Fashion Sins of Our Partners

[Kevin Finnerty]

You're a funny man, Hawk.

[Triguy29]

Is it wrong to have a cuff in your pants? When I had my pants finished last year I paid extra to have them cuffed because I thought that was a better look. However, one of the senior umpires I had a fall game with said that they should be straight. Is there any propper way or an unwritten rule?

[johnnyg08]

Take the cuffs out. Umpire pants are not cuffed. What's it like dumping the dirt out of the cuffs?

[Thunderheads]

I love my cream...it gets hot here in the summer and cream or white are seen on the diamond a lot in late July and August....

We rock Cream all the time during the summer! Preference, ...Black, Polo, and Cream .......

[SAB_UIC_TX]

How about this one, and I've only really noticed it at one association here in DFW calling youth ball; two man crew so to "save time" they leave their ball bags on while working the field. Just doesn't work for me and looks terrible. Last time I checked it didn't take that long to put them on, unless these guys are the ones referenced above, you know like the guy who doesn't know how to tie a tie, gets tied once then loosens and slips over his head until the tie wears out.

[BretMan]

Ugggh...the ball bag in the field. I've seen it three times in my career and that was three times too many. Around here, we're told not to do that. "Saving time" is a weak excuse. Can it really take more than about twelve second to either take one off or put one on? Not a good tradeoff- save twelve seconds or look like a dork for an entire game.

Maybe the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen uniform-wise (and I have seen a ton of ridiculous stuff) was a guy who wore his ball bag on the field. But it was worse than that. First, he had his shirt untucked. Then, he used his thin elastic belt to secure his ball bag around his waist on the outside of the shirt. So, the shirt is hanging down about to mid-thigh and the thin belt is gathering the shirt at his waist, so that it kind of blouses out on either side.

It looked like the guy was wearing an umpire tunic.

[Umpire in Chief]

Are the wearing their CP and Shins on the field too to save time???

:rollinglaugh:

[boyinr]

How about this one, and I've only really noticed it at one association here in DFW calling youth ball; two man crew so to "save time" they leave their ball bags on while working the field. Just doesn't work for me and looks terrible. Last time I checked it didn't take that long to put them on, unless these guys are the ones referenced above, you know like the guy who doesn't know how to tie a tie, gets tied once then loosens and slips over his head until the tie wears out.

Do they leave their plate gear and shoes on too? Seems like the added time to take off a bag bag wouldn't slow down the transition too much.

[grayhawk]

I've seen a few guys wear their ball bags at clinics. I can ALMOST see wearing them in the cages, but these guys had them on during base drills.

[JaxRolo]

How about this one, and I've only really noticed it at one association here in DFW calling youth ball; two man crew so to "save time" they leave their ball bags on while working the field. Just doesn't work for me and looks terrible. Last time I checked it didn't take that long to put them on, unless these guys are the ones referenced above, you know like the guy who doesn't know how to tie a tie, gets tied once then loosens and slips over his head until the tie wears out.

This is ludicrous! If I ever get a partner that does that, I won't go on the field with him!

[Kevin Finnerty]

Check out the pants the Majestic model umpire is wearing:

[Thunderheads]

Check out the pants the Majestic model umpire is wearing:

Well, ...in defense of anything here ....it IS for the jersey at the end of the day, but, ....they could have cropped out the waistband, right? :shakehead:

[johnnyg08]

Check out the pants the Majestic model umpire is wearing:

I didn't know they made umpire pants...they are great-looking!

[Kevin Finnerty]

I just keep looking at that freaking shirt, and it looks more and more absurd every time. Those stripes don't go all the way around the sleeve and don't make it all the way up the side---ridiculous. They are so unnecessary. (I'm okay with the collar.) It pisses me off that they're catching on and I had to buy the damned thing.

[sdix00]

It's amazing how much better our shirts look with an association patch and a number. Finnerty is right in that the Majestic shirts are a bit weird looking, but once you put a couple patches on them , they look fine to me.

Same thing with the gray, warm-weather shirts. They look terribly washed out in stock form, but super sharp with contrasting patches.

I think more lower level leagues can benefit by issuing patches and numbers. It makes a huge difference.

[Kevin Finnerty]

I have one numbered black shirt, which I adorned with a No. 9 when John Kibler died. You're right; it looks very cool. It seems that it would improve one of the new Majestics considerably.

[detailshp]

Have to admit, the whole "Never take your jacket off" thingy is new to me. Here in Northern Indiana, you can get a 15-20 degree change from a 9-10AM start game just about every weekend you work the HS season. Yes, I have even done it a few times. Live and learn I guess.

Also, I have seen the MLB guys do the long sleeve underneath a short sleeve look too.

I remember I was doing an April varisty game 3 springs ago, and it was 34 degrees at 4:30 PM game time, and I have a nice pair of Navy ear muffs that wrap around the back of your head and fit under a proper fitting cap that match a navy cap really well. I was wearing them as I do from time to time on the bases in that type of weather, and the coach from the visiting team kept looking at me during the plate meeting. Finally he looks at me and says "Are you going to wear those out on the field?" really softly thinking that I wouldn't hear him. I said without missing a beat " Yep, and the only time they block out the noise is when you come out to talk to me."

I think the home team coach laughed so hard that he had tears in his eyes.

Next year that line made it into one of our association meetings, and I of course got BBQ'd. So, I guess I am one of those nasty guys everyone hates to work with who would wear earmuffs on the field from time to time.

[johnnyg08]

I still have a navy blue cap w/ black shirt thing that drives me nuts...and what bugs me the most is the reason is that they likely don't want to buy a black hat. They're right, nobody in the stands will notice, but man, it drives me batty.

[sdix00]

Sooooooo

I showed up to do a game only to find out that the game had two crews assigned.

'Luckily' my partner had to cancel at the last minute and the other crew was a crew of one.

I asked the other guy who assigned him and he named a guy in our association who had an arrangement with the COACH. My assignor had an arrangement with the facility. Yikes. I called my assignor and offered to bow out or work two-man with the other guy or do whatever works. I'm cool with whatever. My assignor told me "NO, YOU are the man! YOU will work the game. I will call the other assignor to figure out what is going on. Work the game."

SO I explain life to the other guy and he is pretty confused and upset, but signs off, or so I thought.

Anyway, why post this in the fashion thread? Because after the TOP of the first, the other guy strolls on to the field wearing Navy. (I am in black) and explains to me that the check from the coach has his name on it, so that over-rules what the assignor said. But he will be cool and let me have the plate, he will take the check, and he will let me call the assignor back to figure out how to get paid.

I told him how I don't like his ideas for so many reasons, but he insists, and the coach is on the way over to find out WTF was going on. I said fine, we will deal with it later. The last thing I wanted was for Junior to see mom and dad fight. F**k it. Let's go to work.

Well, my game was off. That navy shirt had me fuming. I could live with no check and even the unprofessional handling of the situation, but that damn Navy shirt!!

To TOP it all off, he tells me in post-game, that I shouldn't audibilize my "ball" call.

[boyinr]

I still have a navy blue cap w/ black shirt thing that drives me nuts...and what bugs me the most is the reason is that they likely don't want to buy a black hat. They're right, nobody in the stands will notice, but man, it drives me batty.

Toss in the same issue with ball bags and I am with you. The worst was one blue and one gray bag.

[AJtheUMP]

All of the games I call are out in the country in small towns. My partner and I are usually the only ones who do not show up in jeans. This is one reason why we tell the assigner we want to be partners unless there is no other way. Sometimes when I am forced to work with someone else I often even have to ask them to tuck in their shirt. "I understand that no one has asked you to do that before, but your doing it now." And as for all of these other issues....... They are more like the standard occurrence then something to be frowned upon in this area. (out in the country anyway) On the plus side, as one of the few "professional" looking pairs around, we get a good share of the summer league games.