Mlb back to Navy blue???

[Samwhich169]

Okay I just don't get all the hate on the navy. I hear where everyone is coming from about "that's the shirt that new umpires wear" and so on. I just got through working a tournament here in Texas and we wore navy as a crew the last couple of games by choice. I get so tired of black, especially down here with it being so humid/hot. One personal issue is that I don't like to constantly blend in with the teams colors. It seems here in the past couple of years that most teams are incorporating black into their uniform scheme, black pants, black shirt, or even both. I worked a game a couple of weeks ago and both teams had black shirts (one had white pants the other had black pants) and all my partner had was a black shirt. It looked kinda funny, everyone on the field was in black. I am not saying that the umpires should "stand out" but we shouldn't be lost either.

Everyone here (north Texas) wants to wear the "MLB blue" as they call it, and that's fine. It just gets SO old. Cream to me is just no good either. I find that navy is a good middle of the road color sometimes. I started umpiring and the old Elbeco shirts was what we had. I remember when the navy shirts came out and I though they were so cool, so I guess I kinda have a soft spot for them. I think that if you choose to umpire you should invest into multiple colors and not just get into the habit of just bringing one, I mean who knows maybe one day people will be saying, "hey remember when umpires wore black......"

[clasonater]

I'm going to buy the navy convertible for the specific reason that I hate navy.  It doesn't look too bad, and it's usually a subvarsity game anyway where i'll be the one evaluating the newb for the association.  My softball powder blue is something to admire however. Snagged up, a couple stains, and a few pen marks at the bottom of my pocket.  I will be that guy for softball.  I look like a gem in powder blue with some heather combos.  The sad part is, I still look better in powder blue and heather than most around here. 

[Majordave]

But one (pic) is of an MLB plate umpirein navy, mask in hand with letters MLB, not N or NL on his hat straddling the third base line lining up a Mark McGwire homerun line drive from his now infamous record breaking season. I don't know who the umpire is but his uniform fits him impeccably, his guns are HUGE and the look of intensity on his face and in his eyes in that photo made me want to look like that on any call I got to make. I still try to emulate that look on balls hit down the lines. Even though it was a now unliked navy shirt with red/white trim he still looked fantastic. And remember the navy was a step up in appearance for most umpires from the "mailman" Elbecos that some of us now covet. Crazy fashion. 

I got a pm from KFinn. He found my pic. I should have looked. My memory was pretty good. I got the hat wrong. But the ump is just as I described otherwise. It's Kerwin Danley. In great shape. Former player at San Diego State. 

Love this pic. Thanks KFinn

[mbkcoach]

I think they were both on the same stuff!!!!!!

[RichMSN]

​It's not the color Navy, persay, that's the crux of the problem. It's what it represents:

1. High-School (thus, the epitome of NFHS rules) ball, which means we're playing this "by the book", and since most high-school games start at 3:30-4:00, you're going to get umpires who are exclusively umpires, but not on merit (usually). Most of the rest of us who could (or should) do those high school games are in another job or occupation that we can't get out of until 4:30 (if we're lucky) or 5:00.
2. Lax-ness, almost carelessness. Often, the Navy shirt is the "first one you get" and you're often told "this is all you need". Soon, this becomes an excuse - "Why don't you have any other colors?" "I was told this is all I needed!" "Do you know how to rotate out of A?" "What's A?"
   Often, this shirt is pitched into the trunk of a car, and because it's the "only one you need", it rarely gets washed (or gets washed so frequently) such that it becomes wore out, salt-stained or faded.
3. A perpetuation of the myth. We're called "Blue" because we wear blue, right? 
4. A perpetual cycle of unpreparedness. Why do local Sporting Goods stores only carry Navy (and Powder w/ navy stripe, if you're lucky)? Because chances are, the assignment/need for an umpire is a last-minute thing, or the umpire lost/forgot/damaged his "one navy shirt". The first shows a lack of preparation on the part of the game organizers. The second shows a lack of preparation on the part of the umpire.
5. Implied universality with softball. Nice try.
6. Inability to accept or tolerate change and progress. The game has gotten faster. There's new technology and practices. Even the Rulebook gets modifications to it. But why not try a new color or style or two? "We've (more like, I've) had these here Navy shirts for twenty years, why change?" Yeah, and you probably still use a balloon oh my gosh you do??!!
7. Apathy and aversion to improvement and ambition. What are the phrases? "Dress for success" and "Dress for the job you want"? You don't want to improve and move up, showing great aptitude and skill?

There's more. Oh, there's lots more.

​

Well, in Wisconsin navy is the color for high school baseball.  So that's what I wear unless I want my post-season assignments pulled.  16 games at the state tournament 2 weeks ago and 16 games worked by umpires that wore navy.  The state allows "powder blue" which usually gets translated to "that softball shirt" although we tend to wear the polo blue with black collar when not in navy.

Otherwise, I'm usually in black.  Black for college, black for summer, black when a partner thinks that "it's too hot to wear black" which is just stupid, IMO.

I get what you're saying, but there's quicker indicators to me on the likely quality of an umpire than the color shirt they wear.

[Jeff C.]

​

Well, in Wisconsin navy is the color for high school baseball.  So that's what I wear unless I want my post-season assignments pulled.  16 games at the state tournament 2 weeks ago and 16 games worked by umpires that wore navy.  The state allows "powder blue" which usually gets translated to "that softball shirt" although we tend to wear the polo blue with black collar when not in navy.

Otherwise, I'm usually in black.  Black for college, black for summer, black when a partner thinks that "it's too hot to wear black" which is just stupid, IMO.

I get what you're saying, but there's quicker indicators to me on the likely quality of an umpire than the color shirt they wear.

​Same in Michigan. 

[BaltimoreUmpire]

Seeing this thread makes me think I should add a few colors, right now I have navy, polo blue with black trim and red(don't laugh it was a Christmas gift, used once or twice). Nobody here has anything but navy and light blue. Might add black and cream in case I work with someone who has them but the league I work for is pretty much a navy and  light blue only league.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Majordave]

Buy two of any shirt you like in large or xl or whatever size you think your partner may be. If they fit them you can loan one to you partner and wear whatever you like. That's my method. Doesn't cost anymore in time or money to wash two shirts. 

[RingEmUp]

This is a great thread.  I wore navy maybe three times this year, once because partner wanted to, once because I had gone through every color I owned prior to that and finally because I forgot my black ball bags at home but happened to have my navy ones in my car.  My HS association has Navy as the default uniform and then black, powder blue, cream and the pro black, pro blue colors as being authorized to wear for games.  I have other colors for just in case but I really just wear them as a shirt for my day job, such as maroon, olive drab, Vegas gold and Texas orange.

[BillKen]

I don't understand these HS associations that try to control every aspect of the uniform.  I get that we should have the same...but if a local group wants to wear MLB style and we all go out and buy it so that we are the same when we take the field...what difference does it make?

[JaxRolo]

I don't understand these HS associations that try to control every aspect of the uniform.  I get that we should have the same...but if a local group wants to wear MLB style and we all go out and buy it so that we are the same when we take the field...what difference does it make?

​https://youtu.be/8INIH0JfNA8?t=21s

[RingEmUp]

​https://youtu.be/8INIH0JfNA8?t=21s

​https://youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ

 

This is a better video to illustrate your point.

[Majordave]

@RingEmUp

Is that your attempt to revive the prank known as "Rickrolling"?  Thought you were doing that to us.  

 

When I taught high school business a kid did that from my classroom using some sort of "death link" that took over your computer and wouldn't let you have control back without a hard reboot by killing the power to the computer.  He sent the link to the ENTIRE school system.  Superintendent, Principal, teachers, administration staff, other students--THE. Whole. School. System.  He got suspended and lost computer use privileges.  I thought it was funny but I got in trouble too as it happened while he was using a workstation in my classroom.    My daughter who was in elementary school at the time came home talking about it.

Glad that didn't happen to us this time.

 

 

[grayhawk]

I don't understand these HS associations that try to control every aspect of the uniform.  I get that we should have the same...but if a local group wants to wear MLB style and we all go out and buy it so that we are the same when we take the field...what difference does it make?

​This is how our HS association does it.  Our "default" uniform is black honigs style shirt with charcoal slacks, but we are free to wear other colors and styles (including MLB style) as long as we match.  This includes regular season games as well as playoffs.  The other typical shirts are pro blue and cream in honigs style, or black and light blue in MLB style.  Nobody ever wears navy, red, powder, pink or any of the camo colors.

[RingEmUp]

@RingEmUp

Is that your attempt to revive the prank known as "Rickrolling"?  Thought you were doing that to us.

 

When I taught high school business a kid did that from my classroom using some sort of "death link" that took over your computer and wouldn't let you have control back without a hard reboot by killing the power to the computer.  He sent the link to the ENTIRE school system.  Superintendent, Principal, teachers, administration staff, other students--THE. Whole. School. System.  He got suspended and lost computer use privileges.  I thought it was funny but I got in trouble too as it happened while he was using a workstation in my classroom.    My daughter who was in elementary school at the time came home talking about it.

Glad that didn't happen to us this time.

 

 

More importantly, did you watch the video or not?

[Majordave]

Rick Astley?  Not yet.  Saw it was him, decided it might be a rickroll and I got the hell out.  Thought Rolando might be Hillaryrolling us based on your reply to him.  I don't plan to go watch that video, wasted enough time on this.  If there is a point please tell.  If not, no worries.  I will still be able to sleep tonight without knowing or watching.

[Hawkman]

I don't mind the navy at all and still wear it by choice on occasion. Everyone has the Navy of course and a lot of the newer or lower level guys have light blue too, but it's usually the "softball" shirt with the white trim; if you're doing baseball you need the polo/light blue with the black collar in my opinion. I know that if I work a JV doubleheader with someone other than my regular partner it's a certainty that at least one of the games we'll have to wear navy.  My regular partner and I have the navy, polo/light blue with black collar, black and grey. The grey is my favorite and if it isn't too hot and sunny the black is right there with it. If it's hot and sunny I'll usually go with the polo blue or grey behind the dish. We always work doubleheaders here so I have two in each color because if I work the plate first there's no way I'm wearing the same soaking wet shirt for game two. However, Iowa mandates that officials wear the Navy only for postseason games. I've never seen anyone wear red for a HS game around here, I have seen guys wear the cream/off white.

I do think that the black looks the sharpest.

[RingEmUp]

Rick Astley?  Not yet.  Saw it was him, decided it might be a rickroll and I got the hell out.  Thought Rolando might be Hillaryrolling us based on your reply to him.  I don't plan to go watch that video, wasted enough time on this.  If there is a point please tell.  If not, no worries.  I will still be able to sleep tonight without knowing or watching.

Rolo hillaryrolled us and I fired back with a rickroll. 

There was no point, just sad now that I know you didn't watch either video. 

[BCBrad]

I feel I need to play the devil's advocate here with three points. 

First, from a historical perspective, I find polo shirts in general tacky. I still have my light blue short-sleeve collared cotton shirt with the old provincial association logo that has a dogwood on it (BC) from 30 years ago when I started umpiring in my early 20s. I love the old logo. Our new  provincial logo is black and red and looks like something someone designed in his basement with a cheap version of Printmaster. Put it on a black shirt and it looks like you are umpiring in the California Porn League. At least navy or powder makes you look like a real umpire. The Canadian logo on a black shirt is not much better. 

Second, being professional as an amateur umpire means working hard on ensuring the integrity of the game and making sure games are fairly played. This is done through a continuous commitment to work hard at studying rules and rule interpretations, at practicing and performing proper positioning behind the plate and on the bases, and at performing clear mechanics on the field that demonstrates your commitment to respecting the game. Substance over image. If you are caught up in the colour of a person's shirt, you may be missing out on building a good working relationship with your partner. Remember, there is no I in team, but there is no U either. 

This leads to my third point. All of you  started out at one time. Your first varsity, your first collegiate, may be even your first international. Up here, it would be your first provincial, first premier, or for some your first national. Hopefully, you were lucky enough to have veteran partners who mentored you and fueled your passion to get better, to develop and to improve. Hopefully, they didn't ostracize you for the colour of your shirt; instead, took your first games as tools to teach you and push you to get better. Their support made you a better umpire.

I can tell you it may be your negative first impression toward that new umpire that causes you grief later in the game because you made it clear in the locker room, you were not going to be part of the team on the field. He/she felt alone on the diamond and even things they normally do well positionally or mechanically, they forget because of the cold shoulder they got from the first step in the locker room. You made it clear they were alone out there. Be a teacher, not a pompous azz. 

PS. Still dreaming of the day to go retro and umpire wearing a bow tie. 

 

[Cav]

I feel I need to play the devil's advocate here...

Well said.  But, would it still be applicable in countries that aren't on the metric system? 

[MadMax]

a PS. Still dreaming of the day to go retro and umpire wearing a bow tie. 

 

So, why not? Why not show up at the next ballpark you're the PU at in a white shirt and bow tie, equipped with another shirt-and-bow tie for your partner?

Yeah, then your partner will reply, "All I have is navy."

Then you'll say, "But look, I have a complete set for you!"... and you might convince him with your charisma alone to take you up on the offer and do the prized "retro game" you wish so much to have. Go for it!

But then you hear the crushing, soul-sucking reply of, "Why? Isn't navy good enough?"

See, it all has to do with attitude, not necessarily image persay.