Starter uniforms for rookies

[BigUmpire]

One of the problems in recruiting people to call rec level ball is they are reluctant to purchase a lot of gear and uniforms until they are sure they want to continue to do this expensive job.

All of us have loaned or given uniforms and gear to youths and some adults only to never see them again after the season and/or 2-3 games.

Good umpire pants are $40-$50, good shirts are $25-$30, fitted caps are $15-$25 and so on.

We are toying with the idea of allowing rookies to wear khaki pants with plain black polo shirts, black belt, black shoes and adjustable black hats while only mostly getting field assignments.

Once a person gets the proper uniforms AND plate gear plus being evaluated ready then they will be in the rotation for all assignments.

This allows anyone, youths and adults, to go to Walmart and get a cheap “starter” uniform until they have the desire to be a Big Boy and look like a real umpire.

 

Comments please

[tpatience]

When I started when I was 11, I had the gray Walmart slacks, with the shirt and hat that the LL provided. Nothing wrong with that until they start wanting bigger assignments 

[Mister B]

If somebody wants to work the bases during a regular season LL game, I'm not going to care what they are wearing. Come tournament time, it gets more important. 

[kylehutson]

I live in the boondocks where most towns usually can only field a single team in any particular age group (e.g., the town I live in has a population of 750 - yes I realize that there is probably somebody on here who lives in an apartment building with that many people living there).

Anyway, in the rec league I work with, the rec commission provides the protective gear (except shoes - most work in just tennis shoes). The commission also pays for half of their first shirt (we standardized on the powder-blue since it's both baseball and softball), which gets the price down to less than a single game fee. And we allow them to wear whatever they want for pants (shorts, jeans, "real" umpire pants, whatever).

Considering we pay less than half what the nearest decent-sized city (50k+ people), it works for us. It also helps me to evaluate some of the younger guys and recruit them to the more competitive ball when they get some experience.

[jjb]

I think how you look affects how you are perceived; therefore how you are treated.

Put an Umpire in khakis and black shirt out there, and they are going to be treated as “second-class” Umpires. Not to be taken seriously. Every close play they call, it will immediately be followed by the coach looking at the “real” Umpire behind the plate.

The shirt isn’t that expensive; most big-box sports stores will have them, either in powder or navy. Wal-Mart has gray slacks. Dark shoes, navy hat, whatever. Now, he/she looks like the guy behind the dish. Before you know it, he/she will be acting like the guy behind the dish. MHO.

[MadMax]

Instead of khaki-colored khakis, I think that charcoal / slate grey “utility” slacks will suffice. Dickies, for example. I even tried out Nike Golf slacks in grey for a few games, just to see if they were a viable option (they are, by the way). I wouldn’t wear them for upper echelon games, but for youth amateur stuff? Heck yes.

A plain black polo will be more than sufficient. The Majestic 2015 Plain is exactly that, and that was worn for an entire season in the Major Leagues (by limited crews, but still). You could dress it up by putting the association patch on the left chest, or the American flag on the left sleeve, or somesuch.

If you wanted to expand it to Sky Blue, consider that, but try to get all of them the same, because while there is only one shade of black, there might be 8 to 10 different shades of “light blue”.

The use of a plain black hat is key. This is where a lot of associations / groups putting new umpires on the field drop the ball. They don’t enforce a plain black hat, or even a hat at all in some cases. A few years ago, I was on 14-year old game, while on the field next one over, a 9-year old game had 2 new umpires, with both the PU and BU in shorts, light blue polos, but the BU was without a hat. It looked terrible. Another time, a new umpire greeted me at the field “ready to start the game” while wearing a white-mesh trucker hat (but the front was Navy!).

I can get inexpensive, decent, Flexfit plain black (or navy, for that matter) hats off Amazon for $5-$9 each.

[Mussgrass]

We all have to start somewhere. The official uniform is all well and good but the expense can be one more obstacle to getting new umpires. If people can where what they already have in their closet to give it a try without a big investment that is a good thing.

If khakis are good business attire that's good enough for umpiring.

Let's not take ourselves more seriously than we need too. Life is hard enough.

 

[humanbackstop19]

On 10/14/2017 at 12:00 AM, MadMax said:

Instead of khaki-colored khakis, I think that charcoal / slate grey “utility” slacks will suffice. Dickies, for example. I even tried out Nike Golf slacks in grey for a few games, just to see if they were a viable option (they are, by the way). I wouldn’t wear them for upper echelon games, but for youth amateur stuff? Heck yes.

A plain black polo will be more than sufficient. The Majestic 2015 Plain is exactly that, and that was worn for an entire season in the Major Leagues (by limited crews, but still). You could dress it up by putting the association patch on the left chest, or the American flag on the left sleeve, or somesuch.

If you wanted to expand it to Sky Blue, consider that, but try to get all of them the same, because while there is only one shade of black, there might be 8 to 10 different shades of “light blue”.

The use of a plain black hat is key. This is where a lot of associations / groups putting new umpires on the field drop the ball. They don’t enforce a plain black hat, or even a hat at all in some cases. A few years ago, I was on 14-year old game, while on the field next one over, a 9-year old game had 2 new umpires, with both the PU and BU in shorts, light blue polos, but the BU was without a hat. It looked terrible. Another time, a new umpire greeted me at the field “ready to start the game” while wearing a white-mesh trucker hat (but the front was Navy!).

I can get inexpensive, decent, Flexfit plain black (or navy, for that matter) hats off Amazon for $5-$9 each.

I wore charcoal Nike golf pants all this past summer and the only comments I got on them were how good they looked.  They have a flat front, but were perfect base pants for the hot/humid days in late June/early July.

[kylehutson]

The perception has a lot to do with context. In this league I was referring to, every other town uses printed T-Shirts with the word "umpire" ironed-on to it. In fact, so did my town until I proposed going with the powder blue shirts. So now, our umpires are actually treated more professionally than the others, despite being there in shorts, no hat, etc.

[Aging_Arbiter]

in our league (well, the one I just left) the league provides the 1st full set of plate gear and uniforms.  I found it worked out pretty good, by having the JR umpires work the plate and the plate only their first season.  I had spoken with several JR umpires in the past and ALL of them indicated that they weren't as comfortable working the bases, due to positioning and rotations.  They (in general) felt more comfortable behind the plate.  When working with them, the senior umpire ALWAYS told them (this is a 60' diamond) that they would take ALL base runners so the JR could focus just on home plate.  As they progressed through their 1st year, some would inquire about trying to work the bases, and we helped them out.

 

Let's face it, the coaches know who the "umpires" are and who is new.  As mentioned previously, if you make them look "2nd class", they will perform that way.  If you set them up for success, it might surprise you.