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Up for sale, a brand new with tags attached, navy blue in size 44L. $110 shipped. PPFF. PM if any is interested in it.

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In the time since the Elbeco, there have been several varieties of umpire shirts making their ways into The Show, and then trickling down to the other junior leagues. Until 2010, shirts all featured a twin stripe of trim – colors coordinating with the main base color – on the sleeve cuff and the collar. This has been referred to as "Traditional" or "Classic": I have been unable to determine if Majestic took over and became the official supplier of MLB beginning with 2010, or they trotted out the new style, but it was indeed 2010 that the new "Vertical Stripe" debuted: This has been known as the MLB Black / MLB Sky (or MLB Powder or MLB Blue), or Modern Black, or Vertical Stripe... I think this should be thus be named "The '10 Black" (the Ten) and "The '10 Sky". In 2015, Majestic developed a new technical fabric, a smooth lightweight textile that was a departure from the jersey-esque pebble knit. Unable to wait, or let another company beat them to the punch, Majestic rolled it out as a "technical exercise" in an all-black, unadorned shirt for the Major Leagues and they (unfortunately) revisited the Classic navy (thus, setting back the progressive, modern umpire's campaign to end navy by several years). It looks like this: This should be designated "The '15 Black" (the Fifteen). Only a few crews ever used this shirt, and it was not introduced in a Sky blue version. One can only deduce that Majestic rolled out this shirt in Classic Navy so as to appeal and capture sales to some state high school associations which would otherwise be using the same ol' Dalco, Cliff Keen, Smitty or Bumblebrand (made up name) of arcane material shirts. With a full year of the new fabric with which to plan a new style, Majestic's designers debuted a comprehensive attire system, with a new ThermaBase jacket, a new CoolBase jacket, and 2 new shirts, complete with a contrasting panel on the flank and at the collar. It was issued in Black (and charcoal) and Sky Blue (and black). I have dubbed this, appropriately, "The '16 Black" (the Sixteen... of course, there is the Sixteen Sky). Thus far, only Smitty has produced a rendition of the '16, but I am hopeful that other manufacturers will soon (TheOfficialsChoice). Now, with UnderArmour soon to take over the Official Supplier mantel, we may see a continuance of this style, or something decidedly different. The simple fact of the matter is, the Major Leagues and modern umpiring is leaving the "Classic" styles in the dust.

Has anyone had any experience with the Ultimate Charcoal pants from Honig's. They're about $20 less than the polywools and I was looking for something better than the Smitty's that always seem to have some problem with them (zippers, seams). I have the polywools (older model and love them) but I need more of an everyday pant that I can quickly wash and dry due to so many games in such a short period of time once the season starts. I see they get 5 stars on their website but only one review. Thanks.

The 2016 FED 1-4-2 has a change that pitchers can only wear a solid black or dark compression sleeve below the elbow, and this doesn't affect the uniform shirt sleeve. How do we tell the difference between a compression sleeve, a compression shirt sleeve and a uniform sleeve? I've seen lots of shirts that are difficult to differentiate.

Anyone know what color trims for the us flags are recommended for each shirts? I have seen white trim on navy and black shirts, I have seen gold trim on navy, light blue, cream, and black shirts. which one do you prefer?

So after years of wanting a plate coat but not willing to pull the trigger because of the price, I finally bit the bullet and placed an order with Honigs the first week in January for a B3S Plate Coat. I could just imagine putting it on for the first time with my Honigs Poly Wools and perfectly shined New Balance plate shoes - it would be like putting on a tuxedo! First class all the way! At least that is my opinion... To be fair, Honigs web site says "Plate coats are for sale by special order only. Delivery typically takes 12 weeks. Special order item - non-returnable." When I placed the order on the phone, I was told 8-12 weeks for delivery. While I hoped that it would come in 8 weeks, I expected 12 and did not start calling Honigs to find out the status until the full 3 months had passed. That is when the situation went from bad to WORSE. I understand that Honigs outsources the product and thus have little control on when the coat comes to them. However, they have full control over their customer service. I sent 3 e-mails to which I never received a response. I placed 5 calls to the Michigan office looking for someone who could update me on this. Each time I was told "let me check on that and I will call you back." I NEVER RECEIVED A CALL BACK IN ANY INSTANCE, which is unacceptable under any circumstance. Finally on call 6 (today) I was told that the coat should be at Honigs within 7-10 days. So here is the timeline I have been dealing with: January 7 - Order placed March 4 - 8 week point (Longshot - but based on Honigs statement on the phone, the first date that my coat might arrive) April 1 - 12 weeks since order was placed. First tried to contact Honigs via email April 6 - First call placed to Honigs April 23 - 6th call placed to Honigs. Told to expect 7-10 more days before it arrives at Michigan office. I expect this is business days and not calendar days. If I give Honigs the benefit of the doubt and it takes only 7 calendar days to get to the Michigan office, then 3 business days to ship to South Carolina, the earliest I might have it is May 5th. However, I think it is reasonable to expect at this point that the date will more likely be May 12th or beyond. That is 125 days, or just shy of 18 weeks!!!! And the best that Honigs will offer me is a $20 gift certificate towards my next purchase. Yep. Twenty whole dollars! Needless to say, Honigs will never see another penny from me. And if anyone out there has been looking for a 44 Long plate coat, keep your eyes on ebay. I'll even put the Honigs gift certificate in the pocket for you! By the way, the average temperature in South Carolina on May 12th is 83 degrees.

Had a situation tonight that I wonder if I booted... High school JV (FED rules). Home team's jerseys have large sleeves - enough that when the batter is in position the sleeves hang down about 3" below his arm. Pitch comes in high and inside and barely brushes the hanging-down sleeve. Runner takes off for 1B, and I call him back and call a ball. HC argues. I said that clothing only applies if it is "reasonably well fitted" (2-40-1). However, in reading 8-1-1, it appears that that only applies if the shirt is not being worn "properly", and all the uniforms are that loose. Batter ended up getting ball 4 on the next pitch anyway, so it didn't make any real difference, but I'm trying to make a learning opportunity for myself from this.

Tonight I begin a journey into the season in a different uniform at the ballpark. Instead of the powder blue and charcoal grey, I'll be donning khaki and hunter orange... with a giant snake on my back, and instead of wielding the power of judgement, instead I'll attempt to harness the power of... the microphone. That's right folks, you're lookin' at the new PA announcer for the Southern Ohio Copperheads, a college developmental league team. While I would occasionally work in the booth for my local Little League and Pony League football, those gigs were little more than "now batting" and "no smoking" announcements. Tonight's script is 55 pages. 55 pages of sponsors, PSAs, entertainment, and many words that I'm not sure how to pronounce. Oh, and did I mention that our team has about 3 names that are remotely familiar, and I don't get a pronunciation guide until a few hours before the first pitch? And that half the stuff in the script is carbon copied from last year, including names, dates, and times? And that no matter how hard I try and practice, I can't say the word "philanthropy" under pressure? I went to the Cleveland Indians spectacular last night and for the first time, instead of watching the center fielder and the umpires do their job, I focused mainly on "the voice," and boy am I in for a ride tonight. Wish me luck, fellas. I just might need it.