Ridiculous State regulations

[umpduck11]

JJ.....

I spoke with our district director about the helmet,
and although he agreed with me,he made it plain that
the state required the hat.
I e-mailed him about the long-sleeved shirt,and I
and awaiting his reply.I will update this thread when
I have received an answer.

[Atl Blue]

I've been told they used to be required to wear only a certain brand of pants and evaluators would check the tags to check compliance.

I just don't think I would be comfortable dropping my pants for an umpire evaluator.

Although, there was this one woman umpire....

[Kaliix]

You should post the address of your district and your state association.

I for one would be happy to send them a letter telling them that they need to re-think their regulations.

If it's good enough for MLB umpires, it should be good enough for them. (Atleast in this instance)

[DG]

Sweet home Alabama
Where the skies are so blue
Sweet home Alabama
Lord I'm comin home to you....

Ain't America just great? We have the freedom to complain to our rules makers about whatever jerks our chain. It's kind of like a fan at a ballgame...

[umpduck11]

Just received e-mail from our district director.
Long-sleeved shirts are NOT approved for use by the
AHSAA. Any use of these, or wearing the helmet with
no hat can result in an immediate suspension.What a
country......

[DG]

Perhaps I should not be amazed, but it is ironic to me, that so many umpires would object to the rules of the state association regarding attire, when one of our major obligations while performing our function is to make sure the game rules handed down to us by this same association are followed. None of us would allow the head coach to occupy the 3B box in bermuda shorts and flip flops, so why should we be too concerned about wearing a hat that's not needed, or being required to wear a jacket when it is cool enough to wear long sleeves which is not allowed by state rules? Quit working games in Alabama if you don't like it. This is America, you have a choice.

I would like to wear Powder Blue or Cream when it gets over 85 degrees, but the state association allows only the dark blue. Oh well, I will wear my Powder Blue or Cream for some other games not regulated by state association.

[Edited by DG on Oct 5th, 2004 at 10:01 PM]

[Atl Blue]

DG:

I don't think anyone has said (well maybe HHH did) that the rules be disobeyed. But that doesn't mean they can't be complained about, and that the umpires may "petition" for change. Yes, we are umpires, and therefore should understand that following the rules is necessary. But we also understand that some rules need to be changed.

Rules evolve. The hat rule was made before helmets were considered. Now that helmets are becoming commonplace, maybe the hat rule should be reconsidered.

As for long sleeve shirts, personally I don't like them and don't wear them, and I think a crew should be dressed alike. But if all the umpires on a crew want long sleeve shirts, then asking for the right to wear them is not out of the question.

Yes, we need to follow the rules. But that doesn't mean following blindly, with a "take it or leave it" attitude. Change from within the association can be a good thing.

[DG]

I was not going to point fingers, but HHH said "You all need to organize a union and tell the state where they can stick their stupid rules". Ronald Reagon had an answer for this kind of action and so did Major League Baseball.

The right to object and petition is undeniable. But don't let an asinine (I agree on this point) ruling warp your perspective. A hat not needed, or a jacket instead of long sleeves, these are not the subjects that merit a suspension.

I think I said I would like to wear Powder Blue or Cream when it's hot, but I don't...

[umpduck11]

DG:
I'm sorry that you feel we should be sheep,and blindly follow whatever edict is issued without question.HHH does
not,to my knowledge, umpire in this state, and he is
the only one I've heard mention a union.
I don't agree with everything our State requires of
us,but I won't stop working games because of it.The
point of my initial post was to get feedback from people
in other states,and to find out if these standards were
upheld elsewhere.I find it interesting that my state's
high school athletic assc. disallows some practices
which are common amoung major league umpires.
I'll not be garnering a suspension,because I agree
that I too must follow the rules,no matter my personal
opinion.Do not mistake my questioning for whining or
disention.

[DG]

Originally posted by umpduck11
The point of my initial post was to get feedback from people in other states,and to find out if these standards were upheld elsewhere.

My state only wants dark blue shirts and they are pretty emphatic about that. I have not heard hats under hockey style masks mentioned and long sleeves are allowed also. However, some umpire associations have rules also. I once worked for one that required all black shoes, and the one I am in now does not, both in same state. I think you will find a wide variety of upheld standards depending on state and umpire association.

[Kaliix]

I think that there is a difference between rules with a legitimate purpose and rules for the sake of rules.

I understand the need for uniformity and I agree with it, to a point. Everyone should be wearing the same color shirt, agreed. But the when doing games with more than one umpire, you have the plate umpire who is wearing a bunch of protective gear and is moving around on every pitch. The base umpires move very little (when the ball is not hit) and have no additional protective gear. It would only make sense that the plate umpire might be perfectly warm while the base umpire is cold (and that is not taking into account different body types, ie. some people who are always hot or always cold).

Point is, why shouldn't umpires be allowed to wear long sleeves while the others aren't. Or be allowed to wear a short sleeves while others wear a jacket. I almost never get cold and haven't done a game this year in anything but short sleeves.

The hat thing I can understand for a traditional face mask. But the hockey style masks have many advantages over the traditional face mask. If umpires who get paid hundreds of thousands of dollars a year don't have to wear a hat under the hockey face masks, what sense does it make to require hats under them for guys just doing it on the side. Not making an exception to the hat rule is basically not allowing a mask that is safer, cooler, and gives a better view of the strike zone. And that doesn't make any sense to me.

[LMan]

wear a navy skullcap under the hockey mask.

[DG]

Here is a hat you can wear under your hockey style helmet.

http://www.underarmour.com/ua2/ua/de...=0205&mscssid=

If they will not allow long sleeves then you are stuck with wearing a jacket or short sleeves. There are lots of lightweight jackets on the market that are not too hot, but warmer than short sleeves.

[JJ]

I think the point has been made by several contributors here - including me - that rules evolve. That process has to begin somewhere - the old rules came from a process. The state director may be passing along the ruling with little sympathy, but ultimately he's not the one who MAKES the rules. He's the "cop" who enforces the rules that others have made. Start the process. Write letters. Communicate with the powers that be. Emails. Petitions. Phone calls. More of the same. Eventually new rules will replace old rules. Don't give up. Who knows, about the time you get permission to wear hockey style masks without hats, hockey style masks may be passe...

[kylejt]

I hope the braintrusts at the AHSAA were watching the Yankees vs Twins game Wednesday night. Long sleeves and a helmet with no hat.

THE HORROR!