Be Professional

[cardinalfan]

My wife and I went to see a couple of friends' kids play LL last night at the local complex. This is a large, city complex with about 20 games going on simultaneously, from T-ball to Sr. Babe Ruth. Frankly, I was appalled at the umpires.

* The game started about 10 minutes late as these two stood outside the fence and ate nachos and talked to the crowd. Let me make this clear - these weren't teenagers with nothing better to do. The PU looked to be about 40, and his partner wasn't far behind.

* The kid on the mound for the home team was warming up during this time, and I'm sure he took no less than 100 warm up pitches!

* When they did enter the field, my wife asked, "Are these guys supposed to dress this way?" It was the classic Norm-the-umpire look with white shoes, JC Penney slacks, powder blue shirts, and caps that looked like they dug them out of the bottom of their bags. The PU reminded the BU to tuck his shirt in as they entered the field.

* The PU had the smallest strike zone I've ever seen - actually he didn't have a strike zone. If they didn't swing it was a ball. Maybe the fact that he turned his head on each pitch caused his zone to be skewed.

* The BU stayed in the slot the whole game, whether there was a baserunner or not.

* The only time the BU moved all night was between each inning, when he went to the 1st base side to chat it up with some of his homeboys.

* The time between innings usually took about 5-7 minutes (my wife timed a couple of them). When the pitcher got tired and stopped throwing, the umpire would take his place. Then he would pick up his mask, which he had laid on the grass near the plate, and yell, "PLAAAAY BAAALL!"

It doesn't matter if we are working T-ball or D1 college, we can do better than this. I doubt those guys made much money last night, but IMO they are a primary reason parents, coaches, & players are defensive against umpires as they get older and play at more advanced levels.

I don't work the small diamond. I haven't in years. But I have a lot of respect for umpires at all levels who do their best to work the game.

I'm also not going to say these guys should wear polywools, titanium masks and Wilson Golds.

But I don't think umpires at any level should look and act like clowns, and these guys were just a big, red nose and floppy shoes away from getting a job in the circus.

Thanks for allowing me to rant. Please go out in whatever part of the world you call home, and look and act the part of an umpire!

[FVBump]

Amen! Looking and acting professional is definately the way to go. Add a little hustle...and any problems should be minimal.

[semper_fi_72]

I whole heartily agree with being professional but remember this is LL.

Also not everyone who umpires or Leagues that have umpires such as these do any training or anything to improve their umpires. It is not just a reflection of the umpires but the league. If the league wanted better, they would not be on the field.

They may as well have been Volunteer Umpires who are just doing what they can and do not know any better.

[cardinalfan]

I whole heartily agree with being professional but remember this is LL.

Also not everyone who umpires or Leagues that have umpires such as these do any training or anything to improve their umpires. It is not just a reflection of the umpires but the league. If the league wanted better, they would not be on the field.

They may as well have been Volunteer Umpires who are just doing what they can and do not know any better.

I know the director of the league. He tries to conduct clinics, but there isn't much interest. On most nights, he needs 30-40 umpires, and he doesn't have enough to choose from to get rid of all the bad ones. He also competes with the local softball park, which runs about the same about of games per night.

I talked to a friend who said the guys last night made $50 for two LL games.

I know I'm too hard on these guys, but three weeks ago I was at the same park watching an 8-yr-old machine pitch game, and the two young guys working that game did an excellent job. They looked nice, and had a very professional demeanor with the players and coaches.

[PeteBooth]

My wife and I went to see a couple of friends' kids play LL last night at the local complex.

I doubt those guys made much money last night, but IMO they are a primary reason parents, coaches, & players are defensive against umpires as they get older and play at more advanced levels.

But I don't think umpires at any level should look and act like clowns, and these guys were just a big, red nose and floppy shoes away from getting a job in the circus.

You said LL which for all practical purposes means Volunteer. Yes there are many a volunteer that try their best to look the part attend clincis etc. but in general terms you get "what you pay for"

but IMO they are a primary reason parents, coaches, & players are defensive against umpires as they get older and play at more advanced levels.

Then these PARENTS should VOLUNTEER. Oh wait they just want to come to the game, relax have some refreshments AND get on the umpires.

War story when I umpired in LL. In LL it's not uncommon to have 3 / 4 plates in a day because there are not enough umpires. It was 4th game of the day behind the dish and it was a hot day.

I had this parent calling me all sorts of names etc. I KNOW I KNOW we are supposed to ignore fans but like I said it was my 4th game behind the dish and I had it. After the half inning I went over to the parent (it was a father) and said "Sir you are correct I suck today. I tell you what. Upsatirs in the umpire room I am certain we have gear that will fit you. It's hot and I sure could use a break and a nice cold drink and watch a professional such as yourself finish the game for me."

The fathers jaw dropped and I didn't hear a peep out of him the remainder of the game. In fact (not that I was looking for it) after the game he said Nice game blue.

The POINT: ESPECIALLY at LL is many people want to complian but when you ask them to Volunteer for umpiring duties you get that "deer in the headlights look".

My summer assignor has picked up a lot of LL business (mainly Jr.'s / Sr.'s) because parents were being asked to umpire and started showing up in the 3rd inning to avoid being asked.

Also, you want the umpire to look the part. That costs BIG TIME money.

When I became HS certified it cost me over $700.00 to get EVERYTHING from a quality CP, shin guards, mask and accessories PLUS the pants, shirts jacket for the winter time etc.

In a nusthell become part of the solution instead of complaining.

Pete Booth

[semper_fi_72]

I know the director of the league. He tries to conduct clinics, but there isn't much interest. On most nights, he needs 30-40 umpires, and he doesn't have enough to choose from to get rid of all the bad ones. He also competes with the local softball park, which runs about the same about of games per night.

I talked to a friend who said the guys last night made $50 for two LL games.

I know I'm too hard on these guys, but three weeks ago I was at the same park watching an 8-yr-old machine pitch game, and the two young guys working that game did an excellent job. They looked nice, and had a very professional demeanor with the players and coaches.

Then they should be more professional.

We have set up a program here.

I work with 2 others and we assign 40 umpires over 5 leagues in our District.

This is the first full year out little association/service has been available.

You attend clinics. We held half day clinics on Saturday for 6 weeks prior to the season.

If you are going to take pay for LL games. (We do have a few full volunteer umpires).

You must contribute 10 hours of volunteer time before you take pay.

You pay us $10 for the ArbiterSports License. (Volunteer Umpires do not have to pay).

You must work TOC and All-Stars as a volunteer if asked.

If you refuse to work Tournament games, you will not be asked back next year.

We appointed 8 Crew Chiefs for TOC and All-Stars.

You are evaluated as necessary to work up from Minor through Seniors.

Sounds like $25 a game to me which is exactly what our leagues are paying.

You must at least own one Navy Blue Umpire Shirt.

You must have plate gear.

We have had very few complaints about our umpires during the season.

We have now scheduled coverage for 719 games, Minor, Major, Junior, Senior Softball and Baseball which now includes our District TOC games.

We do not take any money from the Leagues to provide our scheduling service. We have contributed numerous hours each day to ensure games are covered and changes are communicated as necessary

We did not get any umpires from the other 7 leagues in the District to cover TOC and probably won't get any and do not want any from them as they are the type you describe.

League, District and UIC Management has a effect on the quality and professionalism of the umpires.

They need to take a tougher stand if they want to improve their umpires.

We will be schedule All-Stars once District gives us the brackets.

Some umpires will be asked to work Sectionals.

Good programs will draw good people.

[cardinalfan]

Also, you want the umpire to look the part. That costs BIG TIME money.

When I became HS certified it cost me over $700.00 to get EVERYTHING from a quality CP, shin guards, mask and accessories PLUS the pants, shirts jacket for the winter time etc.

In a nusthell become part of the solution instead of complaining.

Pete Booth

You wouldn't believe the amount of gear, slacks, shirts, etc., I've given to umpires over the years to help them get started.

And I like your story. Last night, some dad stood behind the backstop and commented on every pitch. I don't think I could work a game with backstops that close! He would have been somewhere else by the 2nd inning!

[jjb]

While I completely agree with Pete, regarding “be a part of the solution”, you have to understand that developing a quality Umpiring Program is a long process. While I have absolutely no issue with Volunteer Umpires (God Bless Y’all: I couldn’t do it), I’ve never been in favor of pulling parents from the stands: Crappy Umpiring is bad for your program, wherever they come from.

We’ve got 100 umpires run by 5 experienced Umpire Directors and Training Staff. Here’s how we do it down here:

1. It starts with the Baseball Organization: without their support (both financially and otherwise), you’re dead in the water before you’ve gotten from the dock. If they won’t pay quality money, and won’t back up the umpires’ on-field decisions (i.e., suspensions and disbarments), the quality umpire will find another place to work. This will get you a good core group of experienced umpires.

2. Next, you’ve got to develop from the bottom up. Around here, the number of teams drop off at about 15 years old. Not every player makes it to HS ball. So, there’s a ton of kids who would ordinarily leave baseball, and these are the kids you want to market to. Yep, I said market. You’ve got to initially sell them on the idea of umpiring. Your Baseball Organization most likely has a database with email addresses of the 15 year-old kids. Here, we send them an email in January, asking them if they’d like to “stay in the game”, and “make some good money at the same time”. Where else can a 15-16 year old kid make 500 bucks over the summer? This will get you a good number of applicants.

3. Now that you’ve got an Applicant List, you’ll need an Informational Meeting. They think it’s for them: actually it’s for you. At this meeting you need to stress that “this is not a Recreational Activity for them, it’s a Part-Time Job”. Like any other job, your performance decides how much money you make, and, occasionally, how long you keep working for you. This will lose about 10-15% percent of your list, when they figure out it’s for real.

4. Now, you’re ready to start Training, and we stress that every single umpire has gone through training. Now, to be sure, you don’t want your HS Umpires sitting around listening to what a Foul Ball is. You will have a separate “Meeting” for them to discuss what’s coming up this season, and the differences in some rules. Everybody else goes though the long program.

5. We have a good, comprehensive Training Program, that takes a few weeks to complete. Here’s where you’ll see the Whiney Parents come out: “Timmy played Select Ball: why does he have to go to Training?” This is a Good Thing: it uncovers the Problem Parents for the season: (“Timmy had homework, so I told him he couldn’t show up yesterday”). Save yourself the ajita, drop them from your list, and send them to Soccer. Umpiring takes dedication, and if they won’t train, they won’t work. Same with uniforms: we have a dress code. Break it, and, as my Assignor likes to say, “when the phone don’t ring, you’ll know it’s me”.

6. Now we evaluate, by either actually going out with them and working with them during a game, or a written evaluation during the season. This keeps them on their toes, as they never know when or where we’ll show up.

7. At the end of the season, we decide who will move up in level for next year. We pay on a sliding scale based on your level: the higher the level the older the league you're working. (You should see my Level 1's bust their a^^es just to get out of T ball).

We’ve been doing this for about 7 years now, and, by now, most of our crew is made up of 20-30 year old umpires, who are trained and dedicated. But, like I said, it takes a lot of time.

[catoblue]

Pete makes too many points to count.

Now for my own "war story" with LL.

I live in a rural community and have a league that keeps our costs down so we can get all the kids who want to play, the opportunity (our registration is $45, and includes the $10 player fee for the facility we use and another $10 for raffle tickets, which the parents can easily recoup). I know most of the leagues around here are $75 or more per kid.

When I started calling games here, between games I was coaching, I was "Norm". I owned no equipment or uniforms, but that was OK because I fit right in - nobody else did either. I can't count the times over the years when we've had HS kids in shorts and T-shirts AND flip-flops, calling games behind the plate!!!!

We don't get a ton of griping from parents, because they know the league is always hurting for volunteer umpires, and they know that their gripes will get them volunteered to call a game in a hurry. The "put on the gear if you think you can do better" line is not just used to shut them up, and generally doesn't come from an umpire - rather you'd likely hear it from a BoD member as they try to hand them a mask, shinguards and a balloon protector.

Now, since I spent most of the last 18 years as a coach, calling maybe a half dozen games/season, I used the league's gear (complete with balloon pad and ill-fitting mask), and wore jeans and a light blue shirt. Number one, I didn't know any better, and number two, if I had, I couldn't afford all that crap that "real" umpires wear. Yes, I had on steel toed work boots and my shinguards were on the outside of my pants (they don't fit under Levi's straight leg jeans too well).

I did go to a couple clinics held by the local league, but appearance was never covered. I wanted to do right by the kids, so I read and re-read the rule book cover-to-cover many times. I even got my hands on LL's "The Right Call" book and read that too.

Mechanics? LOL! That's what you call the guys that work on your car!

SAFE was the same "motion" as is used by "real" umpires, but OUT might be a punch, hammer or the good old hitch-hiker thumb (depending on whichever one happened to pop into my head at the time). A ball was called BALL! A strike, swinging or called, was STRIKE!

Full Count... Fist overhead and "Full Count!" As a BU, "B" was the only place to "be".

So that was where I was probably 5 or 6 years ago, and I fit right in. We were volunteers, after all, and weren't getting paid to be "real" umpires like the guys that showed up at big diamonds for BR and Legion games (state association guys).

Then one year, we decided to throw our hat in the ring to host a district Minors tournament. That meant we'd need to do something about umpires, or we'd never get another tournament again. We sent a gang of us to the district clinics that year. We all got some decent training from guys that had been instructors in Williamsport. We learned that mechanics had nothing to do with our cars, and learned that we needed to look and act professional.

That was when the light bulb went on over my head, and umpiring became something I started to take more seriously - and the league did too. The district set the uniform for the tournaments to be Navy blue pants and a District umpire shirt (provided by the district). Our league bought a couple inside CP's and some plain navy beanies and regular hats. They also got some of the slim shin guards that AllStar makes, so guys could wear them under their navy blue dickies.

So now, come tournament time, we're in pretty good shape, and I've worked several since.

Regular season rolls around again the following year. Our gang of tourney umps is in limited availability mode again due to the number of games to cover. The difference now being, we get a trained, uniformed guy behind the plate, and Daddy from the stands on the bases. That's pretty much the way it still is today.

Me, I've attended some more clinics, over the last few years - some decent and some not worth the gas money. My coaching years began to wind down as my youngest approached the magical age of 12 where he'd age-out. So I started taking umpiring even more seriously. Over the last couple years, I've put together my own gear, one piece at a time, have bought real umpire attire (Love my Flechheimer pants!), and have started doing things like joining these forums where I can learn more than I could get in a single clinic - by simply discussing things as they come up and learning from others experience instead of just from my own mistakes. It's been a long journey for me that started out 30 years ago (now way, I can't be THAT old!) when, as HS kid, I started out calling games for LL Juniors (wearing sweats!), to where I am today, and I'm finally getting to where I want to be for LL and will make the jump to big-boy ball (association-style) in a couple more years when my youngest graduates HS.

So, while these "clowns", that have you so disgusted, are far from professional, there's a very real chance that they might just be a "work in progress" like I was. Right now these guys may be doing it simply because the league needs umpires and 25 bucks is 25 bucks, but who knows, maybe the light bulb will go on for one or more of them and we'll see them here on the forum in the not-to-distant future, looking to get better too.

[cardinalfan]

Catoblue, I can relate. I grew up in a rural community, and we were lucky to get one umpire, much less two. I remember once when my dad volunteered to call behind the plate with only a balloon and a mask - and then he called me out on strikes! That was my dad's only attempt at officiating!

Like I said, I have nothing but respect for umpires at all levels who work hard.

My point, lost somewhere in the midst of my rant, is this: No matter what level you work, what equipment you have available, or how much experience you have... give the kids a good effort. They deserve it.

[catoblue]

My point, lost somewhere in the midst of my rant, is this: No matter what level you work, what equipment you have available, or how much experience you have... give the kids a good effort. They deserve it.

AMEN to that.

[PeteBooth]

If they won’t pay quality money,

We’ve been doing this for about 7 years now, and, by now, most of our crew is made up of 20-30 year old umpires, who are trained and dedicated. But, like I said, it takes a lot of time.

JJB the most important aspect of your post If they won’t pay quality money,

Most LL organizations DO NOT pay quality money.

I can understand Cardinalfans frustration IF you are paying "Market Rates" and the umpires show up and act like he described in the OP, BUT if they are Volunteer (not saying it's right) you get what you get.

You said it best - For the younger umpires treat it like a part time job. If you want umpires to treat umpiring like a part time job then you need to PAY them like a part time job.

From your response you have a very good program but ALSO, sounds as though the LL organizations that you service pay a Good rate.

From my experience, (other than those LL organizations that contract with us), LL gets the "remainder" because most umpires that take their craft serious are umpiring in leagues that pay and generally speaking LL does NOT pay so as mentioned you get what you get.

That's why I said the REAL answer is: Rather then Complain sign up and become a solution instead of complaining OR "Pay the freight"

Pete Booth

[PeteBooth]

My point, lost somewhere in the midst of my rant, is this: No matter what level you work, what equipment you have available, or how much experience you have... give the kids a good effort. They deserve it.

I hear what you are saying BUT if you do not have ADEQUATE equipment, KNOW the rules, KNOW where to position yourself, it's very difficult to give a good effort.

Many Many LL organziations throughout the country get parents out of the stands. They are lucky if they have an experienced plate guy/gal to begin with and then have parents do the bases. The parent for the most part has no clue on the rules or where to position him/her-self.

In a nutshell I would agree with MOST of your points IF you hired an outside assignor and PAID Market Rates for their services BUT I disagree on most of your points when talking LL in general where you have Volunteers and sometimes a parent etc. who gets "roped into" umpiring for the day.

I have seen parents do that "odds /even" with the fingers to decide who has to umpire. If there is a group of men/women they draw straws.

Pete Booth

[FVBump]

My point, lost somewhere in the midst of my rant, is this: No matter what level you work, what equipment you have available, or how much experience you have... give the kids a good effort. They deserve it.

Agreed. You don't have to exactly look the part to show some form of professionalism...you just need enthusiasm. Don't just go out there and make money.

[jjb]

JJB the most important aspect of your post If they won’t pay quality money,

Most LL organizations DO NOT pay quality money.

I can understand Cardinalfans frustration IF you are paying "Market Rates" and the umpires show up and act like he described in the OP, BUT if they are Volunteer (not saying it's right) you get what you get.

You said it best - For the younger umpires treat it like a part time job. If you want umpires to treat umpiring like a part time job then you need to PAY them like a part time job.

From your response you have a very good program but ALSO, sounds as though the LL organizations that you service pay a Good rate.

From my experience, (other than those LL organizations that contract with us), LL gets the "remainder" because most umpires that take their craft serious are umpiring in leagues that pay and generally speaking LL does NOT pay so as mentioned you get what you get.

That's why I said the REAL answer is: Rather then Complain sign up and become a solution instead of complaining OR "Pay the freight"

Pete Booth

Exactly, Pete: if the Organization won't pay a quality rate, why would they expect a quality result? Now, before the "vollies" out there start warming up the tar and feathers, let me say that those orgainizations, if they have developed a quality umpire group, have to understand what an uphill battle they have to face, particularly is there's a "paid" organization close by. And, if most "quality" umpires are working elsewhere, the remainder of the "trained ones" are forced to work with the "untrained", which is even less incentive to work there.

But, in that sense, you're right: if thye're not adequately paid, you've got no reason to bit**.

[mstaylor]

OK, Pete's LL bias side, the OP has very valid points. I too am in a rural setting and we have the gammit of umpires. We have some exxcellent nonpaid guys, we have some Smitties both paid and nonpaid and we have some excellent paid guys.

I think the difference is what do you bring to the field.

When you take a game, paid or not, you should be there to give it your best. If you are being paid then you should be in an uniform, know the rules for the level you are working and know the mechanics. If you are paid and you don't do these things then you need not be there. Being paid denotes training in all three areas. Do you always get that, well, go to any travel ball tournament and see what's there. You get some dressed in polywools and others with pants that have turned as red as an USSSA shirt.

On the unpaid side things are tougher. Many guys have no training, others do but can't afford uniforms and gear. Many think they know because they played, others say it's easy, anybody can do that. I don't care if a guy is out there in shorts and a balloon if they are giving it the best they have.

What I don't want to see is guys out there not pushing the game along between innings, not doing the little things like throwing a ball back quickly on passed balls/foul balls and perpetuating rules myths.

For the areas that have untrained guys in their LLs, the HS and college guys should offer to teach clincs for the local leagues. Hopefully the guys will see the difference and decide they need to also attend the next year. The next thing you know the quality for the LLs goes up and you just may get some new blood for the HS group.

[txump81]

This whole discussion boils down to what each individual thinks about his self. Personally, it doesn't matter if I get paid or not, I am going to do my best. It is in my blood. Whether in the official uniform or not, it all boils down to morals.

[cardinalfan]

I certainly wasn't picking on LL. That just happened to be the level I was watching at the time.

Good points by all!

[PeteBooth]

OK, Pete's LL bias side, the OP has very valid points.

Not a bias Michael as I started in LL but this OP reminded me of the typical rant on LL umpires.

You say valid points.

From the OP

I was appalled at the umpires.

* The game started about 10 minutes late as these two stood outside the fence and ate nachos and talked to the crowd. Let me make this clear - these weren't teenagers with nothing better to do. The PU looked to be about 40, and his partner wasn't far behind.

I do not know about you but that was me at one time.

Why!

Eventually we all need something to eat/drink. It was not un-common for me to have 3/4 LL games in a day as we simply did not have the manpower. Eventually one game was going to run late (and IMO 10 minutes late is NO big deal) because I had to get something to eat and drink.

* When they did enter the field, my wife asked, "Are these guys supposed to dress this way?" It was the classic Norm-the-umpire look with white shoes, JC Penney slacks, powder blue shirts, and caps that looked like they dug them out of the bottom of their bags. The PU reminded the BU to tuck his shirt in as they entered the field.

You said you didn't care if the PU wore shorts and shin-guards as long as they gave a good effort.

* The PU had the smallest strike zone I've ever seen - actually he didn't have a strike zone. If they didn't swing it was a ball. Maybe the fact that he turned his head on each pitch caused his zone to be skewed.

The BU stayed in the slot the whole game, whether there was a baserunner or not.

We do not know what kind of training these guys had no matter how old they are.

It doesn't matter if we are working T-ball or D1 college, we can do better than this. I doubt those guys made much money last night, but IMO they are a primary reason parents, coaches, & players are defensive against umpires as they get older and play at more advanced levels.

The aforementioned I totally disagree with.

The PROBLEM: VOLUNTEER instead of ranting.

If you want umpires to look professional etc. then PAY them. The FACT is a game was played which is the most important thing. Perhaps if these guys know matter how unprofessional they looked did not umpire the game there would be no game.

It's easy to Rant and complain quite another to help out.

Pete Booth

[cardinalfan]

Pete,

You seem to be very defensive about this deal because I mentioned it was LL. Forget that. I love LL. I would've busted these guys no matter what level they called.

I know a lot about this association - you don't. I am friends with the director, and he constantly asks for helpful advice. He wants them to be better.

I, along with many other veterans here, have offered to VOLUNTEER our time with a clinic and have given them tons of equipment. Some of the guys there are very, very good. One of our local guys worked at Williamsport a couple of years ago.

I don't know why this is personal to you. I said two guys did a lousy job, and that we can do better.

Peace.

[mstaylor]

Pete:

Just busting your stones. I know your history and that you prefer Fed. My basic points were I wasn't interested the paid/unpaid debate. The OP was only saying we should put forth an honest effort whenever we take an assignment. I have seen some really good guys that just don't do it enough to warrent spending the money for proper uniforms and gear. I know I used league gear for ten years before I started Fed and bought my own stuff. When I started working regularly, abeit unpaid, I always wore an uniform of sorts. Now whether I work a 60ft unpaid or a college game I wear a full uniform, the same gear, double ball bags,the whole thing. I give them a full effort no matter the level.

I know unpaid guys that give a full effort, own uniforms and gear, but aren't very good because they just won't learn, but they are out there every year giving it their all and really caring about the kids and league. I have seen guys that get paid that absolutely suck. They are out earning extra money or they are egotists that like being able to run a field. Paying should get you at least decent uniforms and a basic rules knowledge, sometimes that isn't true.

We basically agree, but have a few differences.

[SGT. D.]

Looking the part is very important. I don't mind spending the money for quality equipment. All it took was 1 game behind the plate with the "leagues" equipment. Safety is paramount, I can't afford to not be protected-shoes, CP, mask...

It's funny, when I'm "Coach Dave" with a pullover on and such, people smile and nod at you when you're walking to the field-But when I'm dressed for success (that's what I call it) people don't smile at you or nod, they kinda scowl and move away.

The other night, we were watching a ball game at Red Robin and my wife says "you dress just like they do" referring to the umps. I said "thank you".

My father once told me that if your going to do something, then you do it fully-all the way-no half assing. Or don't do it at all.

[JaxRolo]

I see so many umpires not wearing plate shoes when doing the Plate.

What are they thinking? When I ask about it they say too expensive and they have never been hit on the toes.

Good Luck with that! :TD:

[catoblue]

I see so many umpires not wearing plate shoes when doing the Plate.

What are they thinking? When I ask about it they say too expensive and they have never been hit on the toes.

Good Luck with that!

I'm in that crowd

I do wear steel toed black shoes (shined), and have been hit in the foot on occasion, but since I only do games up to 12U LL, nothing has hit me with enough force to hurt at all.

[Mike Prince]

I'm in that crowd

I do wear steel toed black shoes (shined), and have been hit in the foot on occasion, but since I only do games up to 12U LL, nothing has hit me with enough force to hurt at all.

I didn't wear plate shoes until last fall when a pitch in a 9U game caught me right on the tip of the big toe. Split it right down the middle, hurt for weeks.

Don't let the age group lull you into a sense of security behind the plate. The pitchers may not throw as hard, but many of the catchers can't even catch a strike. I got hit more in 9U/10U than in all the the other age groups I dd combined.