Unequal Uncap

[The Short Umpire]

Had an interesting situation today. I'm not 100% sure what thread this belongs in because it's a long story but also ends with equipment. So considering the recent thread on the uncap I figure this might be a good start for a dedicated thread.

I tried contacting my partner yesterday when I got assigned the game but didn't hear back from him until 30 mins before the game when he told me that he wouldn't be able to make it because he wasn't feeling well. So I now how two HS legion games by myself. I get to the plate meeting and neither coach is in uniform. I ask if they have uniforms with them and both say no. So I inform them that according to our league president any coaches not in uniform will be restricted to the dugout, no exceptions. They both complain and get upset because they are both alone and have no one else to help coach. The VTHC says, "Well if we have to follow these rules then why aren't you following the rules about having two umpires?" to which I respond to by saying, "Actually I am within the rules because according to OBR the league President is only required to assign one umpire to a game." I also tell them that they've had ample notification about the rules and I'm just enforcing what my boss expects. Turns out however that by the start of the first inning they both had full uniforms on... 

So at the end of the first half of the first I notice that the VTHC isn't wearing a skull cap so I go and ask him if he has one, and he says no, so I tell him again that he can't leave the dugout to coach the bases without it on. (He complained again but by the next at bat he had one on...). I then go to the HTHC and remind him he needs a skull cap to coach the bases. He then complains that I gave the other coach a free inning so he should get one too. I tell him that's not gonna happen. And he continues to complain that I can't enforce a rule like that in the middle of an inning. I explained that I won't allow him to coach without a helmet because the liability falls on me if something happens to him when I allowed him to be on the field without it. So he gets his helmet and goes to 3rd, where he complains with the VTHC about being required to wear helmets. At the next inning break the VTHC brought it up again by saying, "Ya know, where's your helmet blue?" I really didn't want to eject anyone considering all of the circumstances so I walked over and showed him my uncap and didn't hear another word the rest of the game!! hahahahaha 

serious question though (and sorry to go a little off topic,) but what do coaches have against uniforms and helmets? I just don't get why this is such a big deal to them. Could you imagine what would happen if any of us showed up to game in shorts and a T-Shirt? We'd never get another game. 

[SeeingEyeDog]

There was a time when a uniform in ANY walk of life...meant something. Fortunately, there are still some areas of society where it still does. And there have been numerous psychological and sociological tests done for many decades now that equate professionalism with those who wore a uniform.

I used to work in a hockey pro shop. We charged $10 to sharpen a pair of skates when I took over. After a few weeks of observation, I scheduled a rep from Blademaster to come to our shop, ordered in some pizzas and formally had all my guys trained by the factory rep who made our skate sharpener. The day after the training, I moved our fee to $15 and...required whomever was sharpening skates to wear clean coveralls or an apron with their name and the shop's logo, which the shop provided. We had a few customers complain...at first. Within a month, the market had accepted our pricing. Now, maybe they were getting better service, maybe they weren't...perception became reality and the uniform assisted with that.

As for sports on the whole, well...no matter how old you are, we have all seen sports change. In some ways positively, in some ways negatively.

I enjoy engaging casual NFL fans when they learn the league has a department whose sole responsibility is uniform enforcement to include the issuance of fines. (Perhaps other sports do, too...) It's interesting to see these casual fans get upset when they read of a player getting fined for wearing socks which though conformed to team colors, did not conform to the team's registered striping. It's typically the younger guys more freshly out of college who struggle with this compliance because at the NCAA level, they allow for much more individual customization of uniforms and on-field apparel and accessories.

What this has translated to in the above scenario is...There are some (not all) people for whom a uniform is optional or a suggestion. Maybe in their day job they wear a suit and tie, maybe they are a personal trainer and their professional attire is casual sportswear. If they are a HS coach, perhaps they are a teacher...regardless, if an umpire is not helping managers and coaches to understand that a lack of proper uniform constitutes a rules violation, we would see some truly amazing outfits on these coaches, no question. Part of playing, coaching and umpiring baseball includes uniform standards. The rules are clear on this and you were as correct enforcing it as you were every other rule in the book during the game.

~Dawg

[umpstu]

48 minutes ago, SeeingEyeDog said:

There was a time when a uniform in ANY walk of life...meant something. Fortunately, there are still some areas of society where it still does. And there have been numerous psychological and sociological tests done for many decades now that equate professionalism with those who wore a uniform.

I used to work in a hockey pro shop. We charged $10 to sharpen a pair of skates when I took over. After a few weeks of observation, I scheduled a rep from Blademaster to come to our shop, ordered in some pizzas and formally had all my guys trained by the factory rep who made our skate sharpener. The day after the training, I moved our fee to $15 and...required whomever was sharpening skates to wear clean coveralls or an apron with their name and the shop's logo, which the shop provided. We had a few customers complain...at first. Within a month, the market had accepted our pricing. Now, maybe they were getting better service, maybe they weren't...perception became reality and the uniform assisted with that.

As for sports on the whole, well...no matter how old you are, we have all seen sports change. In some ways positively, in some ways negatively.

I enjoy engaging casual NFL fans when they learn the league has a department whose sole responsibility is uniform enforcement to include the issuance of fines. (Perhaps other sports do, too...) It's interesting to see these casual fans get upset when they read of a player getting fined for wearing socks which though conformed to team colors, did not conform to the team's registered striping. It's typically the younger guys more freshly out of college who struggle with this compliance because at the NCAA level, they allow for much more individual customization of uniforms and on-field apparel and accessories.

What this has translated to in the above scenario is...There are some (not all) people for whom a uniform is optional or a suggestion. Maybe in their day job they wear a suit and tie, maybe they are a personal trainer and their professional attire is casual sportswear. If they are a HS coach, perhaps they are a teacher...regardless, if an umpire is not helping managers and coaches to understand that a lack of proper uniform constitutes a rules violation, we would see some truly amazing outfits on these coaches, no question. Part of playing, coaching and umpiring baseball includes uniform standards. The rules are clear on this and you were as correct enforcing it as you were every other rule in the book during the game.

~Dawg

Good post.  On the NFL uniforms,  who issues the uniforms, including socks to players?  You'd think they would all be getting the same issue uniforms.

I think coaches might want to wear shorts,etc. because it might be cooler and more comfortable.  I live in an area with a lot of migrant families and as such some schools can't afford more than 1 freshman and JV coach, so I'll actually look the other way if a parent were to wind up in the coaches box when I wasn't looking.  It's under grad baseball, not some life or death situation.

 

[SeeingEyeDog]

Stu,

     It's my understanding the NFL establishes the "Official Uniform Supplier" and then it's up to the teams (usually each one has an equipment manager) to make sure the right uniforms get issued to their players. My guess is that individual players take it upon themselves to buy their own socks, wrist bands, or other unapproved stuff and put it on. (If you're old enough or studied the league history, you might remember Jim McMahon's headband protest...)That could also be alleviated by having the equipment manager or their underling visually inspect players before they leave the locker room on game day to insure compliance. I would think these are grown men and that wouldn't be necessary...and here we are.

     You make a good point about "geographical exceptions". Yes, if I work a game in a financially depressed area, I would make a mental note and then leave that note in the game notes in the hopes that my association is feeding back to the league that there is a concern about uniform compliance.

     We do have some travel league fields in my area that aren't fenced all the way around. I like uniforms on coaches at those games because it's way too easy for some parent or unknown adult to come onto the field and or into the dugout. I like visually knowing instantly who is and is not supposed to be out there.

~Dog

 

[BT_Blue]

To my knowledge, there is no requirement in Legion or any other level that requires the umpire to wear a hard cap. This douche was trying to play gotcha with you. You just happened to have one. 

Both of these coaches are going to find themselves on the wrong sides of a lot of ejections. 

[Mr Ump]

21 hours ago, SeeingEyeDog said:

Stu,

     It's my understanding the NFL establishes the "Official Uniform Supplier" and then it's up to the teams (usually each one has an equipment manager) to make sure the right uniforms get issued to their players. My guess is that individual players take it upon themselves to buy their own socks, wrist bands, or other unapproved stuff and put it on. (If you're old enough or studied the league history, you might remember Jim McMahon's headband protest...)That could also be alleviated by having the equipment manager or their underling visually inspect players before they leave the locker room on game day to insure compliance. I would think these are grown men and that wouldn't be necessary...and here we are.

     You make a good point about "geographical exceptions". Yes, if I work a game in a financially depressed area, I would make a mental note and then leave that note in the game notes in the hopes that my association is feeding back to the league that there is a concern about uniform compliance.

     We do have some travel league fields in my area that aren't fenced all the way around. I like uniforms on coaches at those games because it's way too easy for some parent or unknown adult to come onto the field and or into the dugout. I like visually knowing instantly who is and is not supposed to be out there.

~Dog

 

In the NFL locker room every Sunday ther is a section with approved uniform extras (gloves, socks, sleeves, headbands) which players are directed to use. These are then donated, sold or auctioned each week to various charities and online. If you look online you can find them. A friend who use to work in the locker room at Solder Field use to bring me gloves all of the time. If you notice every week there is a different co ordinated theme of shirts, polos, hoodies, hats, gloves, etc. and they always match. The NFL never stops making money.

[grayhawk]

The thing that pisses me off more than anything on the baseball field is this kind of petty BS. Coaches are such frickin children sometimes.

[umpstu]

On 7/4/2020 at 1:22 PM, SeeingEyeDog said:

Stu,

     It's my understanding the NFL establishes the "Official Uniform Supplier" and then it's up to the teams (usually each one has an equipment manager) to make sure the right uniforms get issued to their players. My guess is that individual players take it upon themselves to buy their own socks, wrist bands, or other unapproved stuff and put it on. (If you're old enough or studied the league history, you might remember Jim McMahon's headband protest...)That could also be alleviated by having the equipment manager or their underling visually inspect players before they leave the locker room on game day to insure compliance. I would think these are grown men and that wouldn't be necessary...and here we are.

     You make a good point about "geographical exceptions". Yes, if I work a game in a financially depressed area, I would make a mental note and then leave that note in the game notes in the hopes that my association is feeding back to the league that there is a concern about uniform compliance.

     We do have some travel league fields in my area that aren't fenced all the way around. I like uniforms on coaches at those games because it's way too easy for some parent or unknown adult to come onto the field and or into the dugout. I like visually knowing instantly who is and is not supposed to be out there.

~Dog

 

Remember McMahon's Rozelle headband?  Hilarious.

[The Short Umpire]

On 7/4/2020 at 11:56 PM, BT_Blue said:

To my knowledge, there is no requirement in Legion or any other level that requires the umpire to wear a hard cap. This douche was trying to play gotcha with you. You just happened to have one. 

Both of these coaches are going to find themselves on the wrong sides of a lot of ejections. 

Correct. Sorry if it seemed that I was implying that umpires were required by rule to wear a helmet because that is not the case. 

[The Short Umpire]

On 7/4/2020 at 2:22 PM, SeeingEyeDog said:

 

     We do have some travel league fields in my area that aren't fenced all the way around. I like uniforms on coaches at those games because it's way too easy for some parent or unknown adult to come onto the field and or into the dugout. I like visually knowing instantly who is and is not supposed to be out there.

 

 

I don't even try with travel ball. It's never gonna happen because the league doesn't care. 

[The Short Umpire]

On 7/2/2020 at 8:48 PM, umpstu said:

Good post.  On the NFL uniforms,  who issues the uniforms, including socks to players?  You'd think they would all be getting the same issue uniforms.

I think coaches might want to wear shorts,etc. because it might be cooler and more comfortable.  I live in an area with a lot of migrant families and as such some schools can't afford more than 1 freshman and JV coach, so I'll actually look the other way if a parent were to wind up in the coaches box when I wasn't looking.  It's under grad baseball, not some life or death situation.

 

Great point. Do you have the same philosophy for Varsity games as well? Also, are you saying that you enforce uniforms for the Head Coach but let the other base coach slide? 

[umpstu]

5 hours ago, The Short Umpire said:

Great point. Do you have the same philosophy for Varsity games as well? Also, are you saying that you enforce uniforms for the Head Coach but let the other base coach slide? 

No, Varsity teams have coaches and uniforms in the budgets.