Do the participants really care how we are dressed

[PeteBooth]

Hi all:

Nigel's recent thread and Rich Ives response prompted me for this thread.


Whenever the word "Smitty" comes up I believe the first comment on the list is the way the umpire was dressed and then all the "other stuff"

Other than our peers and association mandates regarding dress apparel ie; HS, College etc. the question?

Do people really care how we look out there.

Let's take Nigel's case. Perhaps at the beginning of the game the participants got a good laugh but as the game progressed as long as they saw Nigel Hustle and call a good game is what is most important.

We talk about the BU carrying a ball bag or the PU wearing shin guards on top of their jeans etc.

BUT if they call a good game isn't that what is most important?

Before, everyone "jumps on me" I am in no way advocating that the BU carry a ball bag on the bases or wear shin guards on the outside of jeans etc.

I am merely pointing out that as Rich Ives suggested the dress issue is more of a concern for Umpire vs. umpire or association protocol than the participants.

I am sure we all know some umpires who are dressed sharp have the latest and greatest apparel etc. but when they step on the field the coaches "cringe" and say to themselves "Not him again"

So let's take away umpire associations for a minute in which we are mandated to dress a certain way. Is apparel that important of an issue for the participants or is it more of an umpire vs. umpire issue


Hey guys/gals it's been slow or

Perhaps it's "Pete are you for real with this" but like I said it's been slow

Pete Booth

[Tim C]

Excellent post Peter -- let's look at it from two different sides:

1) Cliff Gustafson told me that when an umpire walked onto his field he could "tell" which umpire he was going to have trouble with.

2) I have said repeatedly over the years that only "other umpires" and evaluators care what umpires look like.

While these two items seem to be disassociated thet are, in fact, related.

Until the internet I never heard of umpires disagreeing on what color an undershirt should be . . .

Until the internet I had never heard that shirts of crew members should match all the way to the order of the piping on a sleeve.

Here's what we run into, in my opinion, with umpire decorum:

As more and more professionally trained umpires come into groups that umpire non-professional games there is a change in standards. Because these school graduates were evaluated heavily during school those requirements begin to find a road into local associations.

Any time there is an evaluator involved they must, by nature, find something that separates one umpire from another that is more lowly rated. What we wear starts to show at this level.

Like you I am not an advocate of base umpires with ball bags, or leg guards on the exterior of a plate pant . . . I am only saying that a well dressed umpire will normally command a certain amount of respect UNTIL THE FIRST MISSED PITCH OR CLOSE CALL ON THE BASES!

We exaggerate EVERYTHING about umpiring on the internet because there are only a certain amount of topics that can be discussed.

I am glad we have standards and over the last 40 years that I have worked I have seen a marked change in the overall professionalism of sport officials. How we dress and what we wear is a small part of that.

Regards,

[JJ]

I believe that what you're wearing and how you carry yourself is of greater importance the higher up the ladder you go. Parents of six year old players want to watch their kids play and don't pay a great deal of attention to how an umpire is dressed. On the other end of the spectrum, at the D1 NCAA level an umpire's appearance is the first impression of how serious the umpire is about his craft (not to mention supervisors' requirements).

Of course, I've always told young umpires, "If you can't BE good, you can at least LOOK good!"

JJ

Originally Posted by JJ

I believe that what you're wearing and how you carry yourself is of greater importance the higher up the ladder you go. Parents of six year old players want to watch their kids play and don't pay a great deal of attention to how an umpire is dressed. On the other end of the spectrum, at the D1 NCAA level an umpire's appearance is the first impression of how serious the umpire is about his craft (not to mention supervisors' requirements).

Of course, I've always told young umpires, "If you can't BE good, you can at least LOOK good!"

JJ

Good post and I agree.

You only have one chance to make a first impression that day.

If you were walking down the street and there was a guy who had stringy hair, not shaven, dirty/worn/wrinkled clothes on, worn and dirty shoes, and he approached you needing "help", you would distrust this person, and worry that it is possibly a set up for a scam or to be robbed.

A lesser example would be you go into a store to purchase something, and the sales person is wearing high water pants, and a shirt combo that doesn't match very well. You would immediately assume that this person does NOT know what they are talking about (unless this is a Radio Shack! ) and would be looking around for somebody that looks more "professional".

Lets face it, the second you walk out onto the field, people are sizing you up! The fans, the players, and the coaches. If you have dirty shoes, wrinkled pants, dirty shirt, people are going to subconsciously think that you don't care about what is going on. As an umpire, YOU ARE A PERSON OF AUTHORITY, and people assume that a person of authority will be well dressed. If you aren't, they doubt that you take what you do seriously.

The reason it is called a "UNIFORM" is because everybody is supposed to wear the same thing. When you get some dingbat that wants "something a little different from everybody else", you have problems as being perceived as a "TEAM" on the field. Yes, it is subtle, but if the two umpires are not attired EXACTLY the same, people are going to assume that you two are not on the same sheet of music, and they are going to look to badger the person they perceived as the weaker partner. UNIFORMS remove the bias, that is why we are asked to wear them.

I spent many years "being a little bit different". Wearing oddball plate shoes, combo pants while on the plate, pants that were a shade of gray a little different than the "norm", etc... I was not taken seriously by coaches and players, because simply, I did not look like the good umpires they have had! That is the bottom line. The GOOD UMPIRES dressed a certain way, and when they seen me not dressed like that, every judgment call I had to make came into question. All that simply over the way I dress!

I DO think people notice and care about how we dress. Certainly it isn't something most people are going to be able to articulate, but, it makes a difference.

It actually pisses me off royally that the two associations I belong to have VERY loose uniform standards. I am all for expecting a certain brand/style of pant, shirt, undershirt, ball bags, hat, and maybe even shoes! but I would settle for just pant, shirt, hat. But crap, we don't even have every guy matching in that way! It is embarrassing to go out not looking like my partner.

Anyway, just my .02 worth.

[harmbu]

It does matter to me as a coach how the umpires are dressed when they arrive. This could partly be because this is something I am a stickler about with my players. I had an umpire last year who had his shirt tail out most of the game and wore his hat backward under his mask. Guess what? He was also one of the worst umpires I have ever had. Shortly after having him, his assigner sent me an email appologizing for his umpire's unprofessionalism. However, clothes to not always make the man. One of the umpires that I frequently see is probably the most sharply dressed in the world. This does not make him a good umpire. He is one of those guys that make you cringe when you see him walk onto the field. Outside of these two examples, pretty much the rest of the umpires I have are both sharply dressed and high quality umpires.

[mikebran]

I'm hearing old SNL routines (Fernando).

There are some truisms we need to agree on. (Although for some it will be painful).

UMPIRES as a species, are some of the most anal retentive bipeds on the planet. When the discussion gets to tee shirt colors and "piping" (who ever knew what that was)... please, make it stop!

However, in my long experience as a LLJV official, it find it MUCH EASIER, to take the path of PROFESSIONALISM (or as we call it here, Professional Amateur).. and that is to LOOK SHARP (or as much as I can). Shoes are clean, proper belt, (Ok, the right T Shirt). Since I get PAID to officiate I SPEND money on clothes and gear. I wear the Honigs Premiums, and wash them occasionally.

Again.. why not do it this way?

The Crusty Vets (CVs) who are ESTABLISHED and know every HS Coach (and have for years) can get away with showing up looking like slobs. Everyone else, why make things difficult.

AND JUST AS IMPORTANT... we have MANY MANY CVs here in the Frozen Tundra... and the vast majority of THEM go the way of the Professional Amateur. Excellent Officials and who LOOK, and PERFORM.

Why not?

Related story from the past:

Many of us can remember our early years of first dabbling in 60' LL baseball, and yes (we didn't know any better).. wore Jeans and a sweatshirt and the shins on the outside and hat backwards and the raft and would go :
"Strike Three YERRR OUT!!" and had timing like ****...

and no parent or kid or coaches really cared...

But apparently they "noticed"...

So during this time I am convinced to join a real association and get training and I learn some stuff and buy clothes and am lectured about "looking the part".. and I do that. So Myself and (other good umpire).. go to volunteer a couple LL games on a SAT and we walk on field with proper uniforms clean and shined and professional, and you can HEAR the crowd (yes there was one).. and it grows eerily quiet as we walk to the plate meeting and you can hear someone say, "Look, we have REAL umpires"

[Rich Ives]

Let me expand a bit.

A few years back (and I don't know if it was in a post or in an article here) someone said (paraphrased) that a college coach once told him that the well pressed uniform was only good up to the first pitch.

Tee's comment ( "I am only saying that a well dressed umpire will normally command a certain amount of respect UNTIL THE FIRST MISSED PITCH OR CLOSE CALL ON THE BASES!" ) goes in the same vein.

Post game discussions about umpires amongst coaches invariably revolve around how the game was called. I've never heard a comment like "Did you notice the piping on their shirts didn't match".

I wrote on this site once that I didn't care if an umpire showed up in cutoffs and a tank top as long as he could umpire. Having lived through many hundreds of games, my view hasn't changed. I've seen attrocious umpires and excellent umpires - both sharp dressers from associations and small town volunteers (attire varies considerably). The manner of dress as an indicator goes away very quickly once the game starts. Once you comprehend that, you can see why attire drops down list considerebly.

We can also see from this and other forums that some umpires have a far greater grasp of the rules and game management than others. I'm not convinced that attire is a factor.

As for store clerks, sometimes it's pretty easy to tell that the hotshot in his store "uniform" is more interested in selling you what benefits him the most versus what benefits you the most.

But it does boil down to how well you umpire. We DO want a consistent strike zone. We don't care if you yell "foul" on a ball popped back over the backstop.

It's about the effort one makes to be good, not unlike the athletes and coaches. To many of us, that means being good, not looking good.

[Emperor Ump]

Great topic.

I do believe appearance matters and wrote about it. Others have made some good points about vets getting a pass sometimes on appearance but they may have earned that by the quality of their work, but if they sharpened their appearance they would be the complete package.

For people with lesser experience looking sharp my be able to buy you a bit of wiggle room or "political capital" when a coach may want to challenge you. Coaches are predatory animals and if they sense weakness they will go in for the kill. Looking sharp on the field my be able to camouflage other secondary shortcomings on the field. Not to say a coach will grant you too much leeway if you blow one, but you may get the benefit of the doubt.

I think this has to do with the air of authority that comes from a sharp looking umpire who also knows how to use body language and posturing. If you stand upright with your chest out, shoulders back and chin up you look like a much more authoritative figure than someone who is a slouch.

[MrUmpire]

Originally Posted by PeteBooth

Hi all:
Do the participants really care how we are dressed ?

Pete Booth

In a word, yes.

Years ago I was discussing this with a D-iii skipper. He made this observation:

"I have seen a few sh!tty umpires come out looking like top flight umpires, but I have never seen real top flight umpires come out looking like sh!tty umpires."

[ozzy6900]

Up here in CT, most of the HS coaches know what you should look like on the field. Old cronies such as myself are known to almost all of the Varsity coaches, so if I were to show up without my uniform and do the bases, they know what kind of umpire I am. They know that they will get the same umpire no matter what I am wearing (alright, I heard that wise-a$$ remark, Tim ). Of course, I would not dream of stepping on a field without the proper attire because that is part of my preparation as an umpire.

On the other side of the coin, I have seen spotless, perfectly pressed uniforms coupled with perfectly shined shoes, patent leather belt, cap creased in a professional manner, only to encrust a hopeless individual. It's like anything else, you can lead a horse to water and you can put the pigs in the barn, but in the end, integrity is what really wins out.

[justanotherblue]

I recently had the opportunity to watch my fearless Commissioner work a Dimaggio championship game. He was U1, wearing shorts, with white socks, his partner behind the plate was properly dressed. Both had different powder blue shirts on. Mr. Commissioner had the powder with navy/white piping, the plate umpire was wearing the powder with black. The comments ran from, "these guys are a joke", to "these guys don't care about the game", to "these guys are clowns". And they were putting on a show for the crowd. The plate umpire engaged the crowd several times, as U1 was OOO, with his mechanics and game managment. To the degree of having more comments from the crowd saying how they think the game is about them. I had worked multiple games for both of these teams, and I was un-recognized as an official. As I was talking to another official whose son was playing, and another players father who made these comments. I take that as a compliment to not be recognized as an official. So does appearance matter, I guess it's just how you want to be perceived.

Overall, It's a matter of respect.

It's respect for the game, there is no reason or excuse to show up with a mustard, dirt and sweat stained shirt, that hasn't seen a washing machine all season.

It's respect for the league your representing.

Most importantly it's respect for yourself.

You can be an average at best umpire, there isn't any reason not to have over all respect for the game, league and especially yourself. Coach's can see if your out there working hard, trying to get into position to make the correct call. They can tell if your out there attending clinics and at least trying to improve yourself. They can and will argue just about anything that happens on the field, fighting for their team. It's your actions that will take away that respect, why take it away before the first pitch with your appearance.

[MrUmpire]

Originally Posted by ozzy6900

Up here in CT, most of the HS coaches know what you should look like on the field. Old cronies such as myself are known to almost all of the Varsity coaches, so if I were to show up without my uniform and do the bases, they know what kind of umpire I am. They know that they will get the same umpire no matter what I am wearing

But the point is, you DON'T show up like that. That's what the skipper in my post was alluding to. Top umpires know to look the part.

Not all umpires who look good are good. But nearly all umpires who look like sh!t, are.

[aschramm]

Originally Posted by Emperor Ump

Great topic.

I do believe appearance matters and wrote about it.

I just read that article, and thought it was pretty good. Just one question though, in your list of what not to wear, you mention "Nylon Mesh Hats". Do you mean the ones like this:

http://www.lestersupstatesports.com/...Hat-p-151.html

-Only I'm referring to the Cliff Keen baseball combo hat.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by aschramm

I just read that article, and thought it was pretty good. Just one question though, in your list of what not to wear, you mention "Nylon Mesh Hats". Do you mean the ones like this:

http://www.lestersupstatesports.com/...Hat-p-151.html

-Only I'm referring to the Cliff Keen baseball combo hat.

I think he is referring to the adjustable strap style nylon hats that you can actually see daylight through. The Cliff Keen style, like the mesh football hats are tightly constructed and look fine, plus they are fitted, which is the most important consideration. Nothing beats a fitted wool hat though. They take a crease better and look really sharp if you replace them in a timely manner. We used to tell guys with ugly hats to get an oil change in their hats.

[Emperor Ump]

Originally Posted by aschramm

I just read that article, and thought it was pretty good. Just one question though, in your list of what not to wear, you mention "Nylon Mesh Hats". Do you mean the ones like this:

http://www.lestersupstatesports.com/...Hat-p-151.html

-Only I'm referring to the Cliff Keen baseball combo hat.

Thank you!

Unfortunately here at work I cannot access any "shopping" sites so I cant see specifically what you are speaking of available at Lesters now.

I am primarily referring to the "trucker" style hats that you can see through. But, I personally don't care for some of the higher quality mesh caps overall. The ones I've seen vary widely among the color, the material, etc... I saw one which I liked you could barely tell from more than 5' away it wasn't wool, but was not able to find those myself.

Our association in their appearance guidelines does not allow any mesh caps and is speciffic to fitted wool navy caps.