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Originally Posted by mcrowder
az - normally I agree with you 100%. And with you being from AZ, I'm sure you have some experience with those 100 degree days (although I WILL say that 100 degrees and 5% humidity is hot - but 100 degrees and 95% humidity is downright awful).
But this is an exception to the rule - and we WILL match each other, with nice navy blue docker-style shorts (not tattered or old) with creases. And we wouldn't have even considered it except for the fact that due to shorthandedness, the umpire working the LEAST among us will be working for at least 6 hours, with most of us working 10, and one of us (me! yeah!) working 12.
Other than this one weekend, we are a professional looking group 100% of the time. It irks me when I see 2 of my guys looking sharp, and then look over at the adjoining baseball field and see the base umpire in ratty bluejeans and flipflops, sometimes with, sometimes without a hat. I don't think it's too horrible a sin to make this small concession to the elements on this one weekend.
And yeah, I agree it looks a little odd to wear shinguards over bare legs. But it is what it is.
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I'm originally form Alabama..so Ive seen both ends of the heat and operated in both. I gotta be honest with you...I still don't like the idea...there are lost of ways to keep cooler, and its just as important to keep that sun off your legs...
One thing we also try to do here is mid tournament field breaks. We have an 18 Gold Sector tournamnet(42 teams) here the first week of June. Its not "hot" yet then, (usually only 105 or 106), but the commisioners side grabbed an extra complex, and we are scheduling games at 7,9,11 a.m. and 6,8,and 10 pm. It sounds like a LOT of wasted time, but it works WELL. The out of town teams love it, and it gives the umpires time to stay fresh. Something like that may also help your umpire shortage issue.
Good luck this weekend. Stay cool.