Jacket vs. Long Sleeve?

[NCAAump2]

Interested in the opinions here. Looking to get a jacket for the first 1/2 of the spring or so, and wanted to know if you all thought the pullover or long sleeve shirt look better for behind the plate. My college association requires all umpires to AT LEAST have a Honigs K17 black jacket ( so we can all match), so I will be getting that one. Should I get the jacket just for the bases and wear a long sleeve black shirt behind the plate? I don't have the money for a plate coat yet, otherwise I would be all over that. I personally like the way the long sleeve shirts look.

[Chris Hickman]

There are a few posts floating around on this. The general consensus is not to wear a jacket on the plate. Wear a long sleeve polo. This should be a very short thread on this topic.... I hope!

[Pops]

What climate are you working in? If your weather is like ours, and the temperatures are in the 30s with a 20+ MPH wind, I don't know if the shirt will be enough to keep you warm even with several layers underneath. Personally, I like how the jackets look. And it's even better if you all match.

[UMP45]

Plate coat!

[NCAAump2]

Like I said, if I had the money for a plate coat, this would be a non-issue.

Pops, I'm in St. Louis, MO, so God only knows what the weather will be like. Will most likely be in the 30s and 40's and cloudy for much of the first half of the spring, although we had a few days in January around 70.

[Kevin Finnerty]

I have a fleece-lined Nike cold gear mock compression undershirt. If that's not enough, I wear a long-sleeve compression tee under it. If that's not enough, I wear a Majestic thermal pullover over my CP. Then I pull on my long-sleeve shirt. The coldest I have ever been here in baseball heaven is a damp and windy high-40s January night, and this configuration worked well. I suppose there is an additional layer that I could put on, but I haven't needed to.

I will go to rather great lengths to avoid wearing a pullover windbreaker on the plate.

[Guest]

As long as you layer properly, you can rock a LS shirt on the plate in almost any weather.

The only time you'll want a jacket on the plate would be if you're working a game being played in "heavy" rain. A shirt would just get too soggy and damp.

[catsbackr]

Definitely the long sleeve shirt behind the plate.

Definitely the jacket and definitely no long sleeve shirt on the bases.

[AZump78]

You are on the right track, buy the mandated jacket for the bases and rock the long sleeve shirt when on the stick, layering under as needed. I am assuming you already have a one short sleeve shirt for when its warm!

[scrounge]

Is it just custom to not wear a jacket on the plate? Or the fact that the shirt has the chest pocket for your book? I never heard that till now (admittedly, I didn't know of this site last early season). I thought it would be better for both plate and base to match.

[Kevin Finnerty]

The black shirt on the plate is now an acceptable match for a black jacket on the bases:

[hckyosgood30]

LS on the plate, it has to be a cold day in hell of me to wear a pullover on the plate. And yes it is exceptable to wear a polo on the plate and the rest of the crew to wear jackets/convertibles.

[kylejt]

And what's the reasoning for not wearing a long sleeved shirt on the bases? (Please don't answer with "because they don't do it in MLB". Those guys wear those God awful light blue shirts, so the only taste they have is in their mouth. Plus, they actually still wear those idiotic short sleeved smocks on the bases. So I don't take my fashion cues from those guys.)

[BT_Blue]

Because it just looks bad. Go watch a game with someone wearing a long sleeve on the bases. It just looks wrong.

I do like the 3/4 sleeve jackets that Honigs has with the white stripes (black... dont/wont own the navy one). I think it actually looks good and in the late spring here in SW WA the jacket is to hot but the 3/4 sleeve is just right.

[Marcus6]

And what's the reasoning for not wearing a long sleeved shirt on the bases? (Please don't answer with "because they don't do it in MLB".

Like it or agree with it or not, I have a feeling if MLB guys wore L/S shirts on the bases it would trickle down to our ranks pretty quickly.

[BT_Blue]

I want to say that when the L/S shirts were first introduced they did wear them on the bases. At least some of them. I seem to remember Dale Scott having worn them on the bases a couple years back.

Thankfully someone decided this didnt look quite right and made the change... one for the better IMHO.

[johnnyg08]

Some of you clearly don't work in states where the temp doesn't get below 50. There are games where I must wear a jacket on the plate to not risk hypothermia.

[Thunderheads]

Dale Scott, and Jeff Nelson (Nelson always) rock jackets on the plate, and I'm sure they're not the only ones.

Kyle, ... MLB guys rock the light blue shirts because,...they don't have a choice

Say what you want about the Majestic Cool Base 'smock' ....VERY versatile...

Sorry guys, ... 38*, 20+ mph winds and a light rain .......I'm rocking a jacket :2cents:

[NWA_UMP]

There have been times I wear a LS on the pads....

Too warm for a jacket but not warm enough for short sleeves. I am looking at purchasing the convertable jacket this spring. I have to find the right one. The Honigs is OK...

[Umpire in Chief]

I generally don't mind jackets, but I do mind my VA association's choice of jacket. It doesn't look right, is expensive and it is not warm in the least - thus defeating the need for a jacket. The only advantage to this jacket is that I can put more layers on under it ti be warm.

We just switched to this jacket 2 years ago, and I'm hoping we'll escape it in the not too distant future.

[noumpere]

Some areas tend to wear the shirt and some areas tend to wear the jacket so you should do what the others do in your area. I think its all much adoo about nothing.

[JaxRolo]

Some areas tend to wear the shirt and some areas tend to wear the jacket so you should do what the others do in your area. I think its all much adoo about nothing.

I agree. Do what your associations says to do. If you can wear a jacket on the Plate then do so. It's not a big deal.

[Kevin Finnerty]

If you do wear a jacket on the plate, remember to be sure to tuck it in!

That alone is the reason I don't, and unless it's raining, won't wear a jacket on the plate. When it did rain (twice in a year), I wore the all-black Majestic Cool Base, which almost looks like a shirt. And the new Majestic Therma Base full-zip can't be tucked in, which is one of the things I like most about it.

[Thunderheads]

If you do wear a jacket on the plate, remember to be sure to tuck it in!

That alone is the reason I don't, and unless it's raining, won't wear a jacket on the plate. When it did rain (twice in a year), I wore the all-black Majestic Cool Base, which almost looks like a shirt. And the new Majestic Therma Base full-zip can't be tucked in, which is one of the things I like most about it.

WHAO?? You can tuck the Therma Base Kev ???

[NWA_UMP]

Thunder...he said CAN'T tuck it in theTherma-base...the Cool-base windbreaker type jacket CAN be tucked in...