Quote:
Originally Posted by NCASAUmp
I'm not sure wearing proper footwear that's common in our professional circles in their straight-from-the-box form is "styling." New Balance isn't a flashy brand, and I don't think the silver "N" on their shoes draw attention to the umpire any more than the bright "ASA" letters do on a navy ball bag.
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ASA on the ball bag draws attention to the organization not the umpire. And every home plate umpire has the 'same' ball bag with the same ASA on it. I know I have been approached as a UIC about that umpire with the white marks on their shoes. So I know for a fact people seperate umpires by their shoes, among other things, (brown pads on their mask, carrying a red water bottle, etc.) so again all black shoes is just one more thing to keep us looking the same. Still I don't see the big deal, I have had 4 pairs of shoes that I can think of right now (probably more that part-timers is kicking in) that I have had to remove white from in my career. Not a huge deal next to trying them on, it was the first thing I did when I got them.