Majordave

$30 plus shipping. Frame is in great shape, no bends or cracks. Pads show some wear but still have a season or two of wear. Harness is an original West Vest with the WV logo instead of the Wilson Gold W or the MLB full color logo that I love but so many umpires dislike. In fact, I cut the MLB logo off the lower pad Velcro strap because I like it so much. The MLB logo was supposedly modeled after Harmon Killebrew (Kill-A-Brew? Haha), one of my favorites as a kid.

@wolfe_man Great reply explaining adidas. I have those new Adidas shoes but not for umpiring although I would like to jazz up the field at times wearing mine. See pic below. Also, I am thinking about going old school with the other pic for my "mudders". Hahaha

I’ve got a Honig’s K1 that is very light but protective. Has a Velcro attached sternum area “lift” pad that keeps most of the protector’s padding off of your chest about ¾ of an inch for airflow so It’s very cool. Uses Velcro straps in the front to keep it very secure. Does not move or bounce around. I’ve worn it for D1 but it’s more suited for high school and below in my opinion. I took a direct hit to the center chest foul ball in it during a D1 game and felt the hit but had no bruising or I’ll effects. I started flinching after that so I got a hard shell. It’s available for sale if interested.

I ordered the new New Balance 4040v4 back in December. The stock ones had white in the sole. I didn’t like that. These are SO comfortable. I’m using them for cardiac rehab right now. Very light. Like moccasins on my feet. The color accents are silver gray. The soles are clear. The stock ones are just as nice. One model comes in a synthetic leather for poor weather. I’ve got game partners who have other models with mesh and have no problem cleaning them with plain water and a rag or a brush.

@The1yankee i deleted your double post trying to post pics of your new CP and your rant. Its an operator head space and timing problem. (Army way of saying it’s you not the site that has the problem) If you wish to post pictures go into your phone or software photo editor and edit the size of the photos. It’s not hard we all do it. So, simmer down now, and work on your patience a little. Kind of like on the field. You will be tested. You cannot eject every person who chirps and tests your patience. If you try to you will not be assigned many, if any, games with that kind of reputation and you won’t move up to better levels of baseball.

and Navy it shall be. With some red accents?

No! Just no! Adds weight, doesn't really work. Wear a 6 stitch or an 8 stitch hat. Wear your mask harness loose. So loose that your mask should hang off the hat and your head and spin off your melon when you get hit. (notice I said when, not IF?) My .02...........

What's the first rule of Fight Club? NEVER talk about fight club! What's the first rule of Crossfit? NEVER shut the F*#K up about Crossfit! Hahahaha. You're welcome.

It does. At least until I can get some traction for my Stormtrooper style Umpire and Catcher full body armor suit. I think it would attract more young, Star Wars fans umpires into the game. (Hell, I am old, don't really even like Star Wars movies but I love the Stormtrooper characters) Especially if I could get it manufactured and sell it for a cost of around $400 or less. My plate gear and uniform total cost is between $800 (no jacket/no plate coat) and $1250 (with platecoat) ballpark total when I work a game. (top of the line gear). A polycarbonate, ventilated, full-body, armored suit would negate the need for much of what we wear AND it would look so cool. Even cooler if it had a helmet with a full coverage face mask that had a ventilation system in it and some voice amplification when needed. A degree of anonymity and authority in a cool package. Gray? Black? With maybe some silver accents? Just a dream at this point......

@The1yankee said: "Only stings for a minute, lol." Good luck with that. When/if you start calling college baseball I want you to hit me up after you take one off the bicep or wrist or elbow or gut or inner thigh and tell me it only stings for a minute. I took a foul ball off my left knee two days in a row in the same spot. My old Wilson DaviShins didn't do their job. I literally cried, couldn't stop the involuntary pain tears that second day, second hit. Limp-Walked all the way to the right field foul pole and back trying to walk that one off. Bought my Force 3 Shins that evening from my phone in the parking lot before I left the game site here in KC. Hahahaha!

I wear Wilson Titanium masks. One is black with tan leather traditional shaped pads and the other is silver with black leather traditional shaped pads. I don't care for Team Wendy pads. I tried them, didn't work for me. I prefer leather. I like the contrasting colors. I have worn black and black and silver with tan before. Doesn't look bad. I just prefer the contrasting. Good luck with whatever you do. When you finally get to work some Don't flinch. Don't suck! Go to a high school practice and call balls and strikes in the bullpen or cage if you can before your games begin. Get someone to film you or critique you.

If worse comes to worse and you have games before Jim and U-A can deliver I recommend either borrowing your partner's shinguards (ask first, before the game) or borrow some catcher's shinguards or other umpire's shinguards or maybe go to a Play-it-Again Sports or something like that and try to find some cheap shinguards that will make do. Because you are working JV you are likely to be hit but it most likely won't have the velocity to actually harm you. Just a thought.

Another thought. I’ve never been associated with a Little League that did not pay their umpires. So, if you’re the “volunteer” umpire type of organization I think it is incumbent that you provide all the needed equipment and uniforms for the umpires. IF, they contract to work x amount of games or seasons they can keep the gear and wear it when they move up into paying gigs. And provide all the training mentioned earlier. In short increments. Lots to digest at first. Also, mentors for new umpires.

How many players or even coaches do you know that have EVER read a rule book? I used to try and teach rules to my players when I coached. From the actual rulebooks no less. Tough duty for sure. Parents? Never gonna happen. I am an advocate of a simple 25-50 most commonly encountered rules test (similar to the 50 rules myths handout many of us have seen over the years) being administered to players, coaches and most of all parents. Fail the test and you go back to the parking lot to study before you are allowed entry to the ballpark to play or coach or watch little junior play baseball. That just might help increase the baseball rules IQ of any organization that enforced that requirement. I would administer it EVERY game. Build some empirical knowledge. Maybe. A guy (umpire) can dream can't he? My .02............

I was recruited into umpiring via newspaper ad. Although it was high school not little league. Try local high schools. Players know the game. Need money. Local colleges as well. Parents: Tell them that without umpires there will be no games. Just practice. So volunteers are needed. When I coached little league and minor league in a rural locale the coaches from uninvolved teams or the other leagues (t-ball, machine pitch, minor league) filled in on bases when needed. Not the best solution. Also, does your local high school level umpires have a formal group or association? If so, ask them. Maybe more but that is all that comes to mind at the moment. Good luck.

I wear 18.5’s. They eventually loosen up and don’t stick out/up as much. Takes a few wearings. If they don’t loosen up you’ll get used to them. Put your thumbs under the part that sticks out for a little protection.

@MadMax Go for it. I wear the McDavid Catcher/umpire Hexpads shorts. I have worn football thigh pads in a football girdle before the McDavid's came out. Those first couple of years I umpired were rough. I did some country area high school, some middle school and some really good high school ball. The first summer I worked at a tournament mill doing 19-20 games total a weekend from Thursday night through Sunday evenings. Almost every weekend. Some beatings I took. But the checks were nice. Allowed me to upgrade my gear bag significantly and pay for my Master's I was working on the other days of the week. My advice is to try some football girdle shorts as they have built in pockets which prevent too much moving around. Unfortunately they don't work as well on the tender inner thigh region but I am sure you will figure out a workaround for that problem. Max I fully expect you to invent or modify some piece of gear that will revolutionize umpiring. In that vein, I need a design guy or a polycarbonate/injection molding guy to help me bring life to a stormtrooper style umpire/catcher suit (front side full body armor-head to toe-matching in black/gray/other team colors for catchers that would literally protect every spot on the front of your body yet be light and comfortable but not cost more than say $300-$400, AND be cool like a stormtrooper suit. Think how many young guys we could recruit into umpiring if they got to wear that suit with a helmet style protector that had built in fan for cooling or heat and fog proofing lenses, that would also give them some anonymity and maybe even a voice amplification mode so everyone could hear the calls for those vocally challenged guys and girls that we all were when we first started umpiring. I think some older umpires might be able to work longer as the would be more protected and not shy away from being hit. Just a thought. I really think it would work.

I hear you. If you can, your knees and hips and probably back will thank you. You will be rewarded with more energy and be overall quicker on the field. As for the hereditary issues, don't eff around with those. If you feel the slightest bit "off", especially if these hereditary issues are heart disease or diabetes, go to the doctor. I was nursing what I thought was indigestion for almost a year. Every time I exerted myself EXCEPT for umpiring, I got heartburn. I thought it was me getting older, hot-spicy foods diet (my girlfriend is caribbean and eats the hottest foods you can imagine and macho ass white boy me had to try and keep up), my attempt to be healthier by drinking very acidic lemon water, and not working out hard enough or long enough. While, in fact, I was suffering from genetically based, diabetes and heard disease which led to a triple bypass this past January. Luckily I finally quit kidding myself and went for a physical. The doc was surprised as I don't look like I have either disease or his typical middle-aged 55 year old patient with these symptoms. I am 5' 9"/185, 33 waist, 44 chest, flat stomach, well-defined muscularity, tight arms, ass, legs. Anyway, go get yourself checked out if anything, ANY thing doesn't feel right. To lose the weight is a B-I-T-C-H!!! I was 258 lbs back in Feb of 2005. Got back to 185 and have luckily stayed pretty close to that since August of 2005. Did go on a weight training regimen while I was in Afghanistan for 18 months back in 2010-2011 and got up to 215 but it was all muscle. I feel way better when lighter. How did I get down to 185 from 258 in six months? Salads with vinegar based dressings. Lots and lots of salads. Lots of veggies, no sodas or beer or bourbon or other alcohol. Even wine went out the window. Walking. 5 to 8 miles a day spread out over two or three walks per day for the first three months or so then 4 to 5 miles of walking per day plus gym time-both weights (dumbbells and some machines, multiple sets, multiple muscle groups, switching up the exercises every two weeks.) Other changes such as no eating from drive throughs, no boxes, no bags, no cookies, ice cream, candy, chips, junky crap, cut carbs out as much as possible, no white bread, no potatoes, nothing fried, no fatty meats like hot dogs, cold cuts except smoked turkey and chicken. Minimal sweeteners, etc. Lots and lots of water. Standing up as much as possible at work. Parking as far away from the door as possible, taking the stairs instead of the elevator. It ain't easy but it's worth it. My .02.............

I am 5' 9" on a good day. I like the protection up my thighs so I wear the 18.5 size F3 shins and the longer 17"? version of the Wilson West Vest Gold (black) shins. I am still able to run down the line. The F3's are so light and comfortable. I wear both high and low top plate shoes with them. Mizuno low, Mizuno mid and NB 450's and 460's with no rubbing or any other issues. The ankle protectors on the F3 really work, needed with low cut plate shoes. Extra but still nice to have with mid/high top plate shoes.

Jos. A. Bank in North Kansas City did mine last year. No questions asked. Looked great. $10/pair. Good luck. I have friends here who have used other branches of Bank and some who used Men's Wearhouse. No big deal if you don't. Only you and some of your fashion conscious partners will ever notice. Unless it is a point of emphasis for your assigner and other crew members. No biggie unless you are working games that are on TV regularly or working toward that level, seriously working for it, or an anal, ex-military, clothes horse fashionista like me. Ha!

Me three! Since year two as an umpire. Mild pop to my throat and I got them for all my masks.

Jos. A. Bank or Men’s Wearhouse. Either should help you and they can install the “traveler’s crease” for you to keep the front crease sharp. Not sure if the do the back or not. Take your plate shoes and shinguards in with you.

The 6 P’s: Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance!

Ha Ha Ha Ha!!!

Try the Diamond MMA. There are several videos of it being tested on YouTube. The owner of the company takes some kicks, sledge hammer shots, knees, nunchaku, punches while wearing it. Other fighters show themselves doing the same. $29.99 on amazon for the cup only. Fits in any jock. Or you can buy either the compression shorts or the jocks the sell which look pretty cool too. I put mine in an underarmour jock and cover with nike or underarmour tights. Works well. Took a shot from a guy who got drafted a couple years ago in a MINK summer college wooden bat league in Missouri, was supposedly hitting mid 90's, and I did not feel a thing. One video shows them shooting it with a 9mm and not puncturing the shell, just denting it. I had a nutty buddy, second largest size. Did not like it. Very thin rubber around edges. Got hit. Felt it. For days. Got the Diamond. Very comfortable. Polycarbonate wrapped in rubber for flex. Had the Titan Alloy Flex too. Did not fit well. Felt compressed and it shifted once pinching my sack. Did not like that at all. https://www.amazon.com/Adult-Athletic-Groin-Protector-Soft/dp/B00CKY0VIK/ref=sr_1_3?s=instant-video&ie=UTF8&qid=1520358896&sr=8-3&keywords=diamond+mma+cup