Equipment Care
 

I just found this website a few days ago and find it to be very helpful. Anyway, I just finished my first year of umpiring and am in the process of putting my gear away. Just wondering what you all do to clean it before putting it away for the winter.

Thanks in advance

what website?

Clean it, make note of what I need to buy for next season, put it where I can find it again.

TIP:

After you wash your gear, make sure it is completely dry before storing it, or the metal parts will rust.

Sorry, this forum we're currently posting on.

Johnny was just being a smarty pants with ya. Welcome to the forum.

I used to put my gear away in the winter, but it was only a for a few months, November through January. Now it just rides around in the trunk of my car like it does the other 9 months of the year.

I clean my chest protector and shins by spraying with a water hose, then lay on the floor of the garage with a fan blowing on them to thoroughly dry them.

Between games I spray the sweaty side with Febreeze and wipe with a dry cloth.

I use Lysol in my shoes and CP, wash all shirts, pants, etc...I agree w/ the other posters though...don't store your stuff until it is 100% dry...also, consider ordering what you need for the 09 season now...because the popular sizes of stuff is typically on back order in March.

annual clean up and clean out..........
 

Yesterday was my annual clean up and clean out.......

I removed all my gear and uniforms from the car, removed my clothing rack from the back seat.....

I starting cleaning the Gear:

Chest Protectors.

I have the WV Plat and a Honigs K1. I first inspect all straps and connectors....then I make up a solution of warm water and Tide. I have a small sponge and brush and I brush the solution on. I do not soak the padding. I spray a antibacterial kitchen cleaning solution on the platic parts........wipe clean with a clean sponge, hang both on hangers to dry....

Shin Guards

Same process as CPs, noting if any straps need replaced.

Plate and Base shoes

I clean and polish as I go during the season, so all they needed was dust wiped off and put back into the shoe bags. I need a new pair of all black base shoes for NFHS next year (noted for replacement)

Masks

2 (+POS Black and Honigs Navy both single bar)...padding removed, wiped clean with antibacterial spray and the leather pads wiped with a leather treatment wipe. Frames washed with soapy water, dried reassembled and returned to mask bags.

Uniforms

I sent 4 pairs of pants to the dry cleaners. Periodic dry cleaning keeps them in top shape and they store perfectly on hangers and covered with plastic. With moving to the darker grey pants will need to purchase at least 4 pair.

I washed all 12 of my Shirts..........nothing fancy, cold wash hung on hangers to dry.........Noted 2 shirts that could be donated to the summer association ...not badly faded, but not top shape......

Socks........started the season with 8 pair.......ended with 3 and a half.....between my son stealing them for his baseball games and the dryer eating them, I will need to replace.........

Ball bags....Navy +POS are starting to age.......Black Diamond brand I bought this year are inferior ...I have hated them ever since I bought them.......noted all 4 for replacement and will donate the others to the summer association.

Jackets

HS jacket is too big ( lost significant weight since I purchased it) but have a good home for it (new HS umpire). Navy jackets with red and white trim and the light blue trim new last year. Black jackets new this year as well.

Bag

I have the old rolling WV bag. I cleaned it out with a vacuum and sprayed it with the hose and brush.......dried......sprayed with fabreeze.......looking to get a new bag this year.

I am expecting to do some fall ball this year, so I will keep the unis and gear handy. But need to do some upgrading in the off season.

Need to buy:

2 Navy shirts
4 Pairs of Pants (charcoal)
8 Pairs of socks
1 Pair of all black base shoes.
1 All Navy HS Jacket
1 New Umpire Bag (hint to wife for Christmas)

Need to donate :
2 shirts
2 Black ball bags
2 navy Ball bags
1 Navy HS jacket

I am all ready for the season to start.

What shoe laces are you guys getting to replace the stock NB ones for the plate shoes? I'd like to get a set, and a spare pair...so that never happens again. Worked the state tournament on Thursday night and "snap"...had to pull one out of my base shoes...

JohnnyG...I went to my local Red Wing shoe store and purchased a few pairs of their waxed boot cords the right length for the NB 450's. They lasted the remainder of the season and I like the way they snug up. They are far superior to the OEM laces that come in the 450's.

The new pants
 

Can anybody tell me exactly the shade of gray we are suppose to be wearing starting next season?

Are the shade used in the NCAA and MLB levels?

The new FED "allowed" color is the same as the NCAA "dark grey."

Whether that's what you are "supposed to be wearing" or not depends on your state / association.

I'd check with your local association. While they may be allowed under new fed rules your association may be slower to change.

Slacks
 

In Portland we have a mixture of umpires. Some work college and high school others just work high school.

The "college group" will not purchase the "heather greys" and the high school only guys will not purchase "dark grey" therefore we will always be destine to have some crews that will not match.

Even in this year's five state championship games we had three member crews that had different shades of slacks.

I am not sure this will ever change in all areas.

Regards,

Thanks for all of the replies so far. Are there any New Balance shoes that are the "convertible" style that can be worn in the field or behind the plate? From what I've heard they are very comfortable.

As Click and Clack say, "The stingy man pays the most." Convertible shoes are good for neither purpose.

Spend the money and get a pair of plate shoes and base shoes. A good pair of both will pay for themselves very, very quickly.

I can totally agree with that statement "the stingy man pays the most". I had a pair of "convertible" shoes I got from Gerry Davis this year, my first year of umpiring. While it is nice to have it all in one, my feet really started getting sore any time I did more than three games in a day. I just thought it might be more of the brand that was causing problems.

The problem is the "all in one" shoe has to be sturdy enough to withstand use at the plate so it is not flexible enough to be on the bases (kind of like some umpires I know :rolleyes:). Your best bet is to by plate shoes and base shoes. They are each designed for a specific job and will give you the best protection and comfort.

I'm not trying to be knit-picky but I hate when people use similar statements (note that this is not directed towards you aschramm, it's just a rant).

In the past year I've became a runner and have learned a lot about shoes. People have grips about footwear all the time but I believe that the problem is not with the shoe, but with the buyer. Shoes are made to fit a certain type of foot. Yes, everyone knows that they make different widths of shoes but nobody thinks about the arch support and other important factors. I'm all about finding the best product for the cheapest, hence I use the internet to buy all my equipment. But many overlook the fact that they need to try their shoes on and make sure they are the right fit for your foot. Personally, I know I have high arches and need a control-type shoe. Umpiring shoes don't necessarily offer such "arch-types" so when I get my shoes I typically buy insoles that offer that support that is needed dictated by my feet. If I get the shoes and they don't fit right, I just send them back and get a refund/credit.

It's different if a shoe is made crappy and doesn't last, however, if your feet get tired/ache/knees hurt/etc...It might be because you have shoes that do not support your feet correctly. Consider going to a local specialty running store and get fitted for a pair of running shoes. Ask them what type of shoes you should get based on your feet. Should you get low/mid/high arch shoes? Is your foot overpronator/supinator/neutral? Do they recommend cushion/orthotics? I stand throughout the day at work and have found that then I wear shoes that don't support correctly I have all sorts of problems. The moment I start wearing the correct-fitting shoes the problems seem to dissipate. I've applied the same theory to my officiating shoes and have had wonderful success.

I know the local running store here is more than willing to fit someone for shoes without pressure to buy. I'm sure that many local stores are the same way. Although I do admit that I buy from them because I love their business style and I know they aren't out to sell the top priced item, in fact they've talked me out of the more expensive models plenty of times.

One more thing, shoes are not made to last forever. Even the top of the line running shoe is made to last for 300-500 miles. Yes, this seems like a long time for a pair of shoes (for a non-runner). But then you consider the distance most marathon runners train, shoes last anywhere from 13-23 weeks :eek: Of course, I'm not advocating we all buy new officiating shoes every 13 weeks; However, we have to be realistic about how often we replace our shoes as well. I don't think that 10 years is realistic for a pair of shoes. Most of us, I can safely say, put a lot of wear and tear on our shoes. Personally, I replace the insoles at least every year. And since running has become a hobby, I now have a pretty good feeling about when shoes aren't support as they should anymore. Every couple of weeks I also evaluate the tread on the shoes. If they are wearing thin, it's time to replace.

If I were to put a number on how long a pair of quality officiating shoes would last, I would say 1-4 years. Of course that depends on a lot of different factors. Here are some factors that I can think of off the top of my head:

• Sport being officiated
• Contests wore per year
• Weight of the official

For instance, I would venture to say that basketball/baseball officials need to replace their shoes more often then volleyball officials :p Obviously, the more weight put on a pair of shoes, the more stress is being put on the material

I will step off my soapbox now. Sorry for the rant ;)

-Josh

nice post ^^

Haha, that was definitely a very nice post. I've never really paid much attention to arch in my foot, maybe I'll have to look into that.

One of my problems was that somehow I completely forgot that I would need to get protective equipment, so that hit my budget alot harder than I thought (I'm a full-time college student). But after working this season, I'm starting to reinvest in better equipment that I'm hoping will last much longer than the shoes I currently have.

Thanks for all of your help.

Now that I'm off my rant..

I do agree that separate shoes for the plate and bases are best.

-Josh

many of us have been there bro...but your equipment almost always pays for itself the 1st year you work with it...then it becomes an investment

I also agree.

Before my first year of umpiring, I listened to my wife and I tried to piece it together with cost as the primary object. Before the first campaign was over, I was upgrading my mask, chest protector, plate shoes and leg guards.

The total cost of the original gear:

Mask: $45 ... CP: $60 ... LGs: $45 ... Plate shoes: $60 ... TOTAL: $210

New gear:

Mask: $180 ... CP: $140 ... LGs: $90 ... Shoes: $100

The total cost after upgrading: $720

What cost would have been if I had been wise (not listened to wife): $510

Yep, buying stuff twice because you don't like the cheaper option...is not always that wise...but we've probably all made that mistake a time or two

Swallowing $200.00 is never fun, but when you can blame it on your wife, it is almost painless, and actually opens the door to a spate of unbridled spending. So it's really a plus.

I thought that was a shoe box!
 

Yes, good post. :)
You are fortunate to have confidence in your local shoe salesman, but the folks on this forum have never let me down with their recomendations for my average feet or sport.