[sabattis]

Garth, I know you've been around a while and have a lot of good things to say. But somehow, you've implied, or I've inferred, that "good" (or maybe "appropriate") umpires don't use the hockey style mask, nor clean the pitcher's plate. I don't use the hockey style mask, but know many excellent umpires who do. Re: ceaning pitcher's plate, seems like I recall a previous dicussion or posting that implied we shouldn't as we're not "groundskeepers." Don't know about you, but I work at 1 or 2 fields a year that have them. I clean the plate when I can't tell dirt form plate - I know it helpes me, and probably my partner, coaches, pitcher, and baserunners, too.