MSLLPrez Posted December 9, 2021 Report Share Posted December 9, 2021 Greetings umpires! I run a growing youth baseball league in Miami and we are fortunate that our roster of umpires is growing. I like to keep the umps looking sharp and we have been providing powder blue shirts for all, especially for the newer umps. But what I have noticed from our more experienced umps is for a night game they wear a dark shirt. So with more night games coming in the Spring 2022 season, I need to pick a dark colored shirt for all umps, as it looks odd, to me, when the home plate ump is in black and the base umps are in powder blue for a night game (maybe I am wrong on that?) Anyway, figured I would ask the experts here if there is a universal preference when it comes to the color of the umpire jersey for night games - what looks sharp and shows your league is organized - black umpire jerseys or navy blue umpire jerseys? Thanks for your feedback. Bonus question - should base umpires have the same cap, and if so, is there a preferred style? For now they are all wearing black Miami Marlins caps, but would be nice to create something unique to our league. Thanks again for your time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArchAngel72 Posted December 9, 2021 Report Share Posted December 9, 2021 Black shirts Black hats You can get decent black hats at near any of the online stores If you want to toss a small league logo on them I would put it on the back and small my 2 cents 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolfe_man Posted December 9, 2021 Report Share Posted December 9, 2021 I second black as the color choice. I'm one of the crazy people that like to wear black even in the day games. Yes, it's hot - but so it powder blue, cream, red, navy, etc. When it's 95 degrees, I don't care what you wear - it's hot! The MLB guys wear black even in day games also. Black looks better, is thinning and matches all of our equipment better too. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thatsnotyou Posted December 9, 2021 Report Share Posted December 9, 2021 The non-curmudgeon group of umpires greatly prefer black to navy blue. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BT_Blue Posted December 9, 2021 Report Share Posted December 9, 2021 NEVER NAVY BLUE!!! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ousafe Posted December 9, 2021 Report Share Posted December 9, 2021 +1 on black shirts, and black hats with no logo. But keep in mind there are multiple styles of black shirts. You probably want to standardize on one of them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATXBlue Posted December 9, 2021 Report Share Posted December 9, 2021 @MadMax will tell you he has a shirt/mask combo for ever 4 hour time block of the day, but us mere mortals must play the hand we are dealt. First off, navy is a terrible choice so just avoid that at all costs. You are not wrong that it looks terrible when one umpire is in powder/sky blue and the other is in black, unless its jacket weather, which I am guessing you don't see much in Miami. If I were you I would go with this shirt, IMO it is the most professional looking (that is why the pros wear it) and the most comfortable. You could also poll your current umpires that are wearing black and see which is the most popular style and then you could go with that. For hats, I am sure you could get something like this hat from the same supplier you get your league hats from. *Note on umpire hats: They come in 3 bill length; 8-stitch, 6-Stitch, & 4-stitch* If I was ordering for an association I would avoid 8 stitch hats as those are generally not recommended for use under a mask and you could provide a 6 which they could use for plate and base. If you have room in the budget you could order some 4-stitch hats as well. Some umpires (myself included) prefer that behind the plate, if you don't have room in the budget you could always do it for a cost to the umpire. I like a logo on the hat. I think it looks professional, and if you are providing it they cant say "well I didn't want to buy another hat". I would go with something Simple like MSLL or MSUA across the front. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMSANS Posted December 9, 2021 Report Share Posted December 9, 2021 Navy. 1 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tpatience Posted December 10, 2021 Report Share Posted December 10, 2021 Black, black or black. Choose one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BT_Blue Posted December 10, 2021 Report Share Posted December 10, 2021 1 hour ago, LMSANS said: Navy. I like that you chimed in with that even though you don't believe it. Lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMSANS Posted December 10, 2021 Report Share Posted December 10, 2021 21 hours ago, BT_Blue said: I like that you chimed in with that even though you don't believe it. Lol In my neighborhood that's the best option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BT_Blue Posted December 11, 2021 Report Share Posted December 11, 2021 1 hour ago, LMSANS said: In my neighborhood that's the best option. Thought you Jersey Boys were moving to black? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylejt Posted December 11, 2021 Report Share Posted December 11, 2021 First, the only folks it matters to is a sub-set of other umpires. 98.3% of non-umpires couldn't care less what color we wear, or, if we match. A number of years ago a retired MiLB umpire donated dozens of Honig's navy jerseys to my Jr. umpire program. Another donor bought us at least a dozen navy pull over jackets. So to dump them to go to another color would be silly in my case. Umpires that come to my park (LL, for reference) are free to wear whatever they wish. Now, that all said, it's called a "uniform" for a reason. I do like that we all match out there, and I personally have a full kaleidoscope of colors I travel with. I also have a few of most colors in my dressing room at my park. So our baseline is match if you can. Now, navy shirts have been pretty consistent for around 20 years, with red and white stripes on the collars. Black, on the other hand, several different variants (small white stripes, white down the sides, charcoal side panels, etc). So when you say black, you need to be specific (for those who care). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMSANS Posted December 11, 2021 Report Share Posted December 11, 2021 20 hours ago, BT_Blue said: Thought you Jersey Boys were moving to black? Other parts of the state are breaking the color barrier, but down the shore its still navy. Younger guys are pushing, but the pushback from seniors is firm. I have my black just I meet up with @Richvee or @Kevin_K. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylejt Posted December 11, 2021 Report Share Posted December 11, 2021 "Seniors", it's pronounced "Geezers". 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BT_Blue Posted December 11, 2021 Report Share Posted December 11, 2021 43 minutes ago, kylejt said: "Seniors", it's pronounced "Geezers". I like "The Olds". Sounds more respectful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylejt Posted December 11, 2021 Report Share Posted December 11, 2021 39 minutes ago, BT_Blue said: I like "The Olds". Sounds more respectful. Just an FYI, I'm of Geezer age, but hopefully not of that mentality. I have my kids try to keep me in check on that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richvee Posted December 12, 2021 Report Share Posted December 12, 2021 On 12/9/2021 at 6:09 PM, LMSANS said: Navy. 🤦♀️ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin_K Posted December 12, 2021 Report Share Posted December 12, 2021 8 hours ago, LMSANS said: Other parts of the state are breaking the color barrier, but down the shore its still navy. Younger guys are pushing, but the pushback from seniors is firm. I have my black just I meet up with @Richvee or @Kevin_K. Around these parts there are two interesting correlations associated with wearing navy. It seems the more they remain steadfast with the long standing color scheme, the less likely they are to own a hanger and the more likely they are to be deficient in one or more key skill sets that umpire should possess. "I only have blue" is often the precursor to a day of interesting mechanics, artistic interpretations of the strike zone, and/or judgment that makes the decisions of the Donner Party seem sound. 1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BT_Blue Posted December 12, 2021 Report Share Posted December 12, 2021 5 hours ago, Richvee said: 🤦♀️ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richvee Posted December 12, 2021 Report Share Posted December 12, 2021 10 hours ago, Kevin_K said: Around these parts there are two interesting correlations associated with wearing navy. It seems the more they remain steadfast with the long standing color scheme, the less likely they are to own a hanger and the more likely they are to be deficient in one or more key skill sets that umpire should possess. "I only have blue" is often the precursor to a day of interesting mechanics, artistic interpretations of the strike zone, and/or judgment that makes the decisions of the Donner Party seem sound. Truth often provides the best comedy. Thanks for the laugh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMSANS Posted December 13, 2021 Report Share Posted December 13, 2021 On 12/12/2021 at 12:25 AM, Kevin_K said: Around these parts there are two interesting correlations associated with wearing navy. It seems the more they remain steadfast with the long standing color scheme, the less likely they are to own a hanger and the more likely they are to be deficient in one or more key skill sets that umpire should possess. "I only have blue" is often the precursor to a day of interesting mechanics, artistic interpretations of the strike zone, and/or judgment that makes the decisions of the Donner Party seem sound. The universality & accuracy of this is remarkable. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLWizzRanger Posted December 15, 2021 Report Share Posted December 15, 2021 I come late to this thread and not one of you asked what color the ball bags are?South Florida must use pastel colors, right?Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930AZ using Tapatalk 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArchAngel72 Posted December 15, 2021 Report Share Posted December 15, 2021 12 hours ago, BLWizzRanger said: I come late to this thread and not one of you asked what color the ball bags are? South Florida must use pastel colors, right? Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930AZ using Tapatalk Well with the black hat and shirt it should be black. But my rebel arse would wear grey to make everyone here cringe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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