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Originally Posted by GarthB
(Sigh) I didn't say hydrating was silly. I didn't even say carrying water to the field was silly. I said water bottles hanging on the backstop looked silly...to me. And, it does.
If you feel the need to carry water, fine...keep it out of the field of play.
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I know that some umpires think water bottles on the field look unsightly, but Garth, what do you want us to do, go all the way outside the ballpark to get a drink? Go in the dugout with possibly angry players and coaches? My semi-frozen 32 oz. Gatorade bottle sits over by the fence (in the shade, if possible), and if the ball hits it, it remains in play. I have never heard one single negative comment about the position of these bottles.
The players and coaches hang all sorts of stuff on the fence, including water bottles as well as equipment and helmet bags. These things aren't considered silly, so what is silly about an umpire hanging a water bottle on the fence? Who really pays attention to such trivial, mundane things, except for a fellow umpire and his opinion?
Yes, if you are working a D-1 or pro game, you would have no need to have your own water, because it would be provided, as these people think in advance about the umpires. I agree that carrying water at this high level doesn't look good, either. But in the real world of bush league baseball, most people could care less if the umpire drops dead, and never give two thoughts as to their hydration needs.