So tell me about your ball bag

[kylejt]

My ball bags match my belt and shoes. 

[MadMax]

14 hours ago, kylejt said:

My ball bags match my belt and shoes. 

Soooo… white? 

[kylejt]

3 hours ago, MadMax said:

Soooo… white? 

Shiny patent leather! (remember those ill fated Honig's leather ball bags? They just needed some Leather Luster slapped on them.....)

 

[Richvee]

On 6/10/2021 at 12:53 PM, ArchAngel72 said:

But I swear the Grey bags Look great with any shirt color

THAT, my friend, is an

opinion, which I adamantly disagree with. No offense. 😁

[Richvee]

On 6/10/2021 at 12:53 PM, ArchAngel72 said:

 

[BT_Blue]

6 hours ago, kylejt said:

Shiny patent leather! (remember those ill fated Honig's leather ball bags? They just needed some Leather Luster slapped on them.....)

 

They were selling those things during the short time I worked for Honigs SoCal. They were terribly ugly! Lol

[Marcus6]

On 6/13/2021 at 3:34 PM, kylejt said:

Shiny patent leather! (remember those ill fated Honig's leather ball bags? They just needed some Leather Luster slapped on them.....)

 

One of the many products from around that time where we thought “uhoh Honigs has lost their way”

[kylehutson]

On 6/10/2021 at 5:10 PM, MadMax said:

At last count, I have 11 different colors spanning 4 styles

I think I counted 23 shirts I have? I end up buying a new cream and powder every couple of years, because the collars get nasty really fast on those.

[MadMax]

1 hour ago, kylehutson said:

I think I counted 23 shirts I have?

Last I checked, this is a topic thread about ball bags, Huts. I wasn’t going to go into exhaustive detail... but since you have the fridge door open... 

8x 2016 Panel, Black, Short-sleeve; 3x 2016 Panel, Black, Long-sleeve; 4x 2016 Panel, Sky blue, Short-sleeve;  1x 2016  Panel, Grey, Short-sleeve; 1x 2016 Panel, Navy, Short-Sleeve; 1x 2015 Plain Black Short-sleeve; 3x 2010 Vert. Stripe, Black, Long-sleeve;  3x 2010 Vert. Stripe, Black, Short-sleeve; 2x 2010 Vert. Stripe, Sky blue, Short-sleeve; 1 each of 2010 Vert. Stripe, Short-sleeve, in: Bermuda Blue, Grey, Cream, Maroon, Olive Green, Navy, Red, Pink, Black with Pink (9 tot.); 2x “Classic” collar-&-cuff stripes, Black, short-sleeve; 1x Classic, Polo Blue w/ black collar, short-sleeve; 1x Classic, Navy, short-sleeve; 1x Classic, Navy, long-sleeve; 2x Camouflage (1 Night-&-Day camo, 1 Sky camo)

That’d be 42, at least.

23 shirts for you? Commendable, but you gots some work to do. 

 

[Scissors]

3 hours ago, MadMax said:

Last I checked, this is a topic thread about ball bags, Huts. I wasn’t going to go into exhaustive detail... but since you have the fridge door open... 

8x 2016 Panel, Black, Short-sleeve; 3x 2016 Panel, Black, Long-sleeve; 4x 2016 Panel, Sky blue, Short-sleeve;  1x 2016  Panel, Grey, Short-sleeve; 1x 2016 Panel, Navy, Short-Sleeve; 1x 2015 Plain Black Short-sleeve; 3x 2010 Vert. Stripe, Black, Long-sleeve;  3x 2010 Vert. Stripe, Black, Short-sleeve; 2x 2010 Vert. Stripe, Sky blue, Short-sleeve; 1 each of 2010 Vert. Stripe, Short-sleeve, in: Bermuda Blue, Grey, Cream, Maroon, Olive Green, Navy, Red, Pink, Black with Pink (9 tot.); 2x “Classic” collar-&-cuff stripes, Black, short-sleeve; 1x Classic, Polo Blue w/ black collar, short-sleeve; 1x Classic, Navy, short-sleeve; 1x Classic, Navy, long-sleeve; 2x Camouflage (1 Night-&-Day camo, 1 Sky camo)

That’d be 42, at least.

23 shirts for you? Commendable, but you gots some work to do. 

 

at last count I have...5. guess I have some work to do.

[BLWizzRanger]

Last I checked, this is a topic thread about ball bags, Huts. I wasn’t going to go into exhaustive detail... but since you have the fridge door open... 
8x 2016 Panel, Black, Short-sleeve; 3x 2016 Panel, Black, Long-sleeve; 4x 2016 Panel, Sky blue, Short-sleeve;  1x 2016  Panel, Grey, Short-sleeve; 1x 2016 Panel, Navy, Short-Sleeve; 1x 2015 Plain Black Short-sleeve; 3x 2010 Vert. Stripe, Black, Long-sleeve;  3x 2010 Vert. Stripe, Black, Short-sleeve; 2x 2010 Vert. Stripe, Sky blue, Short-sleeve; 1 each of 2010 Vert. Stripe, Short-sleeve, in: Bermuda Blue, Grey, Cream, Maroon, Olive Green, Navy, Red, Pink, Black with Pink (9 tot.); 2x “Classic” collar-&-cuff stripes, Black, short-sleeve; 1x Classic, Polo Blue w/ black collar, short-sleeve; 1x Classic, Navy, short-sleeve; 1x Classic, Navy, long-sleeve; 2x Camouflage (1 Night-&-Day camo, 1 Sky camo)
That’d be 42, at least.
23 shirts for you? Commendable, but you gots some work to do. 
 

Ever think of having a yard sale?

First year here and I am up to 10. I have only two that I havent used but I expect my newest one, MLB Blue, to be used this week.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930AZ using Tapatalk

[MadMax]

30 minutes ago, Scissors said:

at last count I have...5. guess I have some work to do.

You’re fine, Scissors. You’re not flinging memes on the table, rolling an old Buick up to the line for a race with a Formula One car. 🤓 I started out with a Classic Navy, and an (oversized) plain black UnderArmour polo shirt. 

29 minutes ago, BLWizzRanger said:

First year here and I am up to 10.

Certainly, quantity of games influences you to get more shirts… but, I’ve found the variety of game types has been the biggest motivator to getting more, and varied, shirts. Just amongst my 8 black MLB panel shirts, 2 are HS, 3 are indy pro-specific, 2 are used primarily for college & MiLB ST (use magnet-patches). That leaves me one “utilitarian” black shirt to use on any of the day-to-day or weekend tournament games. Suffice it to say, it’s my workhorse, but even it should get a rest. 

The sun in the Southwest is merciless; everything fades. For this reason, most of us in Phoenix try to use other colors or older styles (2010 vertical stripe, or classic) to take the wear and tear off our primary black and sky blue panel shirts. 

[kylehutson]

On 6/19/2021 at 8:27 AM, MadMax said:

23 shirts for you? Commendable, but you gots some work to do. 

Consider me duly chastised. I was really amazed you, a self-proclaimed vulture, had so few - didn't realize that was just the number of "styles". I shoulda known better. 

On the original question - I have a pair of "good" black ball bags that I wear with everything, and if anybody has ever had a problem with it, they haven't said anything to me about it. Every couple of weeks, or whenever I'm on a particularly icky field, I throw them in the washer and then the dryer with the rest of my gear. Of all the things I worry about on a baseball field, bags are near the bottom of my list.

[Thunderheads]

On 6/10/2021 at 6:10 PM, MadMax said:

 

... because I do not do softball. Talk about a house divided, NCAA Softball actually went the route of trotting out Navy with Powder Blue panels, and Powder Blue with Navy paneled shirts for the NCAA WCWS. While I’m disappointed that they’re sticking with navy as their base color, I applaud them on promoting the more modern style. Whole state associations can’t even do that! 

Important point with ball bags – unless you’re working in an environment where there’s a ready resupply of baseballs – no less than 4 at a time – then don’t wear just one ball bag! Wear two; it is the dumbest delay and look to a game that you’re out of baseballs, or that the clubbie / ballboy is bringing you only 3 at a go because you can’t fit them into your one lone ball bag because you want to look oh-so-big-league.

 

I noticed that!   I thought those shirts were pretty nice

Nope, that doesn't work, ...not when you get 3 to start w/ the starting pitcher having 1.  So, 3 in the bag, 1 on the field ...   I've always been a single bag guy  

[GreyhoundAggie]

I got always wear 2 ball bags beat into my head from my very first umpire clinic.

 

I guess anything else just looks weird to me now.

[ArchAngel72]

11 minutes ago, GreyhoundAggie said:

I got always wear 2 ball bags beat into my head from my very first umpire clinic.

 

I guess anything else just looks weird to me now.

 

Well looks like I will need to up my numbers on bags 

I had been running with 2 (1 as back up) now I will probably need to up those to 4 or 5 of one style and color each so that I have proper back up if I shift to 2

 

[MadMax]

41 minutes ago, Thunderheads said:

Nope, that doesn't work, ...not when you get 3 to start w/ the starting pitcher having 1.  So, 3 in the bag, 1 on the field ...   I've always been a single bag guy

This wasn’t directed at you, Jeff, or anyone on U-E in particular. No, this is directed to (new) college, independent pro, and semi-pro guys who (will) have a ball boy, clubbie, or team PO bring new baseballs to you out of the tote. If you request any less than 4, you’re wasting our time and efforts!! Just because you want to look Big League and wear one bag, we all have to watch the poor clubbie run back and forth like a tennis ball fetcher, bringing you 2-3 at a time?! 

Minor League -level baseball really slaps you with the harsh reality in baseball – that time and COE = money. If you’re doing a Minor League simulated game, you’re likely to have 2 different balls (at least! I’ve had a few with 3!) that you’ll need to cram into your ball bags. You might want to show off your throwing ability, but that guy on the mound, even in a League minimum contract, is likely making more per game than you’ll get in a season of games, so it’s best if you just hand the replacement to the catcher. Pitchers will reject balls for any reason, and you better have a replacement ready – any lulls in the action, you’ll have a staffer or another PO bringing you another 5-6 balls, you better not decline! 

[Thunderheads]

2 minutes ago, MadMax said:

This wasn’t directed at you, Jeff, or anyone on U-E in particular. No, this is directed to (new) college, independent pro, and semi-pro guys who (will) have a ball boy, clubbie, or team PO bring new baseballs to you out of the tote. If you request any less than 4, you’re wasting our time and efforts!! Just because you want to look Big League and wear one bag, we all have to watch the poor clubbie run back and forth like a tennis ball fetcher, bringing you 2-3 at a time?! 

Minor League -level baseball really slaps you with the harsh reality in baseball – that time and COE = money. If you’re doing a Minor League simulated game, you’re likely to have 2 different balls (at least! I’ve had a few with 3!) that you’ll need to cram into your ball bags. You might want to show off your throwing ability, but that guy on the mound, even in a League minimum contract, is likely making more per game than you’ll get in a season of games, so it’s best if you just hand the replacement to the catcher. Pitchers will reject balls for any reason, and you better have a replacement ready – any lulls in the action, you’ll have a staffer or another PO bringing you another 5-6 balls, you better not decline! 

Oh for sure, I get it, and no, I didn't take anything as directed at anyone  

[LMSANS]

I wear 2 bags for baseball and 1 for softball. most HS games I start with 3 baseballs and the pitcher has 1. Softball is usually 1 for me & 1 for each pitcher (covid excepted).

Some schools have gotten more liberal with baseballs due to field limitations. Had a game in the local minor league field and the home school went through a whole box. Coach was beside himself.

Softball fields seem to be in more open areas and foul balls are more easily recovered.

[SeeingEyeDog]

Why is a HS coach beside himself? Is he paying for the baseballs himself?

I will admit...it's always sad to me to work a field with an inadequate backstop and fencing and inaccessible areas outside the field of play. I don't have the resources to shop fence pricing but, how many baseballs does a team or league have to lose to equal proper fence/netting? Perhaps it's the amortization...

And no...close backstop to home plate are not a solution. A pass ball by the catcher, should be a 50/50 opportunity for a runner on third.

~Dawg

[LMSANS]

2 hours ago, SeeingEyeDog said:

Why is a HS coach beside himself? Is he paying for the baseballs himself?...

Coaches are responsible for spending in this particular district. If he uses up his allotment before the season is over, he may be buying them himself.

This district also takes months to pay.

[MadMax]

On 6/22/2021 at 11:52 AM, SeeingEyeDog said:

Why is a HS coach beside himself? Is he paying for the baseballs himself?

In a sense, yes. HS baseball programs are under comparatively restrictive budgets. Facility use alone is extraordinarily specialized. Basketball, volleyball, and PE classes can use the field house or gym. Gymnastics and wrestling can use an extension of that gym. Football, soccer, lacrosse, and the marching band can all use the rectangular field, and indeed, typically get lights. The baseball field, however, can only be used for one activity, and in the Title IX environment we live in, every dollar allocated to the baseball program must be matched, dollar for dollar, to the softball program – regardless of booster drives or private donation. 

The team has to have uniforms. The team has to have bats, and of course, they have to be legal to the current (and ever-changing) standard. The team has to have gloves and mitts and helmets and protective gear – again, intact & legal to current standards. Lastly, after all the uniforms, and gear, and safety protocols, and insurance, and facility maintenance (including the one thing unique to all team sports – a pitching mound), there’s gotta be a supply of baseballs. 

And wouldn’t ya know, the Fed mandates that all official and acceptable baseballs for gameplay must now have two seals of standard approval and certification. Not good enough that there’s one stamped certification, or that the two baseballs are otherwise exactly the same. No! And then you’ve got some stodgy umpire giving you grief for not having “proper baseballs” for a scrimmage – which again, you (as head coach) are completely funding out of your strapped budget – or giving you grief because you don’t have enough pristine pearls for a neutral-site game that the kids and parents are supposed to enjoy, but is completely outside of your control to prepare and arrange? 

“But you’re the home head coach, aintcha?”

On 6/22/2021 at 11:52 AM, SeeingEyeDog said:

I don't have the resources to shop fence pricing but, how many baseballs does a team or league have to lose to equal proper fence/netting?

There’s several HS ball fields that suffer this condition, but none as noteworthy and publicized as Barry Goldwater High School in North Phoenix. @KenBAZ can vouch for this. The ball field’s 1BL runs parallel with the wall of a gated residential community. There is approximately no more than 50 feet from the foul line to the wall, and the roofs of the houses behind it. Salvos of baseballs go over the wall, never to be seen again… because the residents have banded together, led by one pedantic, particular lady who has been amassing the baseballs as proof in collateral forfeit that the school needs to erect a net system so elaborate that it will guarantee no baseballs, softballs, or objects of any kind will go over the wall. And the school would have to pay all of it. 

Now, the school is partly culpable in the positioning of this ball field. Were they to flip-flop home plate for the left-field foul pole, and rearrange the accoutrements accordingly, there’d be far, far fewer baseballs going over the outfield fence and the wall. But, that would involve a substantial expense now, which is probably only eclipsed by the super-net Karen is holding several dozen boxes of baseballs hostage to get. 

On 6/22/2021 at 11:52 AM, SeeingEyeDog said:

And no...close backstop to home plate are not a solution. A pass ball by the catcher, should be a 50/50 opportunity for a runner on third.

Who are you to say? There’s nothing in the Fed rules* that stipulates that every field a HS game is played on must have a minimum distance from home plate to backstop. Placement and constitution of the backstop is rather ambiguous, and largely variable. Is it fence? Is it net? Is it brick? Is it padded? Each of these has an effect on the baseballs physically, as well as how the baseballs bounce back (if at all). Liberty HS, one of the super-big 6A schools in the NW of the Phoenix metroplex (so having “gobs of land and money”), has rather deeply placed backstops, but still lose boxes of baseballs to the nearby roadway, because the backstops are relatively low (they’re farther back from most, aren’t they?). By contrast, Thunderbird HS is bordered by Thunderbird Road on its 1BL, and has a towering net and backstop system that is no more than 15 feet behind home plate… and they still lose scads of baseballs. 

And as a former catcher, if I had any say in a baseball program and/or the construction of their ball field, I’d put the backstop as close as possible… to squelch cheap scoring… 

… and irritate umpires that share your opinion. 
 

———

*- watch, as soon as I state this, someone will comb the archives and find a/the rule. 

[Jackrabbitslims]

On 6/12/2021 at 12:00 PM, BT_Blue said:

As for what they are. I have the ballbags that Ump-Attire used to sell. They are double lined and have a storage zipper on the back.

These exact ball bags are sold on Amazon. They are fantastic....expensive...but worth the cost.

[The Man in Blue]

On 6/10/2021 at 5:10 PM, MadMax said:

Fastest way to get demerited on a college-level plate job – wear grey ball bags. 

Supposedly, grey ball bags are for softball, which I find odd considering that softball still cannot make up its mind (ironic that most softball players are women, no?) as to which shade of grey to use for pants: charcoal or heather. Wear heather ball bags on charcoal pants, you’re just asking for tsks and eye-rolls. I’ve defended TheOfficialsChoice on their extravagant shirt colors before, but when they started to offer ball bags in both shades of grey, camo... and pink... I gave up. 

I have two black ball bags for any/all games using or complementing black or black-trimmed shirts. For those stubborn hold-out states that still insist on using navy shirts, I have a pair of navy ball bags. The only other navy-trimmed shirt that uses these bags is red; and, of course, I use a navy hat, and have a navy mask and navy harness. If I feel like making a sartorial point, and illuminating the absurd devotion to “standards and protocols” in the amateur game, I’ll even wear navy shoes (on bases). But these occasions have largely died off, and are rare nowadays... 

... because I do not do softball. Talk about a house divided, NCAA Softball actually went the route of trotting out Navy with Powder Blue panels, and Powder Blue with Navy paneled shirts for the NCAA WCWS. While I’m disappointed that they’re sticking with navy as their base color, I applaud them on promoting the more modern style. Whole state associations can’t even do that! 

At last count, I have 11 different colors spanning 4 styles, giving me 18 different shirts, without counting duplicates. Granted, most of my ≈ 400 games are in black, but the only thing I and most of my colleagues request is that we use other colors or older black shirt styles on day games, else our rather expensive, latest-edition black shirts fade in the oppressive sun. 

Important point with ball bags – unless you’re working in an environment where there’s a ready resupply of baseballs – no less than 4 at a time – then don’t wear just one ball bag! Wear two; it is the dumbest delay and look to a game that you’re out of baseballs, or that the clubbie / ballboy is bringing you only 3 at a go because you can’t fit them into your one lone ball bag because you want to look oh-so-big-league.

 

My issue with grey ball bags is they match nothing ... pants don't come in consistent shades either.  And, as I pointed out in another thread, pants in many codes are just described as "grey" nowadays.  Many places have stopped with trying to dictate heather/charcoal/light/dark.

I have worked for several softball sanctions and have NEVER seen grey ballbags as part of any proper uniform.  Perhaps some oddball obscure organization such as the Professional Association In Northwest  Anchorage Slow-pitch Softball (PAINASS)?

NCAA was not the first softball org to use that scheme.  USA Softball introduced it more than a few years back (4?).  I resisted them (because I'm cheap) for a few years, but now that I have converted, I really like the look and feel.  The shirts USA uses are actually very lightweight and cooling.  The colors are too flimsy though.  USA offers light blue/navy, navy/light blue (my favorite look), white/navy, and pink/black.  (We fully expected they would have finally put an actual logo on them by now, rather than the generic block print.  Mainly because it would cause us to have to buy more gear, again.  Which you can only buy through a USA Softball regional vendor.)

It's interesting you say softball is a house divided ... and I can understand that point of view.  I would say the generalized difference in softball and baseball is that softball orgs are really trying to put their brand out there and umpires are one of their chief tools to do it.  Just as we are lamenting advertising on MLB umpires, that is really all it is.  By requiring a different shirt with a different look or a different logo (did we mention you have to buy all this from US or our designated vendor?), each association "stands apart."  In the softball umpiring community, this has led to many umpires saying they won't work for Code XYZ because we are sick of buying new shirts, hats, and ballbags to use just a few times each year.

USSSA tries to go extreme by using red shirts (black trim) as their default.  It is a sharp shirt, but red should NEVER be the default for umpires.  I don't know why.  I just don't like red.  They also offer a black/red (very sharp, IMO, should be the default), a white/red, and a pink.  (USSSA gear can only be purchased through Boombah.)

In baseball, the orgs don't see umpires as a revenue stream or branding opportunity.  (Again, over generalized.)  In fact, many of them base their identity in trying to copy what kids see on TV, so they don't want to be different.  I would also say there is a difference because softball orgs (typically) are catering to adult and youth players, whereas most (not all) baseball orgs are focused on the youth game.

I need to count my shirts ... I've become a madman.  Like I said, the main issue in softball is the different associations.  EDIT: Nevermind, I'm a madman, not a MadMax.

 

So ... in my ballbag pocket in my bag I have eight ballbags.  Smitty XLs in navy, Smitty XLs in black, my old navy bags (as backups), and the USA Softball branded ones (navy).  Black goes with black shirts, cream shirts (not fan, but becoming one), and the powder/light/whatever blue with black collar and the USSSA shirts.  Navy goes with navy shirts, powder/light/whatever blue with the white/navy collar.  I haven't caved on the red baseball shirt yet, so I appreciate the heads up that the accent is navy -- I thought it was black!

ALWAYS two ballbags.  I tend not to keep balls in my left bag (though I am very much in agreement with @Velho's OCD) ... my gear goes in the left: lineup card book, pen, brush, indicator when I am not using it, and flipping coin in tournaments.  (Tangent rant -- quit using currency guys!)  I know, that's a lot of space for those few things, but you will rarely see me fumbling for any of them.  I like the individual pockets for each, but I find the size of the size of the pocket for my brush does tend to catch the brush so I haven't been using it.  (I tried bristles down and handle down and both snag one way or the other.)

 

[LRZ]

1 hour ago, The Man in Blue said:

(Tangent rant -- quit using currency guys!)

Why is that?