throat guard discussion

[ozzy6900]

Originally Posted by GarthB

I've seen partners, in a heel/toe stance, take a foul that went off the bat, to the ground and then up under their mask and to the throat, on more than one occasion.

Let's check out the stance of this D-1 umpire. It is clear that there is room for a baseball to get under his mask and either into his throat or chin.

Garth, this guy is so out of whack that even the best throat guard won't help him! This is almost what I looked like when I did LL eons ago. Yeah, I took a foul ball to the throat way back then but that is when I corrected my stance.

When I settle in the GDS, my back is pretty straight (thanks to missing parts). My mask is very close to the bump-out on my WVP so there is no room for a ball to get in there.

I also never used a throat guard when I used the scissors. I just didn't like them - period. Now, when my son started umpiring, I made him wear a throat guard.

I am in the same school as many others, if you want to wear a throat guard - wear one! You are just not going to convince me to wear something that I do not like.