The Short Umpire

@Rich Ives is 100% correct. The rule says he has to be in fair but there is no specified penalty for not complying. I’m not gonna sweat it unless a coach complains and in which case I will be sure to enforce the rule equally for both teams. At this point if F3 or F5 refuses to follow orders he is subject to ejection. Again, this is OBR. Sorry to drift from fed rules.

Is this still available?

Great point. Do you have the same philosophy for Varsity games as well? Also, are you saying that you enforce uniforms for the Head Coach but let the other base coach slide?

I don't even try with travel ball. It's never gonna happen because the league doesn't care.

Correct. Sorry if it seemed that I was implying that umpires were required by rule to wear a helmet because that is not the case.

Had an interesting situation today. I'm not 100% sure what thread this belongs in because it's a long story but also ends with equipment. So considering the recent thread on the uncap I figure this might be a good start for a dedicated thread. I tried contacting my partner yesterday when I got assigned the game but didn't hear back from him until 30 mins before the game when he told me that he wouldn't be able to make it because he wasn't feeling well. So I now how two HS legion games by myself. I get to the plate meeting and neither coach is in uniform. I ask if they have uniforms with them and both say no. So I inform them that according to our league president any coaches not in uniform will be restricted to the dugout, no exceptions. They both complain and get upset because they are both alone and have no one else to help coach. The VTHC says, "Well if we have to follow these rules then why aren't you following the rules about having two umpires?" to which I respond to by saying, "Actually I am within the rules because according to OBR the league President is only required to assign one umpire to a game." I also tell them that they've had ample notification about the rules and I'm just enforcing what my boss expects. Turns out however that by the start of the first inning they both had full uniforms on... So at the end of the first half of the first I notice that the VTHC isn't wearing a skull cap so I go and ask him if he has one, and he says no, so I tell him again that he can't leave the dugout to coach the bases without it on. (He complained again but by the next at bat he had one on...). I then go to the HTHC and remind him he needs a skull cap to coach the bases. He then complains that I gave the other coach a free inning so he should get one too. I tell him that's not gonna happen. And he continues to complain that I can't enforce a rule like that in the middle of an inning. I explained that I won't allow him to coach without a helmet because the liability falls on me if something happens to him when I allowed him to be on the field without it. So he gets his helmet and goes to 3rd, where he complains with the VTHC about being required to wear helmets. At the next inning break the VTHC brought it up again by saying, "Ya know, where's your helmet blue?" I really didn't want to eject anyone considering all of the circumstances so I walked over and showed him my uncap and didn't hear another word the rest of the game!! hahahahaha serious question though (and sorry to go a little off topic,) but what do coaches have against uniforms and helmets? I just don't get why this is such a big deal to them. Could you imagine what would happen if any of us showed up to game in shorts and a T-Shirt? We'd never get another game.

@Thunderheads correct. I started with one navy shirt and one red shirt. I seam-ripped the sleeves off of both shirts and then seam-ripped the trim off of the sleeves. I then swapped the sleeves to the opposite color shirt, shortened the sleeves by about 3 inches (to accommodate my T-Rex arms/my desire to not wear 3/4 sleeves. Hahaha) and then put the trim back on the original shirt to match the collars. Pretty simple. Seam ripping was the most time consuming part.

Ya know, COVID boredom makes you do funny things... it was just gonna be a mask but after the sales started I probably got carried away... hahaha!

Also, I made two of each shirt so that I can give one to my random partner of the day and have him match if he so desires. It’d be close since most of the guys in the league wear navy or red anyway but my OCD kicked in and @JimKirk’s awesome Smitty sale made it a bit cheaper.

So with 4th of July coming up I finally get to put all of this in action. It was gonna make a showing on Memorial Day but we all know what happened there. I’m scheduled with a local league to work a tournament where things are more laid back. I have the two-tone mask and shirts to match.

@BT_Blue Mine hasn’t taken a direct hit yet. I wear mine backwards so it terms of face shots I haven’t noticed any differences. Wearing it backwards though gives the back of my head full coverage and makes me feel a lot safer from follow through and from a ball hitting the backstop and pegging me. (I’ve had a lot of close calls on fields with a closer backstop). When I actually get hit I’ll update on the results but considering that no one notices a difference the price is small for a lot more peace of mind. Having it greatly influenced my choice to switch from the bucket last year.

I've used it as well. Love it! As stated, no one has ever even noticed unless I take my hat off and they notice it. As stated, the new one has been tweaked, mainly that the middle panel has been extended in length, and the sizing used to be different. It only came in one size when I purchased the original. Now there are two sizes, one slightly larger than the original and one size slightly smaller.

I hear what you're saying. However, the problem is that +POS has some specific pieces of equipment that I can only get on ebay or from them. And seeing that there are currently none on ebay... that leaves one place...

Does anyone have information on how to contact before placing an order?

@Rock Bottom I think that they might consider a couple of years to be “recent,” in the umpire equipment world.