T-Rav

I wash mine by hand in the sink and then air dry them with a fan. I wash my tan pads every month or so because they get really dirty and my black pads every couple months. I've had them for 2 years and they still look good.

I was browsing through the MLBU Media Guide and I saw an ad for X-Temp, apparently a company similar to the now defunct Rite Temp athletics. Thanks to JaxRolo I am the proud owner of a Ritetemp cooling pad but I routinely work more than one plate in some extremely hot weather and I am searching for a similar product. If you look at the ad, you'll see they have a MiLB medical guy talking about X-Temp products being used for umpires but I have yet to find a product that seems specifically designed for umpire usage. I will try to contact them to see if I can find out if they have a specific product for umpires. http://essmc.com/wp-content/uploads/PreventaMed-Advertorail-Annotated.pdf http://x-temp.com/

<br />Good! <br />I have it in electronic format and keep it on my iPhone ! How'd you manage that?

Wimps, I have 15 18U games this weekend and the weather is supposed to be a balmy 90 degrees with the lowest humidity being 60%; can you say baseball suicide?

I've had my unequal's for a couple days now and I am very impressed with how substantial they seem, I've got 15 18U games this weekend so they will really be put to the test.

Sounds like a great experience, how'd you manage pulling that off?

Same exact thing I had to do, I'm a 12 in all shoes but the new zigs, heck I'm even a 12 in the running shoe zigs but I had to size up to 13's and the 13's fit like a slipper now.

The magistrates, don't even consider the patent leather ones, they are solely designed for basketball and if you even attempt to wear them in baseball you will be eating turf quite often. That's a pretty good deal, if you are not in a rush Baseballsavings.com typically offers some 15% off and free shipping coupons, I think I paid $67 for my base zigs.

That's funny, other than the fact that you can't use your brand new pants, you like them. I would call Honig's and let them make it right or rip them a new one because no new pair of pants should have a belt loop break. In my past experiences with them, they will make it right.

If your concerned about costs I would use the Bauer OSG 1000 hockey referee guards, I have used these in high level varsity games and had no issues, the only concern I have with them is in regards to the lack of an ankle protector. I'm sure some stores in Canada have them at a decent price. However if you are searching for the ultimate shin guards that have a low enough profile, superior protection, and are light weight, I would go with the UE's. My UE's come in tomorrow and I will be sure to post a comprehensive review and comparison with pictures attached by Tuesday.

This is the best indicator I own: http://www.umpire.org/store/product_info.php?cPath=38_50_51&products_id=149 This is the best brush I own: http://www.umpire.org/store/product_info.php?cPath=38_50_51&products_id=123 Hands down these are the best, trust me, I have like 6 indicators in my bag of all makes and models and the Japanese stuff is all I will use.

Chief, to get powder coated gold? It looks sweet but we shall see how good it looks when worn. I'm dropping my in the mail tomorrow, for those that have experience using MaskIt, how long does it typically take for Tony to powder coat it?

Personally when it's hot enough to use a cooler full of Florida Water and a cooling towel, I keep it around my neck during the whole game and re-wet it before and after every half inning. A cooler with Florida Water and some cooling towels really does wonders down here in the stifling heat and humidity. I understand that it may look "unprofessional" but keeping it around my neck during the game really helps me stay cool which in turn makes me less likely to miss calls. I have not been provided any negative feedback about my practices and I am a firm believe that every umpire should be doing everything they can to keep cool during these warm summer months.

@Majordave Looks the the 18.5 will fit well with my 6' frame but the real question is what do you use to shine those plate shoes, they look great!

I saw @acpar72 's gold powder coated mask and thought it looked sooo awesome that I needed to get myself one. So I purchased another Rawlings LMWXTI mask for 20% off and will have the one I have now powder coated by Maskit gold. I was thinking something like a day mask with tan TW pads and a night mask with the tradition TI frame and black TW pads. What is the consensus on the color gold as masks? Do you think this color of frame is acceptable?

After further contemplation, I decided to pull the trigger on the UE shins. Since I am in love with the UE CP, it only made sense to get the shins. I'll let you know how they are and give you a through review.

I am contemplating the same thing you are, I have the Bauers and WVP shins but I love my UE CP so I think I'm going to pull the trigger and get the UE shins.

www.honigs.com/browse.asp?Sub=203 They have their shirts at $20 and a variety of other items on sale, quite the deal to get honigs shirts at $20.

I have 3 pair of both the zig black plate and base. I love them! I find the base more comfortable because they weigh less but otherwise they fit the same. However be aware that the thin leather strip connecting the plate to the shoe will easily break with normal wear and tear, do not freak out as you can easily super glue Velcro to it and your shoes are as good as new.

I'd highly recommend removing the neck extension piece even if it is comfortable just for the fact that if you get hit on the collar bone then you should want the big main plate taking the impact, not a very small piece of kevlar. As the Major stated, adjust that CP and play with different configurations.

Here's some pic's. My advise is to try to get the maximum protection out of the plastic and kevlar lined shoulders, adjust them as you see fit. I'll try to get a few pic's up of me wearing it but I remember that for the first couple months that I owned it, the shoulders were really laying flat and there was enough room for a baseball to get in and cause some damage. https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bym1kEV9xh2OWXRtUUhSYmJ5Ym53MFNJdk84ajRfS2otcnJv/edit?usp=sharing https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bym1kEV9xh2OcFlQbXM0Sk8zZmlha0RsZjAzLXNiYlRVdms0/edit?usp=sharing https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bym1kEV9xh2OdUJJNEJNWDJ4Q3ZlYjlZejhmelowWlktNDZR/edit?usp=sharing

Congrats, review the rules that you will be playing under especially if they are a different set than what your REC ball plays by. Travel ball typically has better players and is easier to officiate than REC ball, treat it like another game and give it your best. I have only done less than 5 one man games when my partner didn't show but hustle and do your best to get the best angles on plays, it's a shame that the coaches will not pony up the extra cash for another umpire especially considering the hefty fee travel ball players typically pay towards their coaches. And most of all..... don't suck and let us know how it went.

I hope you get clobbered! Enjoy your new gear, however, speaking from experience, make sure you fully adjust your UE chest protector, specifically so that you get complete shoulder protection out of it. When I was wearing it for the first couple of months, I let the shoulders lay flat which left a good chunk of my shoulder/armpit area unprotected by the plastic and only by the wings on it. After playing with it for a bit, I was able to get it properly adjusted, I'll post pictures later so that you can visualize what I am talking about.

Solid ejection but more importantly what brand of pants were you wearing?

I've done atleast 30 HS games and have only taken a bat to the mask, a couple shin shots, 3 direct cup shots, and one to my Unequal. I have a feeling I'm going to regret writing this.....