There has been some discussion on the merits of the Under Armour clothing and its value.

This product, without a doubt, simply awesome. I purchased 2 shirts a couple of years ago to wear as undershirts and they work well. I use them for all types of events inlcuding walking a round on the links, calling ball games or running.

Recently I put this product to the test in Iraq. Where temperatures soared as high as 140 degrees in the summer, these shirts allowed my to stay cooler than my buddies. This was even with 60 lbs worth of equipment strapped to me.

I use the heat gear and own a pair of cold gear pants. For those of you north of the Mason Dixon line, these cold gear pants are awesome and when the temp drops below freezing and you are out and about and active. For those of us down south, the cold gear works too well even in Jan/Feb (I have been known to wear a jacket in 80 degree heat). I would recommend you use it for the duck blind or the deer stand - at least something less physical than running up and down a football field.

I have never used McDavid's gear but I hear that it is just as good. Hope this helps.

McDavid's
 

I have purchased and have used McDavid's mock turtleneck for some pretty nasty baseball weather... some of it just last week during district tournament. Ahhh, Idaho!

It works well for keeping me dry and warm. However, I find that it has one major drawback... it doesn't stretch. The sleeves are fairly tight to begin with but as the temperature rises and you want to cool a little... I can't pull my sleeves up past the middle of my forearms.

I haven't tried UnderArmor but it appears to be a substantially lighter weight and a very stretchy, form-fitting material.

On the advice of Carl, I recently went out and purchased a nice blue UnderArmour heat gear shirt to wear under my uniform when calling the plate.

Carl was RIGHT! This stuff definitely works. It kinda goes against common sense to add another layer of clothing to keep cooler but it works. This stuff keeps the sweat off you and somehow manages to cool you down.

The Best $25 I have spent in a while.

If you want to stay cooler, GET UNDERARMOUR!!!

I've just one question: Where can you get it for $25? I've got about 50 umpires who'll buy it at that price.

Me too, me too.

I want to add some more white short-sleeved -- looks great under black umpiring shirts.

--Rich

mcsports has the underarmour heat wear for $25.00...the short sleeve at least.

check out mcsports.com under apparel.

[Edited by wobster on May 17th, 2004 at 11:19 AM]

I love to wear the Turf Gear leggings under my pants. They are great no matter what Temp. and on the base or the plate. In the extream heat it takes about an inning to get cool but after that you are fine.

I bought a heat gear short sleeve UnerArmour shirt at Dick's Sporting Goods for $24.99 plus tax.

On the Under Armour website, they list at $24.99
http://www.underarmour.com/ua2/ua/de...2&pf%5Fid=0039

The reason it is so cheap is it is Heat Gear. If you buy All Season or Cold Gear, the price goes up.

Sorry, I didn't realize you were talking about the shorties. Down here, we only wear the long sleeves: protection from the sun, protection from the heat because you don't lose water.

Why, I'd as soon not take my clicker on the bases as not wear long sleeved heat gear.

Careful, Carl, you just hit the beehive!
 

Carl, you've just activated the "balls and strikes are the plate umpires job" reactionary forces.

Like you, I carry my indicator for plate or bases.

Just the other day my normal partner and I were joined by one of the big dogs from another association. My partner remarked about having his indicator with him, and the big dog said "what for?, you don't need it". Rather than get into a fruitless debate, I just whispered to my regular partner "If I happen to need help, I'll know better than to ask him".

Usually, nothing exciting happens, but on those rare occasions where I have any doubt, it sure feels good to know he's got my back. It also looks better to have an indicator to look at when asked to verify, rather than appear to be guessing.


Senior

Re: Careful, Carl, you just hit the beehive!
 

One doesn't need an indicator to know the count.

--Rich

Believable Perceptions, perhaps?
 

One doesn't need a scorebook to know the score, but most folks would find the scorekeeper more believable than some spectator without anything but his memory saying "it's 10-6 in favor of Smitty's".

Rich, why would anyone NOT want the extra evidence to back up an answer? A favorite thought of mine is that we are impressing no-one but ourselves when we go without this count keeping tool. Who, other than our fellow umpires even notices?


Senior

Re: Believable Perceptions, perhaps?
 

This is your opinion, and for me it simply is not persuasive. I keep the count in my head on the bases and the only time I get involved in the count is when my partner asks. When a player on the field or a coach asks, I refer them to the plate umpire -- HE keeps the count. Even with an indicator, the count still belongs to the plate umpire.

I've had partners ask me to take an indicator on the field and I still won't. Problem is, I'm so accustomed to not working with one I'd hold it in my hand and not turn the wheels. And nothing aggravates me more than a partner out on the bases with his face in his indicator.

I'm sure that in some locations, the indicator is an acceptable tool for the base umpire. But all the top umpires I work with wouldn't ever consider taking one on the field, and neither would I.

Re: Believable Perceptions, perhaps?
 

Clearly, my comment was a calculated ploy to bring out some of the "I'm better than that" umpires. It's a fruitless debate. In my experience it's only wannabe umps who eschew the indicator on the bases. The bottom line is a very simple and inescapable truth: Having an indicator never caused any trouble and has saved much.

Originally, leaving the indicator in the car was the way an umpire proved he was an "upper level," college guy. They're the same people willing to make a horrible grammatical blunder "...and the ball is live" rather than say "alive." My advice: When the woodwork begins to leak those posters, ignore them. I'm going to do just that.