Shirt and color combo style guide for newbies

[ousafe]

I only recently became aware of some shirt designs being considered "softball umpire shirts" (e.g. powder blue body/collar with red/navy collar stripes, or powder blue body/collar with navy and white collar stripes), and others being for baseball.

On a related note, there are some undershirt color combos that are okay (e.g. red under black), and others that are not.

Is there a style guide somewhere?  At this point I'm only doing LL, but I'm not excited about being mocked by my peers for wearing a softball shirt for a baseball game.

[BT_Blue]

This topic has come up multiple times on this site. I would recommend doing a search and that might answer any questions you have.

if it doesn't, I'm sure there are plenty of guys (and gals) on here that can help fill the gaps.

[ousafe]

@BT_Blue Yes, I have done searches (here, with the google option as @Thunderheads recommends) as well as plain old google.  But even so, I have not found anything definitive.  The "odd colors" thread was interesting though.  I won't assert that a style guide doesn't exist here...but sorry, I was not able to find it.

BTW, I just saw the Salmon Creek LL 11U all stars at 11U LL state.

[LRZ]

Although I may be wrong, I think what BTB meant was you will find many opinions, not necessarily a single, concise style guide.

Those "mocked" shirts are worn a lot around here. Some folks carry a full haberdashery selection--including camo, orange, purple. What is the local custom where you live/work? A safe bet is to go with whatever most others in your region wear.

[tpatience]

Those 2 shirts you mentioned are  defiantly softball shirts. I’d say white and black are the primary undershirts these days but some guys still wear red. 

[wolfe_man]

I try to match my partner.   As a rule, we have to wear red T-shirts under our navy HS shirts. 

I try to match my T-shirt with my hat color as a rule.  Red ump shirt, navy T-shirt to match hat.  Creme, powder and/or black with black T-shirt and hat.   Navy with red T-shirt and hat and so on. Just my two cents.

While I agree that the powder blue with navy & white trim is generally softball - I see it a lot in baseball as well for my area. Personally, I hate it - but I try to match my partner.

[BT_Blue]

49 minutes ago, ousafe said:

@BT_Blue Yes, I have done searches (here, with the google option as @Thunderheads recommends) as well as plain old google.  But even so, I have not found anything definitive.  The "odd colors" thread was interesting though.  I won't assert that a style guide doesn't exist here...but sorry, I was not able to find it.

BTW, I just saw the Salmon Creek LL 11U all stars at 11U LL state.

So the general rule is that the undershirt matches the last color of piping at the end of the sleeve. I.e. navy-red, red-navy, powder-navy, black-and-white, etc. There are obviously exceptions to the rule.

[BT_Blue]

8 minutes ago, wolfe_man said:

Navy with red T-shirt and hat and so on.

@wolfe_man, talk about burying the lead brotha! You guys have RED HATS?

[wolfe_man]

1 minute ago, BT_Blue said:

@wolfe_man, talk about burying the lead brotha! You guys have RED HATS?

LOL no.  Might look better though!

[BT_Blue]

Just now, wolfe_man said:

LOL no.  Might look better though!

You got me all hot and bothered for a second there!

[scrounge]

33 minutes ago, wolfe_man said:

I try to match my partner.   As a rule, we have to wear red T-shirts under our navy HS shirts. 

I try to match my T-shirt with my hat color as a rule.  Red ump shirt, navy T-shirt to match hat.  Creme, powder and/or black with black T-shirt and hat.   Navy with red T-shirt and hat and so on. Just my two cents.

While I agree that the powder blue with navy & white trim is generally softball - I see it a lot in baseball as well for my area. Personally, I hate it - but I try to match my partner.

To add on, in OH we only have 1 option for HS games - red t-shirt with navy shirt that has state logo on it.

For summer, just match....black and cream are common, but so is powder blue. Some guys have red, but I don't have it so it's never worn in my games  . I can't recall ever seeing a navy (blank) shirt in the summer. A good number of guys have the MiLB style powder and black with the white piping, and a small but increasing number have the new MLB style with the charcoal/black panel. And then there are the small % that have....unique....styles, like camo or pink, but don't really ever see that outside of guys that know each other and do kiddie ball.

So, to make a long story boring, don't sweat it, just match.  

 

[Richvee]

If you're just starting, and doing summer baseball, get the Black and blue, either the MiLB style or MLB style as @scrounge says. For high school, most states sort of mandate the color and type shirts. 

As for undershirts...If you're doing 2 man, who cares?  There's no one to match. PU's undershirt isn't visible anyway. Personally,  I wear black with both black and blue shirts, unless it's a 3 man crew then I'll carry a white and red tee with me to match. I'll keep a navy tee in the bag also, for when I run into one of those partners who spout the classic line when asked "What color you wanna wear???"......

"I only have navy"....  ....  uh oh...I hear that and my mind automatically translates that into.."This game has a good possibility of turning into a $hi*show."

Not that there's anything wrong with guys who just have navy shirts....    

 

[Thatsnotyou]

10 minutes ago, Richvee said:

If you're just starting, and doing summer baseball, get the Black and blue, either the MiLB style or MLB style as @scrounge says. For high school, most states sort of mandate the color and type shirts. 

As for undershirts...If you're doing 2 man, who cares?  There's no one to match. PU's undershirt isn't visible anyway. Personally,  I wear black with both black and blue shirts, unless it's a 3 man crew then I'll carry a white and red tee with me to match. I'll keep a navy tee in the bag also, for when I run into one of those partners who spout the classic line when asked "What color you wanna wear???"......

"I only have navy"....  ....  uh oh...I hear that and my mind automatically translates that into.."This game has a good possibility of turning into a $hi*show."

Not that there's anything wrong with guys who just have navy shirts....    

 

"I'm a traditionalist"

"Is that so? Do you have button up shirts too? Outside protector for this game?"

They say it in such a way that implies that we're the odd ones for not following some sort of code. We're rebels for wearing colors that, I don't know, are worn by everyone else, all the way up to MLB.

[BT_Blue]

@ousafe since it sounds like you are from Washington (like myself and a few others). We wear black, in particular.. the 2010 Gerry Davis sublimated shirt, for high school ball. So it isn't as regulated as those states east of the continental divide.

Basically just try and match your partner.

Also, and since I glossed over it earlier, #GoCreekGo

[Mudisfun]

1 hour ago, Hkepuck said:

"I'm a traditionalist"

"Is that so? Do you have button up shirts too? Outside protector for this game?"

They say it in such a way that implies that we're the odd ones for not following some sort of code. We're rebels for wearing colors that, I don't know, are worn by everyone else, all the way up to MLB.

Don't knock the balloon! Used one the other day in a LL Sectionals game... 8/9/10 year old kids and I did not want to end up looking like an advertisement for a battered men's shelter!

[Thatsnotyou]

1 hour ago, Mudisfun said:

Don't knock the balloon! Used one the other day in a LL Sectionals game... 8/9/10 year old kids and I did not want to end up looking like an advertisement for a battered men's shelter!

Haha. Not knocking it, just pointing out the hypocritical nature of their comment. I totally get using that for little guys. 

[JSam21]

Here is a good undershirt guide. Match the last color on the sleeve of your shirt. If it is black, wear black. If it is White, wear white. If it is red, wear red. If it is navy, wear navy. 

 

The Panel shirts (current MLB) and Vertical Stripe (MiLB/NCAA Championship uniform) wear black for all of them. 

The striped collar/cuff shirts match the last stripe color on the sleeve. Navy = Red, Red = Navy, Powder Collar = Navy, Black Collar = Black, Cream/Grey = Black

[Aging_Arbiter]

15 hours ago, Mudisfun said:

Don't knock the balloon! Used one the other day in a LL Sectionals game... 8/9/10 year old kids and I did not want to end up looking like an advertisement for a battered men's shelter!

I actually had to think about that for a minute.  Here in PA, by the time they get to "sectionals", the teams with chasers are weeded out and you have catchers at that point.  However, not knowing how many different levels CA may have (as their population would probably exceed most 3rd world countries), I don't know where sectionals falls in the progression.

[tpatience]

16 minutes ago, Aging_Arbiter said:

I actually had to think about that for a minute.  Here in PA, by the time they get to "sectionals", the teams with chasers are weeded out and you have catchers at that point.  However, not knowing how many different levels CA may have (as their population would probably exceed most 3rd world countries), I don't know where sectionals falls in the progression.

Sectionals is the 2nd round. You still get the chasers. Not often, but you do

[Aging_Arbiter]

Thanks for the clarification.  I was stationed in SoCal for 8 years, and lived their shortly after getting out of the service.  The population was one of the main reasons that I left there, and drove as far away from there as I could before I ran out of gas money.  Then......there it was!   A sign beckoning.........Welcome to PA..........construction zone until the next state.

[Mussgrass]

Do you match right down to all of the different trim options or just the main color? 

[LMSANS]

If I had to put this much thought into my shirts for umpiring, I would retire.

[Thunderheads]

On 7/18/2018 at 2:13 PM, ousafe said:

@BT_Blue Yes, I have done searches (here, with the google option as @Thunderheads recommends) as well as plain old google.  But even so, I have not found anything definitive.  The "odd colors" thread was interesting though.  I won't assert that a style guide doesn't exist here...but sorry, I was not able to find it.

BTW, I just saw the Salmon Creek LL 11U all stars at 11U LL state.

There's not a "guide" so to speak, just conversations .........

http://umpire-empire.com/topic/56378-undershirt-color/

[BT_Blue]

14 hours ago, Aging_Arbiter said:

drove as far away from there as I could before I ran out of gas money.  Then......there it was!   A sign beckoning.........Welcome to PA..........construction zone until the next state.

You could have saved gas by just driving north instead of east. We have PLENTY of that during Construction Season up here. Lol

[MadMax]

You want a style guide? Simple – dress for success.

1. You have a hat, and you wear it at all times brim forward (unless you’re PU with a HSM).
2. You tuck your shirt in.
3. You wear a belt.
4. You wear “Umpire” pants that fit you properly. If PU, the pants cover the shinguards (this will force you to get proper pants and/or proper shinguards).
5. You wear socks that are black, blue, or grey; no white.
6. You wear shoes that are predominantly black, are clean, and are athletic in nature.
7. You don’t wear unnecessary accoutrements, accessories or vanities.

Sure, when it comes to shirts, there are a variety of styles. The current model is known as the 2016 MLB Panel-style. Back in 2015, Majestic rolled out a working prototype in plain black. So, just a plain, solid polo does work. Then you have the well-known and widely used 2010 MLB Vertical (or Single) Stripe. It’s still a very effective, straightforward, professional look... for baseball. It was copied by several manufacturers after Majestic released it. Some made it less expensive. Some, like The Officials Choice (TOC), expanded it into over a dozen varying color combinations. And lastly, some turned it into a dye-sublimated blank so any organization or association could commission an “official shirt” for their member umpires... complete with the exorbitant, extortionate price tag.

The 2010 style lends itself to be replicated via dye sublimation much more easily than the older, more “traditional” styles.

The old, traditional, “classic” style has its origins in the 1990’s. Debuting in the patriotic triad of navy with red and white trim, it appealed to a multitude of organizations and institutions including American Legion, Babe Ruth, Little League and NFHS. Of course, to replicate the Elbeco’s sunlight-drenched powder blue, a powder blue version was introduced with red, white and navy trim, then merely navy and white trim. The professional ranks used these for a short time, but then pressed on into black, augmenting it with first cream and then a black-collared light blue shirt that came to be known as “polo blue” or “Columbia blue”.

Because Softball was largely an amateur sport, it followed amateur baseball in its use of navy-based shirts, which further diversified into red (with navy and white trim) and white. Of course, because softball is played primarily in daylight, and to “soften” its appearance, it embraced powder blue with navy and white trim as its quasi-official color.

And this is how it stood for over a decade, until 2010 saw Majestic debut that “radical new style”... and “traditionalists” across this great nation let out a long, loud, collective groan that the new shirts were too slick, too flashy, and too expensive. Heaven forbid that we had to buy new shirts! And Heaven forbid that we had to buy different shirts if we call both baseball and softball! How oppressive!

So, now with more options than ever, the only important thing to do is match your partner... and tuck your shirt in.