Time for new pants

[Velho]

Time for new pants. I gather, and am good with, charcoal being the preferred style. But am curious about people's views on

1) Plate vs Combo pants for the plate. I've always thought the wide wide wide plate pants and mad mad mad mad and have gone with combo as my plate pants.

2) Pleated vs flat front. I think flat looks cleaner but see mostly pleated for sale and in use.

[kylehutson]

1) I still get "plate pants", but I also get them tailored.

2) I prefer pleated, myself. But I also don't have a particularly skinny/athletic build. Flat fronts can look really good on somebody that is built that way.

[wolfe_man]

I agree with Kyle.

I use plate on the plate.

I use pleated as it helps me look better (if such a thing is possible).

[The Man in Blue]

Plate pants usually have some reinforcement that I don't believe combo pants have.

Pleated all the way.

[MadMax]

Because of the number of games I do, at the variety of levels (all 60-90 full diamond), I have to maintain several sets of pants. 

All are Smitty PolySpandex without The Expander waistband. I’ve tried Honig’s, but the version I tried was remarkably thinner than Smitty, and while that’s appreciated in the blistering heat of Arizona, it flaps rather easily in any breeze. I considered giving Davis-by-Fechheimer a try, but that high-quality fetched a high price… when I need quantity. 

True plate pants are the way to go. Unless, and only unless, you are of a slim build, of a short stature and slim build, and you use thinner, more conforming shinguards, then you can wear Combos. Combos have the reinforced seat of Plate pants, but less leg volume. Think of them like boot-cut jeans. For shinguards, Force3’s are pretty much the limit. Champros are ideal. Wilson’s are not. 

Pleated pants have to be constructed just right, lest that paunch / codpiece appears when one goes HOK. It really shows on the Smitty w/ That Stupid Expander waistband. I’ve worn flat fronts before… they do make you look really athletic. I’m tempted to get them again, perhaps only as Base pants. 

[Thatsnotyou]

I wear combos on the plate with Force3 shins. Skinny build. Like the skinnier look and don’t feel restricted or tight. Plate pants look like clown pants on me. 
 

I don’t have flat front yet but that will be my next purchase. 

[834k3r]

I'm considering trying a pair of combos after getting a surprise plate during our LL district tournament (I was scheduled for only one game, and on the bases). My LGs were a tight fit, but they fit nevertheless, and I appreciated not feeling like I was wearing bell-bottoms.

[wolfe_man]

I keep toying with the idea of trying combos on the plate also for the reasons mentioned above.   The Smitty polys are nice and cool, but have a lot of room in them. 

 

The combos would probably provide me with a better look through the legs, but then I'm not sure how to avoid looking like a bird out there (big upper body and skinny legs).  😁

[Thunderheads]

11 minutes ago, wolfe_man said:

I keep toying with the idea of trying combos on the plate also for the reasons mentioned above.   The Smitty polys are nice and cool, but have a lot of room in them. 

 

The combos would probably provide me with a better look through the legs, but then I'm not sure how to avoid looking like a bird out there (big upper body and skinny legs).  😁

the problem w/ the Smitty poly spandex is that the base pants are ROOMY also!

[834k3r]

39 minutes ago, Thunderheads said:

the problem w/ the Smitty poly spandex is that the base pants are ROOMY also!

Truth.

I feel like John Travolta when I walk out to the plate meeting before every game.

[MadMax]

3 hours ago, 834k3r said:

I feel like John Travolta when I walk out to the plate meeting before every game.

And now you know how I ruined my hip. 😂

[concertman1971]

6 hours ago, Thunderheads said:

the problem w/ the Smitty poly spandex is that the base pants are ROOMY also!

Dropped off a new set of plate / base pants today.. Flat fronts for the bases, and pleated for the dish. Having the base pants tapered down to a 7 1/2" opening. Trying to look solid for camp season!! 

I am intrigued at the idea of wearing combos on the dish. I wear the F3 shinguards and i am confident they would fit. Has anyone here tried that "combo"?

[Aging_Arbiter]

I use the Smitty pleated poly-spandex with waist expander.  If you didn't have an opportunity to view the big kid behind the plate recently, I'm NOT a skinny build.  Being 5'10" and 265, my legs are a little more robust.  All of the weight room time while in the service now haunts me when I try to put leg guards under combo pants.    

As a side note for you "more slender" types, keep your eyes open for GD to release some new pants (word has it) this fall/winter.   VERY comparable to the Smitty...The ones that we were sent for the LLWS are charcoal, poly spandex, flat front with NO waist expander, and legs are tapered.  Well, the pant legs are tapered........not mine.

[MadMax]

3 hours ago, Aging_Arbiter said:

The ones that we were sent for the LLWS are charcoal, poly spandex, flat front with NO waist expander, and legs are tapered.

… but not pre-hemmed, I gather. 🫣

20 hours ago, concertman1971 said:

Trying to look solid for camp season!! 

Has anyone here tried that "combo"?

Alot of the stigma attached to Combo pants is their employment by misers (penny pinchers) or Weekend (Tournament) Warriors. 4-6 games on a Saturday, wear the same fading/sodden pants for all games, plates and bases.

College instructors / evaluators especially dislike them. As a college umpire, you are a direct representative of your assigner and his organization. They do not want to see unkempt uniforms, non-compliant shirts / jackets / hats (especially from an organization that isn’t theirs), deficient equipment (eg. a cheap stopwatch, or worse (your phone!) when you should have a RefTimer), or superfluous accessories (cooler totes, watches, bling-y chains, etc.). These POI (People of Influence) see you as an investment; so too, they want to see you invest in your appearance. They have a mandatory 30 minutes between games; thus, you best spend them refreshing your uniform, entirely if need be. 

That the Combo cut works best for you on Plate isn’t the problem; just don’t let “them” see you wearing Combos on the Bases. 

[kylehutson]

22 hours ago, concertman1971 said:

I am intrigued at the idea of wearing combos on the dish. I wear the F3 shinguards and i am confident they would fit. Has anyone here tried that "combo"?

I had a high school game this spring where I got to the field and then realized my plate pants were hanging safely by the washer at home. So I put my F3's on under my tailored(!) base pants. They were tight around the legs, to be sure, but not unusably so. Enough that I bet my partner (who I was talking to as I realized my mistake) and I were the only two people who even knew.

[concertman1971]

19 hours ago, MadMax said:

… but not pre-hemmed, I gather. 🫣

Alot of the stigma attached to Combo pants is their employment by misers (penny pinchers) or Weekend (Tournament) Warriors. 4-6 games on a Saturday, wear the same fading/sodden pants for all games, plates and bases.

College instructors / evaluators especially dislike them. As a college umpire, you are a direct representative of your assigner and his organization. They do not want to see unkempt uniforms, non-compliant shirts / jackets / hats (especially from an organization that isn’t theirs), deficient equipment (eg. a cheap stopwatch, or worse (your phone!) when you should have a RefTimer), or superfluous accessories (cooler totes, watches, bling-y chains, etc.). These POI (People of Influence) see you as an investment; so too, they want to see you invest in your appearance. They have a mandatory 30 minutes between games; thus, you best spend them refreshing your uniform, entirely if need be. 

That the Combo cut works best for you on Plate isn’t the problem; just don’t let “them” see you wearing Combos on the Bases. 

Agree 100. Would NEVER wear combos on the bases. But the idea of a slimmer cut plate Pant intrigues me. 

[JonnyCat]

3 hours ago, concertman1971 said:

But the idea of a slimmer cut plate Pant intrigues me. 

Slimmer pants intrigue me, too. But my fat ass would have to lose that spare tire I'm carrying around! 

[BLWizzRanger]

Maybe I am over analyzing this, but, I still see Mona Lisa Vito, stating 'BAM! do you think the person that you just called out on a bang-bang play gives a duck about if you are wearing combo pants on the bases?'

As I am reading this thread, I sit here with different experiences than what is being stated.    I am not discounting anyone's experience on this subject or how they view the issue.  Mind you, from past posts, anyone can get the picture that I am not a fashion icon. I can't tell you what other umpires' equipment/clothing is. I don't care about colors matching bags to hats to masks as I keep it simple.  (I do care about neatness and presentability, though.) I perceive I am below the level as most of the regulars here due to limited experience and camps attended.  Maybe you can call me content with the level I am at and what I wear.

With that being said, I have never heard of an assigner, instructor, mentor, or senior umpire (for whatever that means) mention not to wear combo pants on the bases - to me or anyone else in listening distance.  This site is the only place I have heard it. Maybe due to my flat ass, bowed legs, and giddy up, everyone feels to leave it alone with me, IDK.

Well, anyways, gave me an opportunity to post Marisa's picture again, that has to be worth something.

[Chris Hickman]

There are some guys that will wear combo pants on the plate because they like the cut of the pant… However, that is ill-advised working the bases… Since Smitty pants in my opinion are cut too wide as it is.  

[JonnyCat]

2 hours ago, BLWizzRanger said:

I don't care about colors matching bags to hats to masks as I keep it simple.  (I do care about neatness and presentability, though.)

I'm with you. I care about neatness and presentation. You know what I want in a partner? Some one who is presentable, easy to get along with, works hard at their craft, and takes the avocation seriously.

I don't give a F*#K if we're wearing the exact same pants, or shirt, or wearing the same patch, or any patch for that matter, whether our hats match, or the ball bags are the same color as our belt, or our undershirts match. If you want to wear a Godawful white undershirt and I wear black like God intended, nobody F*#King cares. Can you do the job and do it well to the best of your abilities?

Are you a good partner, can I rely on you on the field, are you willing to learn, study the rules, work hard, take feedback, admit your mistakes? That's the kind of partner I want, and the kind I want to be.

I can't stand it when I work with a pompous ass that rails that our undershirts don't match, or we're not wearing the same style of black shirts. And then I watch his lousy mechanics, poor game management, can't hit a rotation to save his life, and overall dickness. But by golly, we have to match! Yeah, its nice to match, but you can still be good umpires even if you don't match exactly. And guess what, for the vast majority of us, it doesn't matter, and nobody cares. Look presentable, and work hard.

Yeah, I don't recommend combo pants at all, however, everyone's situation is different, and matching uniforms are lower on my priority list.

[The Man in Blue]

Giving you a trophy, @JonnyCat, but I do disagree with a few points.

I’m not going to rail on if you don’t match me … I am big about the proper t-shirt, hats, and ball bags for my uniform.  I carry all my stuff, so I will try to match you unless you are completely off the reservation.

Wrapping up the season and I worked with a partner who had cream, so we wore it to do something different.  He wore a red t-shirt and a navy hat … I had a red t-shirt and navy hat … I went (proper) black all around.

It wasn’t a good crew look, but one of us stuck out more than the other one.  It does matter.  

 

[The Man in Blue]

7 hours ago, BLWizzRanger said:

.  

I don't care about colors matching bags to hats to masks as I keep it simple.  (I do care about neatness and presentability, though.)

I find those two statements oddly dissonant.  
 

But I wholeheartedly endorse any picture of Marisa Tomei in any pants.

[JonnyCat]

28 minutes ago, The Man in Blue said:

It wasn’t a good crew look, but one of us stuck out more than the other one.  It does matter.

Thanks MIB. Appreciate the trophy and comments.

I didn't say it doesn't matter, I just said it is lower on the priority list for me. Being a good partner and calling a good game is far more important to me than matching undershirts. Or if I'm wearing black with grey panels, and my partner is wearing black with the white stripe, it just doesn't matter to me all that much. Now I'm not advocating for umpire wearing different color shirts, (although it has happened to me), if we're wearing 2 different colors or style of light blue, I couldn't care less.

I've just worked with too many umpires that nitpick stupid SH*# and don't work on their game. I would rather they spend that energy on performance and getting better than their fashion.

Conversely, I've worked with many a partner, (especially in our HS unit) that look like they haven't bought new pants, shirts, or hats since the late 90's.

I appreciate looking good and trying to match, but I don't really want to nitpick people, (especially the newbies who are trying to learn) in this day and age of an ever shrinking pool of officials. I just don't think being the strict fashion police is helping recruitment and retention.

[JonnyCat]

37 minutes ago, The Man in Blue said:

But I wholeheartedly endorse any picture of Marisa Tomei in any pants.

How about in a dress?

[The Man in Blue]

Nobody gets woolly, women get weary, they don't get woolly.  And nobody's got stress, they're wearing a dress.