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I may be picking your brain for more of these local things soon, Mike.
The key for an official, I think, is to fit in wherever he lives. I've lived a rather nomadic life, so I've had the benefit (downfall?) of officiating in 7 different states. The thing I do when I move to a place is observe, observe, observe. I always go out and watch the top crews work in the first few weeks and see how picky those crews are about these types of issues -- the advantage I have is that I know what to look for.
Some states and associations are really controlling when it comes to things like shoes, flags, bags. I was emailing with one official who told me that anyone that carries 2 flags is looked down upon. I've ALWAYS carried two flags with me, but there I would find out that it isn't done and adjust.
One state I lived in insisted upon baseball umpires carrying indicators out on the field when working the bases.
Other states frown uupon pleated pants, white on shoes, wrong make of pants, number of beanbags, types of whistles, wearing jackets on the field, etc., etc.
I've always wondered whether all that nonsense distracted those associations and its officials from being the best on the field as they can be. I've always saw that stuff as evaluation fodder -- most of officiating is quite subjective, so those "uniform" items become objective items on the evaluation and can serve to weed those not "in the know" out of playoff consideration.
YMMV. And I respect anyone who feels this stuff TO THIS DEGREE is as important as on-field performance. I just respectfully disagree.
Rich
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