New Balance 950 Base Shoes

[SAB_UIC_TX]

Received my New Balance 950 base shoes yesterday. Having been a NB guy withnrunnung shoes for years I was very pleased to see NB brought some of that technology to a base shoe. These are a little stiffer than a running shoe but have good support. They are also very light which I like. The profile of the sole is also lower than the Nike shoe I currently wear, this again is a plus to me. I wore them for an hour or so yesterday and the loosened up quickly and formed to my foot. The sole is a replica of other NB shoes with the nubbed sole for a little extra grip. These shoes should also be easy to shine. I went with the all black version the only white on these shoes is the MLB logo on the heel. I would recommend buying 1/2 to a full size bigger depending on what sock you wear. This shoe is a little more narrow in the toe box than I'm accustomed to with other NB shoes but its not restrictive. Overall a good purchase for the spring season.

[Triguy29]

Where did you get them? I need a new pair of base shoes and I want something with more of a good sneaker feel.

[SAB_UIC_TX]

I got mine from Umpire-attire.com. I've seen them pretty much everywhere online now and a couple local stores.

[johnnyg08]

They're expensive, but a lot of the Minor League umpires are wearing these:

http://www.eastbay.com/product/model:151493/sku:29889012/nike-air-max+-2011-mens/black/grey/?cm=GLOBAL%20SEARCH%3A%20KEYWORD%20SEARCH

[Jeff C.]

I just bought the same pair from Honig's. I got them for $64. I've worn them a little around the house and they are very light and comfortable. Can't wait to try them on the field.

[Kevin Finnerty]

They're expensive, but a lot of the Minor League umpires are wearing these:

http://www.eastbay.c...EYWORD%20SEARCH

When you make the big money like those guys, you can afford to be extravagant. But guys like us need to stay below $100 on our base shoes.

(Of that $159, I wonder how much goes to the little Indonesian children that manufacture them.)

[Marcus6]

They're expensive, but a lot of the Minor League umpires are wearing these:

http://www.eastbay.c...EYWORD%20SEARCH

When you make the big money like those guys, you can afford to be extravagant. But guys like us need to stay below $100 on our base shoes.

(Of that $159, I wonder how much goes to the little Indonesian children that manufacture them.)

MiLB guys aren't!!

[Kevin Finnerty]

Uh, my statement about their pay rate was strictly tongue-in-cheek.

Like this:

[SAB_UIC_TX]

I see a lot of the guys in the minors wearing that Nike, they are comfortable, that's for sure, but Nike running shoes don't work well for me.

[johnnyg08]

They're expensive, but a lot of the Minor League umpires are wearing these:

http://www.eastbay.c...EYWORD%20SEARCH

When you make the big money like those guys, you can afford to be extravagant. But guys like us need to stay below $100 on our base shoes.

(Of that $159, I wonder how much goes to the little Indonesian children that manufacture them.)

MiLB guys aren't!!

I don't want to get into a pi$$ing contest with you about it, I'm sure not EVERY MiLB umpire wears them. You're right.

[hckyosgood30]

I Love the AirMax series by Nike. I've posted on here previously about how much I love these shoes. I know several MiLB guys who buy them. They are light weight, comfy, and have really good traction without the knobs/spikes of other shoes. They are also very easy to clean. Now then they can be expensive unless you buy them at the Nike Outlet Center. I've bought my TR1's and my Airmax 2010's for under 70 and 50 respectfully. So you can get these shoes in roughly the same price range as "normal" umpire shoes.

[Marcus6]

They're expensive, but a lot of the Minor League umpires are wearing these:

http://www.eastbay.c...EYWORD%20SEARCH

When you make the big money like those guys, you can afford to be extravagant. But guys like us need to stay below $100 on our base shoes.

(Of that $159, I wonder how much goes to the little Indonesian children that manufacture them.)

MiLB guys aren't!!

I don't want to get into a pi$$ing contest with you about it, I'm sure not EVERY MiLB umpire wears them. You're right.

I was responding to what you said about them making a lot of $$$

[johnnyg08]

I got it...thanks for the clarifying.

[Haid D' Salaami]

Here is the shoe I got... love them, light breatable and good traction...and they look good.

http://www.eastbay.com/product/model:160296/sku:54242020/nike-dual-fusion-st-2-mens/black/white/?cm=GLOBAL%20SEARCH%3A%20KEYWORD%20SEARCH

[Umpire in Chief]

Here is the shoe I got... love them, light breatable and good traction...and they look good.

http://www.eastbay.c...EYWORD%20SEARCH

These are what I wear for running. The are awesome. I've thought about getting another pair for the bases, but I'm concerned about how dust and silt getting so embedded in the fabric the would end up looking bad quickly.

[johnnyg08]

That is my question as well. How well would those clean up?

[Kevin Finnerty]

Horribly. A frequent partner of mine has them and they look terrible after a very short time.

[johnnyg08]

Good to know.

[Haid D' Salaami]

Here is the shoe I got... love them, light breatable and good traction...and they look good.

http://www.eastbay.c...EYWORD%20SEARCH

These are what I wear for running. The are awesome. I've thought about getting another pair for the bases, but I'm concerned about how dust and silt getting so embedded in the fabric the would end up looking bad quickly.

I wore these in the summer when you came... and they clean up nice... Scrubbing Bubbles.. :notworthy:

[Haid D' Salaami]

Horribly. A frequent partner of mine has them and they look terrible after a very short time.

He must not clean them right... I worn them all summer league which was 25 games and I wore them every other day.. if you clean them right they are nice.

[Kevin Finnerty]

He uses scrubbing bubbles.

(I can't believe I'm writing this.)

[Thunderheads]

Horribly. A frequent partner of mine has them and they look terrible after a very short time.

He must not clean them right... I worn them all summer league which was 25 games and I wore them every other day.. if you clean them right they are nice.

How you clean them has NOTHING to do with what Kevin is talking about. Because of their material, ....20 to 30 steps on the dirt of an infield and these will look like crap. It doens't matter how you clean them, ...sure they look nice when you clean them, ....but that's not the point.......

[Triguy29]

I can't imagine sneakers like that staying new looking because dirt would get into the mesh. Another thing is that you can't get them to shine, which I guess isn't necessary, but I think looks more professional.

[MidAmUmp]

Minor league fields are pretty well manicured. You can go a few days at a time without cleaning your shoes. But I would say they are pretty hard to keep clean if you are working on some dry and dusty legion field.

I personally wear adidas and clean them with Scrubbing Bubbles and use hair spray on them.

[AZump78]

Hair spray?