Official's Choice Shirts

[Delaware Blue]

Originally Posted by tip184

Where else can you find a gray, maroon, or chocolate shirt? ...

If you sew an orange VT on the maroon shirt it makes a good golf shirt.

Their gray shirt is more of a blue/gray than the gray shirt by Dalco and the quality is not nearly as good as the Dalco.

As for chocolate? I would not be caught dead on a baseball field wearing a crap colored shirt.

[Kevin Finnerty]

I have the 2nd generation gray. A couple of partners called for it and I had it. I actually like it--at least better than powder blue.

[tip184]

Originally Posted by Delaware Blue

If you sew an orange VT on the maroon shirt it makes a good golf shirt.

Their gray shirt is more of a blue/gray than the gray shirt by Dalco and the quality is not nearly as good as the Dalco.

As for chocolate? I would not be caught dead on a baseball field wearing a crap colored shirt.

Thanks for the tip. Now I know only to order the maroon and the chocolate.

[Delaware Blue]

Originally Posted by Kevin Finnerty

I have the 2nd generation gray. A couple of partners called for it and I had it. I actually like it--at least better than powder blue.

I have one as well (received it when working a tournament). I also have the Dalco gray shirt. Both look decent with heather gray pants and it's a different look for summer ball. There is a difference in quality - the Dalco is a superior shirt.

Whatever you do, do not order a cream shirt from theofficialschoice.com. They should call the color "puke" instead of cream. It's terrible.

[Kevin Finnerty]

I call it "hurl."

[Kevin Finnerty]

And the hurl-colored shirt's made of that see-through fabric, so your black undershirt bleeds through. How could they be this out of touch with the industry that they serve? I can't believe this company lasted this long. At first, they had a low-cost, decent product, with minor quality concerns and now they have shirts that you can't even buy because they're not even regulation shirts, or they look wrong when you wear a regulation color undershirt ... or both!

[LDUB]

Originally Posted by Kevin Finnerty

And the hurl-colored shirt's made of that see-through fabric, so your black undershirt bleeds through. How could they be this out of touch with the industry that they serve? I can't believe this company lasted this long. At first, they had a low-cost, decent product, with minor quality concerns and now they have shirts that you can't even buy because they're not even regulation shirts, or they look wrong when you wear a regulation color undershirt ... or both!

Their cream shirt is a different shade of cream but other than that the OC shirts match just fine with other brands. The trim on the black shirts is a little thicker but it is not a big enough difference that any of the participants will notice, and if they did notice I am sure they would not care at all. You are making a big deal out of nothing.

Stop worrying about the undershirt. Unless it has big words across the chest it will look fine. There are prominent posters on this forum who use OC shirts for basketball and/or football and have never complained about the undershirt showing through.

[Kevin Finnerty]

I'm sorry, but with all due respect, it may not matter to you, but it is a matter of concern to others. The black shirt was rejected for use by one assignor, and another hinted that I should not try to wear it. So I gave it away to my dad, who wears it to jazz clubs and the senior center. And to a great many other umpires, having a non-standard color or trim pattern does indeed make a difference if both or all umpires don't match. And in the case of the Official's Choice black, cream and MLB light blue, they don't match any other shirt in the entire industry.

This particular company has tried to make its way in an arrogant and non-standard fashion. If it doesn't matter to you, wear shirts that don't match your partner(s). I'm with the other faction, of which there are a great many members. (But in my outside life, I couldn't care less about such minute details.)

I've had some experience with this company--both with its products and with some personal communications--and I think it's only fair to warn everybody and give them the benefit of my experiences. They have chosen their path and it is now fraught with major problems of their own creation. They have a very arrogant approach, as opposed to the pliant, humble approach of guys like Jim Kirk (ump-attire.com) or Rex Mehrhoff (Between The Lines). The Official's Choice's price is unbeatable, but their quality, consistency, availability, reliability, marketing approach and professionalism are all routinely outdone by most of the other offerings in this industry. Cost isn't everything if you can't use it, or have to replace it, or look ridiculous wearing it.

[Durham]

When are you guys gonna start talking about umpiring, so I can lurk and read and get my mind wrapped around the trade of umpiring? BTW, just got back 12 of my 20 new shirts from the seamstress and they look great with the patches sewn on. No more tape. The shirts are honigs and i like the new little tags they put on the back.

[Kevin Finnerty]

Are you anywhere near Marin County?

[Durham]

Hour and a half. I am in Sac.

[tip184]

The powder blue shirt they have is actually a "fake" powder blue- it's more of a hybrid between navy and powder. The shirt pockets are basically a piece of cloth on top of another rag designed to look like a shirt from a distance. Overall, the officials choice shirts are fake.

[Kevin Finnerty]

Originally Posted by Durham

Hour and a half. I am in Sac.

Got friends there, too.

[heykid41]

Up in my neck of the woods, what I wear is up to me and whoever I'm doing the game with. Trust me - I've bought most colours available it seems. I have several of the Officials Choice shirts and really like them. I am not made of money, but the truth is, I have enough shirts so that any given shirt is used less than 10 times a year. I won't be wearing any out, that is for sure. I don't have a tremendously critical eye for shades of colour, and again... I ALWAYS have the exact shirt as my partner. As for trim which is thicker, and so on... nobody worries about the minutiae - as long as both umpires are the same.

Of course, I have the benefit of NOT having someone breathing down my throat telling me what I can and cannot wear. As for The Officials Choice, my dealings there have been stellar. And from a quality and price point of view - they get my cash. I just got one of the jackets and they are terrific.

One thing - I have, in my hands, a Honigs navy and an OC navy and... I cannot see, feel or even guess at what the difference is and, absent a label... would not be able to tell one from the other.

Just an opinion from a guy who has some shirts - has had several dealings with the company and has nothing bad, and in fact, only good things to say.

Cheers... bring on the spring!

[Kevin Finnerty]

You do not have any of the shirts made from the second generation fabric if you can't see or tell the difference. The first generation I was thrilled with--especially for the price. I rotate like you and I won't wear out my stock of shirts for many years. The second generation is the one with all the quality and consistency problems.

Interesting site at today's clinic in Los Angeles: No less than three guys trying to unload their hideous Official's Choice cream shirts--the absolute worst-looking cream umpire's shirt ever manufactured. The wide stripes look even more ridiculous on these things than they do on the black--far more.

And your contact with the company sure beats mine. I encountered the most arrogant, unprofessional and out-of-touch supplier in the entire umpire gear industry.

This is how the owner responded to my question about whether his black shirt was going to return to the industry-standard design. (I didn't even address the hideous cream shirts. I mean, these things are downright laughable.):

Hello Kevin Finnerty,

I am sorry I think we will not be able to accommodate you and your shirt needs.

Our company is CHANGING one umpire at a time and will continue to change the way the umpire industry is outfitted. The BLACK shirt with the wider WHITE stripe is the way it is by design, and this color is the most popular shirt in our line. The reason is you can see our WHITE stripes clear. The reasons why the competition made the stripes thin I don't understand and is very unfortunate. But it is either just to copy the MLB Umpire shirt and/or the most likely reason is because they may not understand fabric and/or design. My hope is they keep is the same way as they do today.

The competition (industry standards) are/will continue to move to our design of The Officials Choice, Inc. referee and umpire shirts. More and more satisfied people from coast to coast buy and wear the BEST shirts on the market made by The Official's Choice, Inc.

Forward me the email of your group President and/or group Assignor and we
will be glad to send them a sample to compare side-by-side with the competitions thin stripe black shirt. After they show your entire group I am sure the overwhelming response of the group will be to convert to our shirt.



"... You can see our white stripes clear."

Suggestion to owner guy: Secretary