[greymule]

When I lived in the Soprano State, we had a guy who wore no chest protector ever, and no mask for 12u and below, even in good tournaments. I'm sure we've all seen many a 12-year-old who can throw quite hard, sometimes teamed with a catcher who "stoppeth one in three," as Coleridge said. (In fact, 12u is probably where you take the worst beating, since by 14 the catchers are usually pretty good.) Anyway, I told this guy he was crazy, but he just shrugged and said that he'd never been hurt.

I wear the best protection I can, which to me means high-quality baseball gear. Still, I've taken shots that swelled my forearm to twice its size and gave my elbow a fluid bump as big as a golf ball. During the season, I always have at least one deep bruise on an arm. Any of the pitches that gave me those injuries could have broken a collarbone, not to mention smashing a nose or knocking out teeth.

But now I live in Alabama—in Blount Springs, derwil, about 25 miles north of you—and if I continue umpiring, I'll wear my stuff no matter what the other guys do.

(I will admit that for little kids I lighten up on the protection.)