Quote:
Originally posted by Strike3UROUT
For those of us entirely happy to umpire HS baseball/softball games and with NO desire whatsoever to kiss the a$$e$ of the big boys at the NCAA then we will continue to wear the hockey helmets and be both happy and SAFE!!!
If they are so anal retentive about a home plate umpire wearing a hat then I can only imagine how they must be about "important issues".
Just my 2cents.
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Why are you making this sound like a Johnny Paycheck song?
And, it is a hoot to hold up the NFHS as an organization only concerned with "important issues", after all, these are the folks who will DQ a team
after the contest for being out of uniform, giving cheap shot coaches leeway to grab a championship trophy for the ol' trophy case because some kid has on the wrong color bra UNDER her jersey! (That is an actual case, BTW)
But, back to the OP's question. If you are calling ASA, you will need to wear your hat. For now, anyway.
All masks are NOT the same, even though many of them appear similar. Go for the lightest weight mask your budget will allow. Go for a single bar mask for better visibility, and make sure it has the ear wings and the extended throat protection... but even with that, add on the hanging protector, too (use the short one if your mask has throat protection built in).
Regarding pads, the plastic variety with the kind of cloth-like surface next to your skin does OK, but the soft leather kind are the best for all day comfort.
I haven't bought a mask for a several years, so some of the other guys may have a current best model to recommend.