Sunglasses, Canada, etc...
 

To wear sunglasses or not to wear sunglasses - THAT is the question. Damned if I do, and damned if I do not. I have not ever heard any chirping about sunglasses behind the plate. We have some parks where you take a 10 minute break when the sun is directly behind the pitcher and there is no way the ump, catcher or batter can see a damn thing. Sunglasses are not really an option - they are a necessity. As for sunshine up her in, "The true north, strong and free"... remember, southern Ontario is about as far south as the Oregon/California border.
Course here on the west coast - it rains a tad.

Re: Sunglasses, Canada, etc...
 

When in Rome, you do what the Romans do. But from my personal and professional opinion, they do not look good when you are constantly calling pitches. On the bases I can understand, because most fields are made when the sun is not going to be in direct line with the pitcher's mound or home plate so that both a pitcher or batter will see the sun directly when pitching or batting. But the sun will be located off to the side so that the base umpire is more likely to be looking directly into the sun. One of the reasons you see outfielders wear sunglasses to begin with.

Now in my experience, I worked at only one field that had home plate facing the sun during sunset. It was a field in Fort Madison, Iowa, on the campus of Iowa Weslyan, where the local HS team plays as well. Iowa plays there games in the summer (might be the reason this was a problem) and when they play their night games, the sun would line right up right behind the pitcher. In those cases we would stop the game and wait until the sun went down to a safe level and then continue play. Because everyone could not wear sunglasses to be safe (batters, pitchers and umpires all the same). But that was a very unusual situation. All other fields I have worked in Iowa and Illinois are faced where that is not a problem. So I have never need sunglasses to see, except for that one situation.

Peace

I understand what you are saying, hence my question. I wouldn't have considered it except that I have to wear perscrip lenses anyway, so I figured why not tinted....

Again, do what is accepted in your area. I wear contacts, because in most of my officiating experiences I have been around, wearing glasses is not an option. Now that is me. Umpiring or officiating is a personal endeavor. You have to do what you are comfortable with. And if you are doing something that is against those things that are considered common or acceptable, then you will have to deal with those consequences on your own. ;)

Peace

If every place I umpire would happily comply with OBR 1.04 and orient the field in a way that sets the sun behind my back, I would not need sunglasses when working behind the plate. But if they are going to build the field in a way that the sun sets in the outfield, and schedule games late in the day, then I need to wear sunglasses so I can see better.

it seems that sometimes the designers of the field are on drugs because there is the Northside field where i have called a game before. the sun SETS on days in the baseball time, directly in relation to the delivery of the ball of the pitcher, ie. right behind the mound.

this is a stupid design and most umpires hate it because you have to stop the game if a player says he can not see in order to protect the playes. It is dangerous to not only the players but the umpire too.

recently an umpire told me i should not wear glasses behind the dish, but i look at it his way. if i can not see whats comming in because the sun is in my eyes i am robbing the pitcher of his pitches, and the game in general so i will wear the glasses if i need too

Tim Welke is wearing shades on the plate for Orioles @ Red Sox this afternoon. Guess the pro guys don't have a problem with them. With the black hockey helmet on, he almost looks like Darth Vadar back there. Calling a good game though, so it must not affect his skills.

hehe. So if BR is caught looking at strike 3, does Tim say, "Manny, you failed me for the last time...." ;)