northwestern mutual commercial.
 

Anyone else seen the commercial with softball game going on? Opening scene the pitcher is leaping.

First base ump is WAY too close...

Forget where the ball was hit but as I recall was also out of position in foul territory.

Those AZ umpires are looking good, as usual....

Warning: Possible overanalysis ahead. Pretending to be an evaluator tonight. Here's the commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Vq3efsguUQ
Yup, nice RH batter's box/home plate hi-def view of classic leaping at 0:09. (Too bad you don't get that solid a view once you're set. At least she drags through the rest of the pitch.) Illegal pitch in any league I've worked where the players aren't guys. I'm calling that from first base every time....

...but of course if like this guy I start so far foul that the 1b coach is asking for his coaching box back, how can you see the leap?!? :) This is obviously a 2-man game, so he's terribly out of position for the entirety of this double play. Not only is he straight-lined on the throw to first, he's straight-lined and 75 feet from that sweet neighborhood play at 2nd @ 0:17. (Not sure F6 ever touched 2B; I still have an out on this.)

IMHO it would be impossible to be more out of position. On the other hand, the sell-out is decent. He doesn't step through it, but if he had, he'd have been on top of F3. He doesn't appear to have an indicator or a brush, so...there's that too. Frankly, as a mass-media representation of our avocation, I'm just happy the shirt is tucked in, hat brim forward, and the shirt is the right color. (Also, the plate ump's shin guards aren't strapped to the outside of his pants.)

Clinics for beginners to 2-man should show this as a "DON'T do this" video.

Good scoop by the F3 actress. I wonder how many takes this took.

In another vein, apparently Northwestern's marketing dept thinks that only baseball is worked three-man: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhYmvHrCNCc Nice four-stitch plate hat on the 3B umpire (visible at 0:10 and 0:22). Dork. :)

If he was wearing a 2-stitch hat I'd understand your comment, but a 4-stitch is nothing that out of the usual.

True. I'll admit, I'm a little biased on hats. :) The good ol' boy who brought me up through the ranks insisted on nothing shorter than a 6-stitch, ever. I wear a 4 behind the plate, and I still occasionally feel like it's a beanie after working so long with Lyle. I'm not around the big diamonds enough to know what's actually being worn on the bases at HS/college/big boy games.

What was he doing in "A" with R1 on 1B?:eek:

That is what I asked the same thing.

MTD, Sr.

So many other things to talk about with the WCWS having started, many areas in the middle of high school playoffs, summer ASA qualifiers heating up, etc. etc., and we're wasting bandwith critquing commercials that obviously involve actors? Really? :p

Well, if we must, putting the BU in the proper position would remove him from the camera shot for the call. Gone would be the dramatic affect to get that "Teamwork" point across, which is the whole theme of the commercial. And I don't know how you can possibly see that the BU doesn't have an indicator or brush.

It's a commercial, gents, not a positioning/mechanics training clip.

The commercial was a success if you remember the company and its product. :D

What is he doing?
He's playing an umpire in a TV commercial! :D

Uhhhh - I think it was an Insurance company...:confused:

My guess would be.......... Making a commercial.

Well, no. Not if I choose not to patronize a company because of stupid commercials There is a difference between humorous and stupid.