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I'm loving this thread.
As a fairly new umpire (2 years experience and just getting ready for my first year of HS ball), I don't have much experience to back me up in situations. With that, I made sure I had two things working for me:
1. Knowledge of the rules, and
2. Appearance.
At least, I thought I did.
When I signed up for my first umpiring gig (a small city league that teams up with other cities), all I got uniform-wise was a velcro-backed hat and a red umpire shirt. When I asked about pants and shoes, I was told, "We prefer black pants, but wear whatever you want." I didn't know how true this statement would be.
That night, I asked my wife what color would look good as an undershirt. I was told black, so that's what I did. I had an older, but still good-looking, pair of black slacks, so I used those. I went out and bought what I'd worn for years on a ball field: cleats. I also poured over the league's rules, as well as OBR, since they used them when league rules didn't specifically rule it out.
When I arrived at the field the next afternoon (almost an hour early), I was fully dressed, minus the cleats. I walked into the field house, and only the UIC was there. About 15 minutes before the start of the games, MOST of the umpires were there. What surprised me was that the "whatever you want" statement was true. Some were wearing shorts, one was wearing tan pants, and others were wearing jeans. I was confused. Not only that, some didn't even have the shirt that was given; most were wearing a red t-shirt, but a couple weren't. It looked like the UIC had just walked down Main Street and randomly picked people to umpire.
Now, don't get me wrong -- I wasn't perfect. I wore my shin guards on the outside (I didn't know any better, and that's what everyone else did), and I still wear a hat backwards (I was never given one that would work forward, and I have yet to find one in a store that would work) and cleats (plate shoes weren't worth the expense for the league I was umpiring).
I have since learned my lesson, and will make sure I'm correctly clothed for next season. I don't do it for the coaches, the players, or the fans. I do it for me and my crew.
A wise man once said that you "only have one chance to make a first impression." I hold this very true and try my hardest to make sure I'm looking the best I can when I walk onto the field. I can only hope the rest of my crew feels the same.
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