The Links Lounge (*** NO POLITICS/RELIGION/LIV ***)

[TiScape]

Just now, ChipStrokes said:

how effing long is page 194?!?!?!?!

touch messing with the software. Making page 194 50 posts! What that guy won’t do for a W and 10 extra point!!! 🤣

[ChipStrokes]

Just now, TiScape said:

touch messing with the software. Making page 194 50 posts! What that guy won’t do for a W and 10 extra point!!! 🤣

dude it went on forever!!

[TiScape]

Oh look! Page 195… and it’s mine!!!! 😝

[imkirby34]

You're a page stalker!  

[ChipStrokes]

37 minutes ago, chisag said:

 

 

... Coaching my son in high school in a very completive Rec league, which of course is more competitive for parents than players. 🙄  We were in an opening round playoff game and the normal refs were low so we were lucky enough to get a minor league ump whose son played in an earlier game and he volunteered to ump for the game. Rec leagues usually have one ump behind the plate and one in the field. We were in the field with a runner on first and a line drive in the gap my son cut off before it hit the fence and threw to third with this ump behind the bag making a good call of out on a very close play, the hitter a slow runner tried to stretch his single into a double. Throw got there 2 feet ahead of the runner with the second baseman making the tag. Minor League Ump called safe from behind 3rd. 

... I walked onto the field with parents looking/sounding like the BURN HER! crowd from The Holy Grail and before I could even utter a word the ump says "Coach I might have missed that call. From behind 3rd I couldn't see the tag because a player at 3rd was in the way and I had to make a call but it was a 50-50 guess. So keep it clean but feel free to rant and rave for the parents in the crowd and I'll just take it." I was pretty shocked and thanked him for his honesty then did some arm flailing histrionics. He ended with "That was very entertaining and I enjoyed your performance. If there is another close call I am not gonna cheat for you but if I can't see and have to guess again, it will go your way".  Most of you that have been around Rec leagues or even high school, know umps have a superiority complex and never make a mistake. Dealing with a professional was a real treat. 

i played ball for a very long time. over 15 years competitively and 3 years professionally. 

 

i encourage any and everyone who plays to umpire for at least a season in little league. 

 

it’s HARD! 

 

i don’t envy the job the umps have at the major league level with how fast the game is. 

 

that being said, only one thing absolutely infuriated me as a player:  a floating zone. 

 

if you wanna give him 3” outside…that’s fine. let it be that way all game and i’ll adjust. 

 

but you can’t call 3” outside a strike in the first inning, then call it a ball in the 4th, and give him 2” inside late in the game. 

 

good umps establish their zone early and keep it consistent all game. 

[chisag]

2 hours ago, ChipStrokes said:

bayzball has been berry berry good to me

 

 

... You are too young to know but baseball was the worlds best baby sitter in the 50's and 60's. We went to the park every single day in summer and played all day long. Back then they had water fountains with good clean water so lunch was the only thing we needed to bring. Few over weight kids back then too because we played all day every day going from baseball to football to basketball. Baseball was the friendliest for non athletic kids of course. To be fair to todays youth we had zero distractions and sports was our only free entertainment. No video games, no phones, No VHS/DVR's, no TV shows except cartoons Saturday mornings from 8-12 noon, and of course all fields and courts were empty Saturday mornings.  

[imkirby34]

21 minutes ago, ChipStrokes said:

never paid for a cut?!

 

this is crazy!

 

do you just rock a buzz cut?

 

im guessing you freshen it up if you’ve gotta go somewhere you can’t wear a hat. 

 

Yes on the buzz cut.  However, I had a pseudo Asian bowl cut until I graduated from high school.   This pic of me in 6th grade (circa 1979) should be good for a few laughs.  

 

 

 

When most college kids would bring laundry home for mom to wash, my main objective was getting a haircut from mom.  As you might imagine, considering my mom cut my hair for most of my adult life, I've never moved from my hometown.  Even when there was a period of ~18 months when I was working on contract in Texas, the company paid for bi-monthly weekend trips home and the first thing I'd do was have my mom cut my hair.  LOL!

[ChipStrokes]

4 minutes ago, chisag said:

 

 

... You are too young to know but baseball was the worlds best baby sitter in the 50's and 60's. We went to the park every single day in summer and played all day long. Back then they had water fountains with good clean water so lunch was the only thing we needed to bring. Few over weight kids back then too because we played all day every day going from baseball to football to basketball. Baseball was the friendliest for non athletic kids of course. To be fair to todays youth we had zero distractions and sports was our only free entertainment. No video games, no phones, No VHS/DVR's, no TV shows except cartoons Saturday mornings from 8-12 noon, and of course all fields and courts were empty Saturday mornings.  

i’m not too young to know about that lol.  and i’ll ignore the “baseball is for non athletes” crack. 

 

every day in the summer back in the late 90s there would be 20-30 bikes parked in a heap against the fence at the park while we played pickup baseball or football games. 

 

we’d play until we ran out of balls or it got dark, whichever came first. 

 

things didn’t really change all that much for like 50 years…then they changed really really fast over the last 20. 

[Double Mocha Man]

1 hour ago, chisag said:

Dealing with a professional was a real treat. 

 

Maybe your minor league ump could replace Angel Hernandez in the majors.

[ChipStrokes]

1 minute ago, Double Mocha Man said:

 

Maybe your minor league ump could replace Angel Hernandez in the majors.

god he’s awful. just downright terrible at his job. 

 

but there are good reasons guys stay on basically until they can’t stand up anymore.  on average, only one mlb ump retires each year 

 

the umpires’ union is really strong and they make a lot of money. rookies start at 150K a year and senior guys are approaching 500K, with a meal per diem and free first class travel, as well as a full benefits package from the MLB and a pension plan. 

[NJBigFish22]

7 minutes ago, ChipStrokes said:

god he’s awful. just downright terrible at his job. 

 

but there are good reasons guys stay on basically until they can’t stand up anymore.  on average, only one mlb ump retires each year 

 

the umpires’ union is really strong and they make a lot of money. rookies start at 150K a year and senior guys are approaching 500K, with a meal per diem and free first class travel, as well as a full benefits package from the MLB and a pension plan. 

Never was the statement “it’s a great job if you can get 1” more accurate.  

[chisag]

1 hour ago, ChipStrokes said:

i’m not too young to know about that lol.  and i’ll ignore the “baseball is for non athletes” crack. 

 

every day in the summer back in the late 90s there would be 20-30 bikes parked in a heap against the fence at the park while we played pickup baseball or football games. 

 

 

 

... I worded that poorly or you took it the wrong way or a little of both. My point was a non athletic kid could be put in right field or just play poorly and not have a disastrous effect on the day. Back in the day non athletic kids would play baseball but not basketball. Obviously it takes great skill to play baseball at a decent level. I played in a travel league so it is near and dear to my heart too. I have a story to tell about my son one day ... 

... Good to hear because where I lived the fields were empty in the 90's. We had a nice backstop and a well maintained field at our subdivision and other than baseball season with a few jr high/high school boys and girls it was always empty. 

Edited April 22, 2023 by chisag

[Double Mocha Man]

7 minutes ago, ChipStrokes said:

the umpires’ union is really strong and they make a lot of money. rookies start at 150K a year and senior guys are approaching 500K

 

I swear toward the end of night games the umps call more and more questionable strikes.  That big ol' filet mignon and baked potato at the steakhouse just down the road is calling their name.

[chisag]

1 hour ago, imkirby34 said:

 

Yes on the buzz cut.  However, I had a pseudo Asian bowl cut until I graduated from high school.   This pic of me in 6th grade (circa 1979) should be good for a few laughs.  

 

 

 

When most college kids would bring laundry home for mom to wash, my main objective was getting a haircut from mom.  As you might imagine, considering my mom cut my hair for most of my adult life, I've never moved from my hometown.  Even when there was a period of ~18 months when I was working on contract in Texas, the company paid for bi-monthly weekend trips home and the first thing I'd do was have my mom cut my hair.  LOL!

... You would have been such a stud in the 60's!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 22, 2023 by chisag

[ChipStrokes]

2 minutes ago, chisag said:

Good to hear because where I lived the fields were empty in the 90's. We had a nice backstop and a well maintained field at our subdivision and other than baseball season with a few jr high/high school boys and girls it was always empty

i grew up in an unusually talented town, athletically speaking. 

 

no less than 20 kids who i grew up playing youth sports with went on to play something in college.

 

a few went d3 but a lot of kids went on to play football lacrosse or baseball at division 1 schools. 

 

it was just a weird hotbed of good athletes and we all loved getting together to play. 

[TiScape]

15 minutes ago, ChipStrokes said:

god he’s awful. just downright terrible at his job. 

 

but there are good reasons guys stay on basically until they can’t stand up anymore.  on average, only one mlb ump retires each year 

 

the umpires’ union is really strong and they make a lot of money. rookies start at 150K a year and senior guys are approaching 500K, with a meal per diem and free first class travel, as well as a full benefits package from the MLB and a pension plan. 

I’m all for the robot 🤖 umps calling balls n strikes. Confident it will happen sooner rather than later. 

[Double Mocha Man]

2 minutes ago, chisag said:

My point was a non athletic kid could be put in right field or just play poorly and not have a distress effect on the day.

 

As kids we played slo-pitch softball so Wally V. or Dale B. were relegated to catching.  And they hit at the end of the line-up.  Yeah, basketball they didn't show up.  Now, in the sandlot football games they played center.  A number of us took up golf one summer, but not Wally or Dale.

[TiScape]

10 minutes ago, TiScape said:

I’m all for the robot 🤖 umps calling balls n strikes. Confident it will happen sooner rather than later. 

Jus found this 

[TiScape]

11 minutes ago, Double Mocha Man said:

 

As kids we played slo-pitch softball so Wally V. or Dale B. were relegated to catching.  And they hit at the end of the line-up.  Yeah, basketball they didn't show up.  Now, in the sandlot football games they played center.  A number of us took up golf one summer, but not Wally or Dale.

Oh yes, the days when you just threw the “husky” kid behind the plate! 😂 

[ChipStrokes]

8 minutes ago, TiScape said:

Jus found this 

i don’t mind it. 

 

if you’re gonna take steps to get all of the calls right, then go all the way. 

 

i think the replay process is clumsy and takes wayyyyy too long. it’s not like an nfl replay where after figuring out the call, you have to figure out where to spot the ball and what to set the clock to. 

[TiScape]

Just now, ChipStrokes said:

i don’t mind it. 

 

if you’re gonna take steps to get all of the calls right, then go all the way. 

 

i think the replay process is clumsy and takes wayyyyy too long. it’s not like an nfl replay where after figuring out the call, you have to figure out where to spot the ball and what to set the clock to. 

I’m sure it’s all still “a work in progress” and they will continue to dial it in. If you have the tech to ensure things are called accurately, use it! Major tennis 🎾 tournaments did away with line judges and rely solely on the “bots”. Works wonderfully. 

[chisag]

5 hours ago, ChipStrokes said:

speaking of chickens, we have 5 new chicks growing up on the farm right now. 

 

they come home in about a month. 

 

 

 

 

... Living in the suburbs but bordering the country, this is as close as I came to chicks. A Hawk killed the mother Robin and this one little guy fell out of the nest. I nursed him back to health on my enclosed back patio. "Roger" would jump on my head and dig his claws in my hair. I could walk around inside the house or even in the backyard with Roger on my head. Finally the day came to set him free and confused for awhile he finally followed some other birds. He only came back once and nestled in my hair to say Thanks and Goodbye. 

Edited April 22, 2023 by chisag

[TiScape]

14 minutes ago, TiScape said:

I’m sure it’s all still “a work in progress” and they will continue to dial it in. If you have the tech to ensure things are called accurately, use it! Major tennis 🎾 tournaments did away with line judges and rely solely on the “bots”. Works wonderfully. 

Not to mention it will do away w/the ridiculous pitch framing attempts. Gotta love watching a catcher pull a ball into the zone that’s 4” out! 🤪 (can’t blame ‘em as it sometimes works) Those catchers that make their bread in that can’t be happy! Amazing they keep stats on “catcher framing”. 

[TiScape]

Now if they could only replace NBA refs w/robots!!! It’s truly awful 

[Double Mocha Man]

3 minutes ago, TiScape said:

Not to mention it will do away w/the ridiculous pitch framing attempts. Gotta love watching a catcher pull a ball into the zone that’s 4” out! 🤪 (can’t blame ‘em as it sometimes works) Those catchers that make their bread in that can’t be happy! Amazing they keep stats on “catcher framing”. 

 

That'll close down the School of Pitch Framing and drive it out of business.

 

Or... Angel Hernandez could buy it and rename it the School of Umpiring.

[Double Mocha Man]

1 minute ago, TiScape said:

Now if they could only replace NBA refs w/robots!!! It’s truly awful 

 

How 'bout letting Patrick Reed referee golf tournaments?

[TiScape]

5 minutes ago, Double Mocha Man said:

 

How 'bout letting Patrick Reed referee golf tournaments?

If that happens, may as well make Bryson a head rules official! 😂 

 

🔥 🐜 hole… Definitely a free drop 😊

Edited April 22, 2023 by TiScape

[NJBigFish22]

57 minutes ago, ChipStrokes said:

i don’t mind it. 

 

if you’re gonna take steps to get all of the calls right, then go all the way. 

 

i think the replay process is clumsy and takes wayyyyy too long. it’s not like an nfl replay where after figuring out the call, you have to figure out where to spot the ball and what to set the clock to. 

I agree the replay system needs improvement, but it wasn’t put in place for what it’s currently used for.  It was put in place for obviously wrong calls and home runs.  Remember Gallaraga for Tigers was throwing perfect game and Jim Joyce blew the call at first.  The managers learned to game the system.

[touch]

For NorCal, the BMW dude.

 

[touch]

Now you can get 23 inch rims and tires on your new car?  Wild. 

 

 

Edited April 22, 2023 by touch