Do the participants really care how we are dressed

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by Rich Ives

OK Kyle, and be honest now, did you think like that before you took up umpiring?

The point is that many coaches and players are also umpires and know what an umpire is supposed to look like. Even those who don't umpire still know what crap looks like and don't step in it. Maybe you don't care what the umpires look like but out here if one of the two partners is dressed poorly, the response is that "the umpires looked like sh!t today." I've overheard it on several occasions.

I personally have never just wiped the dust off my shoes to work a baseball game. Even between games I washed and re-polished my shoes. I wouldn't have dreamed of going on the ball field looking anything but sharp, and can't imagine anyone not having the same amount of pride in their appearance. I just don't understand how any umpire could walk on the field looking like they escaped from a homeless shelter.