If I could just get a little feedback........

[Rita C]

Originally posted by jason181988
I have ordered and received all my equipment and uniforms for umpiring (live in IL, so not alot of games to do below H.S. baseball yet), and I like everything and the way it fits except for the Wilson-Davis chest protector. It fits nice, but its awfully bulky at the shoulders (and I am sure it offers great protection), but I prefer something not as bulky but something that has good protection. I look like a football player in it. Can anyone suggest a protector (not the west vest, it's overkill for the games I do {pony league, little league, AABC, etc.}) that is not bulky and fits almost unnoticably under my shirt?? Thanks for your help.

You don't know looking bulky unless you are 5'2", slightly built and trying to put any chest protector on.

I look like the Michelin man in tight pants.

Rita

[stanump12474]

Bet the michelin man never looked so cute

[DG]

Originally posted by stanump12474
Bud, buy a West Vest, or a Honig's K1, but get GOOD protection. I was calling a 10 year old game with a friend who wore an old Rawlings protector. Same as a cathers but with shoulder caps. He took a foul ball that broke his collar bone in the 3rd and I had to finish the game alone. It doesn't matter how big you look, all that matters is how well protected you are.

At first I questioned a 10 year old could break a collarbone. But I once coached one who was clocked at 65 MPH, and with a cheap protector this could break a collarbone. He was nearly unhittable once we taught him a changeup.

[stanump12474]

It was a foul ball that broke the collar bone.

[DG]

Originally posted by stanump12474
It was a foul ball that broke the collar bone.

I never dreamed a fair ball could break the PU's collarbone. This was a chest protector discussion, right?

[stanump12474]

Okay, Okay, you got me, I'm doing 6 things at once here.

[bob jenkins]

Originally posted by Rita C

I look like the Michelin man in tight pants.

Rita

The Michelin man wears tight pants?

[LMan]

Originally posted by bob jenkins

The Michelin man wears tight pants?

TMI! lol

[ozzy6900]

Originally posted by jason181988
I have ordered and received all my equipment and uniforms for umpiring (live in IL, so not alot of games to do below H.S. baseball yet), and I like everything and the way it fits except for the Wilson-Davis chest protector. It fits nice, but its awfully bulky at the shoulders (and I am sure it offers great protection), but I prefer something not as bulky but something that has good protection. I look like a football player in it. Can anyone suggest a protector (not the west vest, it's overkill for the games I do {pony league, little league, AABC, etc.}) that is not bulky and fits almost unnoticably under my shirt?? Thanks for your help.

I use a WV Platinum and I'm a big guy (overweight). I don't care how it looks because when I get a foul ball tothe chest, I don't feel a thing!

Here's some advice jason181988, I took a foul ball to the chest 2 years ago. I went down like a stone with more pain than I had during my first heart attack. I suffered an arythmia from the hit that I took and spent the weekend in the hospital. Use equipment that protects you and don't care what it looks like. You may underestimate your players, this was a 14U game that I got hurt in.

When I got home from the hospital, the first call was to Gerry Davis Sports and I purchased the WV Platinum. Best investment I've made in 20 years of umpiring.

[gobama84]

Originally posted by Rita C


I look like the Michelin man in tight pants.

Rita [/B]

Buy larger pants!!!

[Rita C]

Originally posted by gobama84

Buy larger pants!!! [/B]

Doh.

Imagine the Michelin man in tight pants. That is how I look.

My pants fit just fine and my new Honigs womans plate pants fit even better.

Just looks stupid when I have the chest protector on.

Rita

[His High Holiness]

All;

I have not heard of anyone's career being derailed because of the way that they looked in a chest protector at the high school level and below but...

I have known of an umpire at the NCAA D1 level who was told to get a proper fitting chest protector if he wanted to work any more D1 ball. The assignor told him that he looked too bulky. He was a weird size and I was told that he ended up buying a Carlucci, which is a custom fitted protector.

At the NCAA level, which is cutthroat, umpires are evaluated on everything to include how they look in their equipment. There is a reason that MLB umps do not look bulky in their equipment. If they did not pay attention to fashion, they would be passed over by someone who did. It is all about image.

The number one mistake that I see new umpires make with regards to a protector, is that they get one that is too long. The protector should come one inch below the sternum. That is about 4 inches above the navel. Buying a protector of the proper length goes a long way towards eliminating the bulky look. Almost all men over 21 have 2-3 inches of fat on their stomachs and do not need the protector to cover their stomach. For a man 5' 9" to 6' 0", a 13 inch protector is more than adequate. Shorter men can use a 12 inch protector and only those men over 6' 1" need the 15 inch protectors.

However, if you are a teen aged umpire, still growing, and have no fat on your gut, a protector covering your entire stomach is a good idea. Although common when I was growing up, this type of teenager is a dying breed. Fatness reigns surpreme, even among the young today.

Peter