Leather Pads

[JaxRolo]

Mine is very loose. Pretty much hangs of the bill of the cap

[Majordave]

An inch off the face when you lean down, right?

Si, si Pedro!

[kylejt]

Another thing to check is how far is the bill of you hat from the mask frame. When the pads compress, is the frame driving the bill into your skull? You need that compression zone, so it doesn't.

 

I wear 8 stitch hats, but do make sure I've got that clearance. Low profile frames don't offer that to me.

[catcher]

Another thing to check is how far is the bill of you hat from the mask frame. When the pads compress, is the frame driving the bill into your skull? You need that compression zone, so it doesn't.

 

I wear 8 stitch hats, but do make sure I've got that clearance. Low profile frames don't offer that to me.

@kylejt 

 

How far would be good?

[kylejt]

It depends on how much you expect your pads to compress. I'd look for 1/2 to 3/4".

[Kevin Finnerty]

To me the key to avoiding injury, regardless of the style and type of pad you wear is the harness tension...

 

I wear the harness so loose that the mask sits on the bill of my six stitch cap and spins off of my head when hit by a ball.  I do not feel a thing. ... the best thing to avoid pain, headache, concussion, head ring, bell ring, jaw sore, etc. is a LOOSE MASK HARNESS.  ...

I have been hit by foul balls, tips off the catcher's mitt and direct hits from the pitcher's hand to my facemask at NCAA D1 down to Little League 12 year olds multiple times at all levels and the loose mask is, I say again, THE KEY.  

 

The absolute worst shot I ever took was a straight shot to the Wilson titanium with the standard two-tone original equipment pads. It was a mid-90s uncaught straight fastball that the batter had his bat out to bunt at, and pulled it back, but not before blinding the catcher.

 

It hit me in front of my left eye, and the mask--worn very loosely, just as Dave described--wound up 25 feet away in an area behind and to the right of the plate circle. If my mask stayed on, and I was forced to take the full force of the blow, they would have been peeling it off me as I laid on the ground. Instead, I got to have it handed back to me by the catcher as I stood at the plate, shaking my legs back to life.

 

In this case, Dave's two cents worth is actually worth a fortune.

[Umpire in Chief]

Wow first a @Kevin Finnerty sighting then a @Majordave sighting. 

 

Get your Camera's ready Bigfoot (and I don't mean @BigUmpire) will be next.

 

 

Welcome back Dave! 

[catcher]

What can I say? I'm magnetic

[Majordave]

Thanks Warren and Kevin.  Good to be back.  You know how it is..........Work, work, work.  And, I became a Volleyball Ref this fall and I am working my butt off with adult rec leagues here in KC.  Still got the itch for umpiring though.  First game last year was in first week of Feb.  Last game was in second week of November.  I worked about 350 games of baseball but I can't wait to get out there again.  Got some stuff for sale in the sale/trade forum if anyone is interested.

[Kevin Finnerty]

So you're doing volleyball! What's that like, Dave?

 

 

"Work, work work..."