he arrives on the tragic scene he sees the mortal remains of my destroyed indicator on the ground. After determining that I am (mostly) unhurt, he picks up the remains and hands them to me. “Too bad about your clicker, now what are you going to do?”

With a twinkle in my eyes, I wryly smile I say, “Watch this.” With a small flourish I reach into my ball bag and pull out my spare reserve emergency indicator, which had just been promoted to lead indicator.

“Wow, you are a well prepared,” says the much impressed coach.

As the game is ready to get back underway, the defensive coach seriously asks, “What’s the count?”

Reaching back into my bag I pull out a few of the broken pieces, “I don’t know.”

“Was that a ball or a strike?”

“Oh, I’m pretty sure it was a ball.”

Between innings I give the pitcher’s coach the seven remaining pieces of the indicator, “Here coach, your pitcher earned this.”

I always bring a small gym bag to my games. In it, you will find:

• My shoes (freshly polished the night before)
• My chewing gum
• My Gatorade
• My shin guards
• A half dozen plastic bat rings from ASA
• 2 line-up card holders
• 3 wooden brushes
• 2 Hole-E brushes
• 6 or 7 indicators

Believe me, I'm pretty well-prepared! Sorry to hear about your indicator, though.

Memorial Services will be held on Saturday. Donations may be sent to NCASAUmp... I mean BuggBob.

Good job!

My waterbottle case thing has a pocket. In it is an extra clicker, a pen or 2, flip coin, and some gum.

I think I would have given it to the catcher - she earned it for not blocking the pitch!

To be fair it was a 36 foot change-up.

*snicker*

bob got jacked by a 36 foot change up. That's weak sauce.

:P

It's you own damn fault! How many times have you been told to keep the safety "on" them little buggers?:D

Always have a spare in the bag and always have a fully equiped spare ball bag in my equipment bag with two more indicators.

Sheesh, Mike... Don't you know better? A safety is a mechanical part that can fail. Didn't they teach you that in the Navy? ;)

Hell, no! Something has to work properly before it can fail. Never seem to enjoy the prior, so experiencing the latter wasn't possible.

Me too. Are we a bunch of anal-retentive folks, or what?) :cool:

What?? No extra shoe laces???

No, but good idea... :)

I have a couple extra pair in my bag.

I usually replace my shoes too quickly to necessitate a spare pair in the bag. Only twice have I ever needed a new pair of laces before I replaced the shoes.

in my bag I have two pairs of plate two pairs of base shoes... shin gaurds and replacement straps. two chest protectors ( one is smaller than the other) a mask and a replacement harness) two plain navy blue ball bags two ASA ball bags. 3 metal indicators. 3 brushes. two lineup card holders 3x5 cards as well as the all important cup ;) I modify my indicators so that their click isnt too loud if at all in audible.

One of my plate games at a national I was giving a play at home plate an overhand and the hand that was not actually giving the overhand clamped down and actually destroyed my indicator. I didnt have one the rest of the game. Now I dont use an indicator at all behind the plate. Dont get me wrong I carry one out there so if I drop the count one time I can pick it up and use it. I have yet to use it since that day I broke one.

Good.

I have learned (from necessity of course) to also carry a spare black belt. The shoulder harness of the equipment bag works, but sure looks funny!

No Wade, my indicator got jacked; :p all I got is a bruise on my thumb and the inability to use my left thumb on the space bar for a few days.

Update: I had that same pitcher/catcher again last night. They nuked the nads twice in a row (thank you nutty buddy), and spun my mask on my head once and then another cup check. That’s right four pitches four hits on the ump (you sunk my battleship!). The problem is after getting hit so many times, you start to question your positioning and then when that doesn’t fix the hitting issue you start to jerk and flinch.

I know I missed a few pitches because of jerking and flinching, including one of the most perfect inside pitches thrown by this pitcher, but since that pitch was untouched by the catcher and performed an important community service of checking my cup (cup was fine, one of the twins was a bit shaken up by the closeness of the ball) I called it a ball. Coach was very understanding, he told the catcher to do a better job. Must have worked because I only got hit by that team two more times all game long, a remarkable improvement over the first inning.

Probably TMI, but my balls hurt just from READING this.

Dont worry, I have a tendency to accidently miss pitches, despite my best efforts, when I have a catcher that cant. :cool:

"Catch, every time YOU miss a pitch, I'll probably miss two. I'm just sayin' ..."

;)

Catch...it really helps me call strikes when you catch the ball....