gerry davis cool vest

[umpboy]

hey guys, anybody using the gerry davis cool vest. it is gonna be very hot this summer in florida. thought i might try one.

[lmathews19]

No........

[SanDiegoSteve]

Not for $95 + shipping. I will continue to sweat it out.

[DG]

For day games in the summer, I carry a small cooler with a slushy mix of ice and water, a tablespoon of spirits of ammonia, and a blue rag. I put it in the dugout and when I feel like I need it I whipe my face, neck and arms down with the cold wet rag, and then put the rag around my neck.

I worked a 10 innning tournament game last July that started at 11 am and was 95 degrees by the time it was over and without that cooler I think I would have passed out.

I also drink plenty of water.

[BigUmp56]

Originally Posted by DG

I also drink plenty of water.

Good point. Now, the big question open for discussion. Is it better to hydrate only before a game on a hot Summer day, or continue to hydrate all during the game?


Tim.

[SanDiegoSteve]

I like to do both. I drink a few slugs of Gatorade before I leave the car for the field. During the game, on a very hot day (which is just about every day here), I will usually get a drink in the 3rd inning, the 5th inning, and the top of the 7th. If it is only moderately warm, I usually just do the pre-game drink, and leave my Gatorade in the car for after the game.

[briancurtin]

Originally Posted by BigUmp56

Good point. Now, the big question open for discussion. Is it better to hydrate only before a game on a hot Summer day, or continue to hydrate all during the game?


Tim.

i myself do not bring any water to the game, as in to bring on the field. i drink a hell of a lot of water hours before the game, and while im getting dressed. if i feel like i need water that badly, ill ask a kid off the bench to pour me a cup of water water between innings.

[DG]

Originally Posted by BigUmp56

Good point. Now, the big question open for discussion. Is it better to hydrate only before a game on a hot Summer day, or continue to hydrate all during the game?

I prefer to hydrate before, during, and after the game. On a really hot summer game I might drink a quart or more of water during the game.

[GarthB]

School ball is played in cool weather here. During summer ball, when it is hot, league officials and tournament directors will have water brought to us.

I don't carry anything on to the field that isn't umpiring gear. I don't need to worry about where to put a jug or bottle or bota bag. I think one of the silliest things I see at LL fields is umpire's water bottles hanging off the backstop.

[orioles35]

Hydration: If you wait until you start to feel thirsty, you're already dehydrated. Don't drink so much you have to "hold it" until the game is over, but drink a little before the game, sip between innings and more afterwards on hot days.

Sure, seeing Gatorade and water bottles up against the fences might be "silly", but it beats passing out and having to stop the game while the umpire is carted off due to dehydration during game #4 of the day because he didn't drink enough fluids.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by GarthB

School ball is played in cool weather here. During summer ball, when it is hot, league officials and tournament directors will have water brought to us.

I don't carry anything on to the field that isn't umpiring gear. I don't need to worry about where to put a jug or bottle or bota bag. I think one of the silliest things I see at LL fields is umpire's water bottles hanging off the backstop.

Wow, it must be nice to have league officials and tournament directors as water boys where you live. At most fields out here, you are on your own. Unless you keep a journal of who provides refreshments out here, you had better just assume they don't. If you plan on drinking anything, you need to BYOB.

[GarthB]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

Wow, it must be nice to have league officials and tournament directors as water boys where you live. At most fields out here, you are on your own. Unless you keep a journal of who provides refreshments out here, you had better just assume they don't. If you plan on drinking anything, you need to BYOB.

I didn't say that league officials or TD's were "water boys". I wouldn't insult them like that. I said they "have" water brought to us. Usually by volunteers, concession stand workers or bench personnel.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by GarthB

I didn't say that league officials or TD's were "water boys". I wouldn't insult them like that. I said they "have" water brought to us. Usually by volunteers, concession stand workers or bench personnel.

I realize that they really aren't water boys, that was just a joke. We have some tournaments like this too. I am just saying that not all baseball that gets played has caring people in attendance to assist the umpires in obtaining water during games.

I have spent many an afternoon on a dry, dusty field, in 100 degree + heat, with no concession stand, no volunteers, no water in either dugout (amazing, but true) and if I didn't have my own, I would have been S.O.L.

This is especially true in adult leagues, such as the Mexican-American League games in the North County area of San Diego. The area here is a desert, and many summer games are played where temperatures on the field reach 120 degrees, with humidity in the 90 + range. If you don't have your own drinks, you are not going to fair well in these conditions working 9-inning double-headers.

[DG]

In the 10 innning game I mentioned earlier no one brought me water until the 9th innning. I brought my own though.

I don't mind going to the dugout for water if they have a cooler, and cups, but I generally bring my own if it is warm enough.

[UMP25]

To not drink water (or whatever else is needed to remain hydrated) because of some concern over going into the dugout, getting it from one team or the other, or whatever other reason is just plain stupid. Do we not understand how important it is to keep yourself hydrated, on and off the field? God knows I've learned the hard way.

I've dealt with a bout of kidney stones recently, the cause of which can partly be attributed to my not drinking enough fluids in general. I can assure you that I won't do that again. We are all supposed to drink our wieght in water in ounces every day, so if you're 225 lbs., you're supposed to consume 225 ozs. of water pr day. Admittedly, I doubt many of us follow this guideline, but I'm sure trying to, that's for sure.

During summer ball I bring a cooler jug (usually a 1- or 2-gallon one) of cold water with me onto the field. I set it aside near the backstop's corner, usually out of sight or so. I make sure that I use it whenever I can, which is usually once every other inning at a minimum. If I run out, or when I do spring games, I have no problem whatsoever going to a duguout to grab a drink from either a cup or water bottle. In my D1 or other higher level games, as well as the nice schools in D2 and D3, liquids are provided. Some venues even have water fountains in the dugout. I never hesitate to use them.

My own health is far more important than some stupid feeling of pride, vanity, or anything else that some might otherwise be too worked up about.