Episodios

  • Episode 88 - The Strike Zone?

    Episode 88 - The Strike Zone?
    Apr 15 2026
    The problem is a tale as old as time. Everyone knows where the strike zone is (or thinks they do, anyway), but it sure seems like everyone calls it differently.

    Is that because they see it differently? Is it because they've been *TOLD* to call it differently? Is it because they are waging a private rebellion against the written rules? And if all of that is true, why do people post one thing online but are likely to tell you differently in private? We share our thoughts on this topic likely to get us cancelled.

    As always, if you want to weigh in with your opinions, you can email us at podcast@umpiringfastpitchsoftball.com, leave a comment at UmpiringFastpitchSoftball.com, or comment on this episode on Facebook - just search for Umpiring Fastpitch Softball
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    20 m
  • Episode 87 - NFHS Double First Base

    Episode 87 - NFHS Double First Base
    Apr 8 2026
    Boy, this one is a doozy. We had this one in the can for a while, but it turns out that we made some mistakes during recording. However, we tracked down where we went wrong and issued corrections in-place in the audio so that we could still cover this topic.

    Make sure to check our website or the FB comments for this episode for the rules and case plays mentioned.

    As always, if you want to weigh in with your opinions, you can email us at podcast@umpiringfastpitchsoftball.com, leave a comment at UmpiringFastpitchSoftball.com, or comment on this episode on Facebook - just search for Umpiring Fastpitch Softball
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    17 m
  • Episode 86 - An Interview With Robert Bannon

    Episode 86 - An Interview With Robert Bannon
    Apr 1 2026
    No, this isn't an April Fools' Day prank, we got the man himself on the podcast! If you don't know Bob, he's an umpire who works NCAA, High School, and USSSA. He's also the creator and an admin over at the Ask the Softball Umpires group on Facebook with almost 30,000 members!

    In this interview, we talk about Bob's origin story, what makes a good (and bad) umpire, and pick his brain about some things that were on our mind.

    As always, if you want to weigh in with your opinions, you can email us at podcast@umpiringfastpitchsoftball.com, leave a comment at UmpiringFastpitchSoftball.com, or comment on this episode on Facebook - just search for Umpiring Fastpitch Softball
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    31 m
  • Episode 85 - Base Umpires: Are You Ready?

    Episode 85 - Base Umpires: Are You Ready?
    Mar 25 2026
    At a high level, we cover what to do in your proper starting position and what to avoid. Then we talk about being ready to move and were driven to the manual for some clarification about what we were told. (See the comments section on the website or Facebook for the exact section of the manual)

    Then, we talk about pre-pitch planning and what it should be for you on day one, as well as where it should start to get for you as you can run through these initial things as second nature.

    Lastly, in our social media segment, we cover a post that was made about rule 8-10-2. The wording here seems pretty clear, but that didn't stop a huge discussion from being undertaken. As promised during the show, we have the rule for you (to make sure the original poster gave it to us correctly) in the comments on our site and on the episode post on Facebook.

    As always, if you want to weigh in with your opinions, you can email us at podcast@umpiringfastpitchsoftball.com, leave a comment at UmpiringFastpitchSoftball.com, or comment on this episode on Facebook - just search for Umpiring Fastpitch Softball
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    23 m
  • Episode 84 - Plate Mechanics Review

    Episode 84 - Plate Mechanics Review
    Mar 18 2026
    We review anchor foot position, slot foot, balance, head placement, and consistency. We also talk about some issues that umpires of different size might encounter when trying to adhere to these mechanics and issues faced by players' placement and movement.

    Then, in our social media segment, we tackle a post about interference on an infield fly. (Sneak preview: we were actually shocked by the rules interpretation)

    As always, if you want to weigh in with your opinions, you can email us at podcast@umpiringfastpitchsoftball.com, leave a comment at UmpiringFastpitchSoftball.com, or comment on this episode on Facebook - just search for Umpiring Fastpitch Softball
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    18 m
  • Episode 83 - Mechanics Miscues

    Episode 83 - Mechanics Miscues
    Mar 11 2026
    The article begins, "The following is a list of miscues regarding umpire mechanics which we continue to see in our contests"... ok, we see you, sassy pants!

    Jokes aside, the things in this article weren't brought up to eat up space in this year's publication. These are things that the senior-level umpires are repeatedly seeing around the state during games that they observe. Take a listen and see if you're guilty of any of these!

    As always, if you want to weigh in with your opinions, you can email us at podcast@umpiringfastpitchsoftball.com, leave a comment at UmpiringFastpitchSoftball.com, or comment on this episode on Facebook - just search for Umpiring Fastpitch Softball
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    27 m
  • Episode 82 - AI

    Episode 82 - AI
    Mar 4 2026
    What even are LLMs? Are they infallible? Are they an acceptable source for rules and mechanics? Should they be, or is this a case of Luddites trying to take away all of our fun? Join us as we talk about what are the proper sources of guidance for your umpiring journey.

    As always, if you want to weigh in with your opinions, you can email us at podcast@umpiringfastpitchsoftball.com, leave a comment at UmpiringFastpitchSoftball.com, or comment on this episode on Facebook - just search for Umpiring Fastpitch Softball
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    17 m
  • Episode 81 - Are You that Other Umpire?

    Episode 81 - Are You that Other Umpire?
    Feb 25 2026
    We could chalk it up to it being an "imaginary other umpire" that coaches are appealing to to try to get their way or skirt rules. But we all know that there are definitely umpires that enforce too many (or not enough) rules on the diamond.

    In this episode, we follow along with a great article in this year's OHSAA Whitebook and talk about some points that you need to make sure that you are following. If not... the result? Confused coaches, frustrated players, and partners left trying to clean it up the next night.

    As always, if you want to weigh in with your opinions, you can email us at podcast@umpiringfastpitchsoftball.com, leave a comment at UmpiringFastpitchSoftball.com, or comment on this episode on Facebook - just search for Umpiring Fastpitch Softball
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    16 m