Dear Carson:
 

My this thread has taken an unbelievable turn . . .

Someone with the moniker of "BigTex" giving fashion advice.

Tex, please lead me to the document that gives this direction.

We seem to get the strangest sorts during the slow time of the off season.

Regards,

While I am not worried about the leather bags becoming a standard at upper levels, I have seen plenty of NCAA Division 1 umpires wearing gray ball bags, as well as many HS umpires. And, I do remember seeing Bob Engel and Dutch Rennert both wear gray ball bags before.

Gray ball bags have traditionally been offered by all the major suppliers, right alongside the black and navy pro-style ball pockets. They have not been promoted separately as a novelty item such as the Honig's leather ball bags have been.

Equating gray ballbags with leather ballbags is ludicrous. The fact is in umpiring groups past and present who use the traditional navy shirt, gray ballbags were and are perfectly acceptable. And that goes for every level up to and including MLB.

Let me stand corrected. My research has shown that up until the 2006 season, the gray ball bags were acceptable with a blue shirt at the NCAA level. However, I have never worn gray, and cannot remember anyone at the NCAA level and above wearing them. I asked a question that was not answered....How many guys have you seen wearing gray bags at upper levels of the game? Dave says that Gray is acceptable at the MLB level, has anyone seen an umpire at the MLB level wearing gray (in the last 15 years)?

I still stand by my original statement that you should not wear black bags with a blue shirt, and vice-versa.

I said when navy shirts were being worn, gray ballbags were worn with them, and that includes MLB. Now, we all know that navy shirts are no longer worn by MLB umpires; they presently wear black or light blue shirts, and they wear black ballbags with both of those colors.

If varsity high school qualifies with you as an "upper level of the game," then I can attest that gray ballbags are still being worn, with navy shirts, at upper levels.

I don't disagree with that statement, but your original statement was much broader than that, setting out a comprehensive set of "rules" for what color ballbag to wear depending on what color shirt was being worn. I simply pointed out that your comprehensive rules excluded gray ballbags which are appropriately worn with navy shirts, irrespective of level.

Considering Honig's took them out of their Spring 07 catalog, the leather ball bags werent a hit AT ANY LEVEL.

I put my flags on the leading edge of my black, fabric ball bags.

The ones you wear with your blue shirt?

Now you changed it to the last 15 years at the last minute here. I answered the question, but it was more than 15 years ago.

Big:
 

I suggest you go to the MiLB webpage.

Check their banner at the top . . . when it shows a "PU" (from neck down) he is wearing grey ball bags.

Of course this may not be high enough level of ball for your determination.

Regards,

I try to wear navy blue ball bags when I'm wearing a navy shirt. But there have been times when I've grabbed the wrong ball bags and wore black with a navy shirt while working a game or two. Guess what, the game went on as if there wasn't a difference and the fashion police never showed. Imagine that.


Tim.

No, the ones I wear under my plate coat.

You are all a bunch of no class, fashion sissies! :p

I wear the red ball bags that I got from Gerry Davis sports all the time. Even under my plate coat! I wear a blue one in the front so I can put my seeds in it. I am buying a leather ball bag before the season starts and that I will be putting in the back so I have something in case I have to go! :eek:

You mean you don't own some of those lovely two-color bags ?!?!?! :eek:

Naw! What do you think I am, a cheap slut? :D