Tips, Tricks, and hints

[kcfan102]

When one goes to a clinic, most of the time the proper plate stance, field positions, and definitions of rules are taught. They are very important, and I don't think you can go to enough of them. Usually, you learn something new each time.

Now, I've been umpiring since I was 13 years old (I'm 20 now). That six, going on seven years. There are many guys on here that are a few years more veteran than I. But in those seven years, I've learned some tips and tricks to make those days with 5 or maybe eve n6 games, go a little smoother. They don't teach these at clinics I've been to.

1. Bring a change of clothes. You have no idea how good it feels to take that dripping wet Under Armour and exchange it for a dry one, or, if you can, a cotton shirt. Do the same with socks, and even your compression shorts/pants.

2. Water, water, water. Dehydration is such a big deal. We're required to get things right, even under the sauna of summer. If you body lacks the proper liquids, your reaction times, among other things will lack, and your calls will suffer. Gatorade can be bad if you have too much of it. It's filled with nutrients that your body needs when it sweats. If you don't sweat that much, opt for a little water instead. Forget about soda. That does nothing good for you.

3. Shave before your games. When you go behind the plate and wear your mask, 5:00 shadow can turn into an ingrown hair. I never thought of that until may father said that it happened to him. Plus, it looks better. Now you don't need to bring a freakin' razor and do that after you put on your CP, but just clear as much hair from your face as possible in the morning.

4. Protein. (Here you go Warren) Before I go to a tournament, I usually go to QuickTrip to buy four tubes of peanuts. Protein is the "gas" for your muscles. Protein isn't like fat, it isn't the same as energy and it isn't stored anywhere that your body can "tap into". You have to ingest it. After two or three games, eat a tube or two of peanuts and refuel your muscles. It'll help save your muscles from that burning feeling. That burning feeling is caused by acids that sit atop your muscles. That acid is cause by your muscles breaking down protein. The faster you replace the protein you lost, the faster your muscles will recover. Peanut butter sandwiches, a cheeseburger, hot dog, ,some chicken, or a protein bar are all good ways of saving you from the burning feeling and giving you more streangth to finish out the say.

Also, maybe you can bring a banana instead of Gatorade. It'll help fill you up AND replenish the potassium you sweat out. Of course, careful of leaving it in your ball bag.

Any other guys have some "insider tips"?

Edited March 25, 2010 by kcfan102

[tjthresh]

Before I go to a tournament, I usually go to QuickTrip

I miss QT so much. I lived in Belton for 10 yrs. I love them Taquitos. I bet they have some good protein.

[BrianC14]

Sunscreen.

SPF 100 is a good start.

Don't mess with skin cancer, gents. It's not a good thing. Trust me on this. :bang:

[kcfan102]

I miss QT so much. I lived in Belton for 10 yrs. I love them Taquitos. I bet they have some good protein.

QT is freakin epic.

[semper_fi_72]

Great tips that I also use.

A few more very important ones:

Remove all the dirty sweaty t shirts and clothes when you get home or your car may not smell so nice in the morning when you head out to the next days games.

Spray Febreze on your gear so it doesn't start stinking also.

:bang:

[kcfan102]

If anyone of you knew what the trunk of my car looked like before your average summer weekend day, you'd know this thread was made for me.

Regarding shirts and undergarments:

Well said by Brendon here. However, to quote an UA slogan, "cotton is the enemy." STAY AWAY. It collects moisture, gets heavy, and weighs you down. I'm not saying you have to be like me and build the world's largest collection of UA, but at least invest in some moisture-wicking material of some sort. You will appreciate it.

For those of you who remember seeing Tim C's gear list from umpire.org (and its repost on here), you know he carries a lot of gear. I am just about on par with that. Change your socks, undershirt, tights (always wear them under shin pads) every game. If you're going to need it again at some point in the day, leave it in the back window to dry. The window will intensify the sun and dry it out quicker - beware though - it may also fade the shirt, so I wouldn't reccommend this for your uniform shirt.

Regarding uniform shirts:

If you do multiple games a day, have a few colours, or at least multiple of a type of shirt. Nothing beats breaking out a fresh shirt. Don't hang them in your car unless your windows are tinted, for both prolonged exposure to the sun and potential vandalism to your car. Nothing identifies the car of the umpire more than shirts in the window, and some loon may key your door on the way by. It's happened to me

Regarding hydration:

Keep a cooler full of ice in your vehicle for all tournament days. Keep fluids, like water and Gatorade in there. Molson Canadian ran a promo a few years ago where they put individual beer bottle coolies in 2-4's; we had a few laying around the house: they act as my cooler on the field. I've taken a small carabeanor (sp?) and attached it to the zipper, blacked out the alcohol advertisment, and use it for water or Gatorade on the field, as it is rarely supplied for us. The carabeanor allows it to hang on the fence, keeping it off of the dirty ground.

If some moron ever tells you it is unprofessional to bring water onto the field, tell them to shut the up.

Regarding shaving and facial hygene:

I keep a small electric razor in my trunk. A quick once over before every game feels real nice. Those who have to battle acne, like myself, should carry facial moisturizer in their bag - sun exposure will cause pores to produce excessive oil when unmoisturized and you will be worse off.

Regarding protein:

Never a bad thing. However, be weary of peanuts because of the oil in them. Oily foods + sun can be bad. My personal snack of choice is some type of meat sandwich, maybe even a hard boiled egg. Stay away from dairy products; on hot days, you will be out of comission even if you only drink a 250mL carton of milk (the little one for you imperialists).

Any type of fruit is generally a good idea. You can never say no to Gatorade though.

Never bring your entire set of car keys on the field with you - you will sound like one of Santa's reindeer running around out there. In my case, my vehicle is not remote accessible, so I bring one key, detached from the lanyard I keep it on, to the field. Same goes for spare change, leave it in the car.

Sunscreen and bug spray are essential! There is one park in my area a stone's throw from a landfill - if you forget the spray, you will literally be carried away by mosquitoes. Nights in early July, I actually bring a small spray one onto the field if I am BU. Usually both managers request a dosage at some point; it keeps them bugs away too.

Sunglasses are a must. I have light-sensitive eyes so I wear them a lot, so much so that by mid summer, my tan has formed raccoon eyes where my glasses usually are. With this comes the lens cleaner and spray.

Now let's talk cold weather. We've discussed how to layer in other threads - remember to pick up your gloves and earmuffs or thermal hood...you never know when you'll be scheduled to work at 8am one morning and want these.

How about a chair and foot carpet? Chair to take a load off between games or make changing easier, and a foot carpet to keep your feet clean when changing kicks. I have a fantastic 4' one next to my bed in residence that will be fulfilling this purpose come the start of the season.

You may also want to consider throwing in a pair of sandals / flip flops if you usually have time between games.

Black hockey tape, or cloth tape in some parts, is (as a Canadian) the equvilent to duct tape - it fixes absolutely everything! There is a roll of that in my bag.

I also keep a small ziplock container with mud and a bottle of water in a plastic bag in case I work a semi-pro game requiring me to rub down the baseballs pre-game.

Everything else that comes to mind has been mentioned in another appropriate thread to the topic IE shoe care. So I think I am done.

In my opinion, one of the greatest feelings in the world is going from doing three games in the suck then changing into a nice dry cotton shirt to do a few in the field. I don't sweat hardly at all in the field and it feel greeat.

I use electrical tape... well I used it once. My indicator fell on the ground and I had a lucky electrical tape roll and badabing badaboom, fixed indicator.

Q: Why not use your spare indicator?

A: I need to justify my use of tape.

Like Ump_24 said about lunch meat sandwich... those are BEST. Bread gives you the carbs (energy), meat gives you the protein. Unfortunately, they don't' fit in a ball bag. Yes thats right, I've been known to bring peanuts in my ball bag.

All very good suggestions guys.

Oh, one more thing...

HAVE TWO OF EVERYTHING

You never know when something breaks, someone doesn't have theirs, or you lost it.

Edited March 26, 2010 by kcfan102

[mstaylor]

I have discussed this in other threads but we use witch hazel in the really hot part of the summer. We take a small six pack cooler, add water and ice, apply a liberal dose of witch hazel to the mix. Between innings use a cloth to apply the cooling mix to your head and neck. I have even seen guuys take a small rag and put it under their hat to help cool them during the inning. Just remember to keep it out of your eyes, it burns, and out of your mouth, it tastes nasty.

[Paperipper17]

Sunscreen.

SPF 100 is a good start.

Don't mess with skin cancer, gents. It's not a good thing. Trust me on this.

Amen, amen, amen, amen, a-freaking-men. As a half-Irish, half Polish boy, I senond, third, and fourth that motion. Wally World sells this great face stuff by Ocean Potion, it's SPF 45 with zinc oxide, the stuff the lifeguards cake on. I've never had a facial or neck burn with it. Regular SPF 40 on my arms.

I agree with the water too. I had a bout with dehydration my sophomore year of college. Never again. It gets hot and sticky down here and I sweat like a fat chick at a cook-off.

Peanuts are good for the protein. I like to chew sunflower seeds on the bases as well (Davids and Jim Beams are all I can get down here...but sometimes my old roommate and best friend, from Ontario, sends me Spitz chili lime and dill pickle and I'm in heaven for a few weeks:rock).

Chapstick. seriously. I keep a tube of Carmex in my ball bag and move it to my pocket on the bases. It's a lifesaver this time of year.

I also keep an extra pair of fingernail clippers in my truck...I always seem to forget to clip until gametime.

Then there's the iPod, in case there's a long break between games, cleaning kit for my sunglasses, and a small first aid kit.

[kcfan102]

Chapstick. seriously. I keep a tube of Carmex in my ball bag and move it to my pocket on the bases. It's a lifesaver this time of year.

Gooood point. When I have the lovely pleasure working in the great state of Kansas (), the wind blows steady 20mph all day can really dry out those lips.

[Paperipper17]

Gooood point. When I have the lovely pleasure working in the great state of Kansas (), the wind blows steady 20mph all day can really dry out those lips.

Feel your pain. I forgot my Carmex at the end of the season in the fall once...50 or so, wind blowing at a steady 25-30. My lips were shot. then about the 4th, I pulled off my mask, sneezed, and my bottom lip split. . Magical. ever since then, I keep an extra tube right next to the nail clippers in the truck.

[mazzamouth]

Instead of peanuts.. try a protein shake or a protein bar.... i will drink one before i go out to work a DH..and O feel fine...

Also i like to take a Multivitamin the day of as well.

[blue32]

I keep a can of Scotch Guard at home, and spray my hats a few times a season with it. I never have salt stains on my hats as a result. It also helps to have at least 2 or 3 hats of each color to rotate them. It keeps them fresher, and allows them to dry out before you need them again. I also use the Scotch Guard to spray down my pullovers after each time they get washed.

Another tip I saw on another thread that I have yet to employ, but sounds intriguing, is taking Armor All wipes and wiping down the hard shell portions of your CP and shin guards, so they glide back and forth under your clothes, causing less wear and tear on your shirts and pants.

[Chance]

All of this is great information that cant be found in any rules book. Unfortunately most learn the hard way. Thanks for the tips :GL:

[Stan W.]

All of this is great information that cant be found in any rules book. Unfortunately most learn the hard way. Thanks for the tips

You are right....the rule books teach only rules..............

the really good things ive learned over the years have been from clinics or one on one from my experienced umpire partners.....

[kwiggie]

I keep a can of Scotch Guard at home, and spray my hats a few times a season with it.

Doesn't this make your head sweet somthing awful? I sprayed down a pair of work boots once with that stuff... bad idea.

[mstaylor]

Spray Febreeze on your hat after the game and you won't get salt stains either.

[Tyennie]

One more piece of equipment for your gear bag. for those of you who wear glasses, put in a little fix it kit. you never know when a lens will pop out, because the little screw decided to loosen up.

[padist4ump]

A lot of my buddies keep kiwi liquid polish in their bags, however I have found that a can of pledge and a dust rag works just as well on both plate and base shoes, is not as messy and has no drying time. FYI, spray the pledge on the rag, not the shoes. It will leave spots if sprayed directly on leather. I do not use patent leather so I don't know how it will react on those

[blue32]

Doesn't this make your head sweet somthing awful? I sprayed down a pair of work boots once with that stuff... bad idea.

Not at all. It just seems to protect the fabric from the stains when you do sweat. Haven't had any issue with it at all. It probably helps with fading as well.

[hckyosgood30]

This is probably my favorite thread I've found on here so far. I agree with everything. If you saw my trunk it looks like a sectioned out locker room with all of these little nick-nacks. I would add to the list small tool kit and sewing kit for repairs. Extra shoe laces, a radio or smart phone to play pandora or "umpire mix", and braces for your knees or ankles. Even if you don't wear them. I remember I was in the middle of a 4 game tourny and I rolled my ankle on a sprinkler head that decide not to go all the way down! Made it through the game but then when i took off my shoes i taped my ankle, took ib profen, and put on the brace. Went out for the next 2 like it wasn't even there.