face mask

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by SAump

Ties for the most ridiculous rule in this thread. Having the mask dangle off the bill of your cap is as ridiculous as allowing the chin pad to dangle 3-4 inches away from your jawbone.

Also, the most illogical advice I have ever read on this website. That's why the damn pads are there. Wear the thing the same way every catcher and umpire in baseball wears their mask, resting against their forehead and chin. If you're too scared and follow this advice, i.e. dangling mask from bill of hat or 3-4 inch jaw clearance, then don't get behind the plate.

Wearing the mask like a catcher would be highly illogical, since catchers wear them to fit snugly around a skull cap or batting helmet. Even catchers who just wear a hat backward, wear the mask tight so it doesn't fall off. That is the main reason, besides aesthetics, that umpires differ in the way they wear their hats with the bill forward...to hold up the mask, which is to be worn loosely. There is a natural gap when looking down at the ground. If you can look straight down, and your mask is still tight against your chin, you're wearing it way too tight.