Umpire Pants with Leg Cuffs
 

For my Birthday my lovely wife bought me a nice pair of charcoal ump pants. She hemmed them with a cuff and they look really sharp. Advice needed from you all. 1. Concern about the cuffs becoming an issue doing plate work or on the field. They do catch alot of dirt but could become a safety issue?
2. Dont want to upset her since she took it upon herself to do this for me. She would be understanding since she would not be aware of any issues with a cuff or no cuff leg while umpiring. She just thougth it looked sharper. Is this a big issue or not. Suggestions please! Thanks in advance1

Do cuffs look good with athletic shoes? No.

Could they be a safety issue? I'd say there's a slim chance you'd catch your shoe in one if you have cleats or studs.

If she would be understanding, I see no reason not to change them to the norm.

Umpires do not wear cuffs....Tell your wife that you think the pants look great however, in general, umpire do not wear cuffed slacks and that if an evaluator sees me wearing them I will probually get "dinged" on an eval.

There are alot of things that you cannot "control" in regards to your umpire career and/or hobby. How you look on the field is something you can control!! Good luck.

Very thoughtful Mrs. JPaco but it's not appropriate for umpiring.

-Josh

very nice, very thoughtful, probably want to go without the cuffs though.

How did you not know she was going to put cuffs on them? Didn't you have to stand on a chair wearing the slacks and your umpiring shoes while she measured the length of the slacks? My wife does and hasn't your wife ever seen your older umpiring slacks?

MTD, Sr.

she probably wanted to surprise him...maybe she measured a pair of his old slacks...

who's knows...what's done is done...let's take it easy on the guy's wife

This is very basic: You buy another pair of slacks with money she doesn't know about, have them shipped to an address (office, friend's house) where she'll never see them delivered. Then, have a seamstress that she doesn't know hem them without the cuffs.

You bring your wife's pants along to every game and act as if you're wearing them, while you wear the others, which you're leaving at the cleaners after each game and picking up before each subsequent game. Put the unused pants in a plastic laundry bag along with your perspiration-soaked shirts and undergarments, and by the time you get home, they'll seem used.

It sounds like a hassle and a lot of extra cleaning bills and wasted gas, but it's worth it, believe me.

No pun intended with the title of this thread but sounds like Mrs Finnerty wears the pants in this relationship.

during the "live game style" clinic i ran 2 weeks ago for our newer guys, one of the older guys showed up to help out in his brand spankin new cuffed plate pants. i immediately fined him $2, $1 for each cuff. that fine was immediately increased by another board member (that is a close friend of the guy in the cuffs) to $10 per cuff. 'nuff said.

Be honest.
Tell your wife how much you like the pants, and nice they look and feel. Make sure she knows how much you appreciate her thoughtfulness.

Then tell her nobody has cuffs on their umpiring pants because they might get caught in the heel of the shoe, and also because the cuffs would fill up with dirt. Maybe she can notice a MLB game on tv and see how their pants appear.

Ask her if she can take the cuffs out... and play it by ear. I'm gonna say if she took the time to order the pants and hem them, she wants them to look correctly.
(If this doesn't work, you can always fall back on KF's plan!)

Hmmmm....

I would say Kevin is married.

Matt is not.

cardinalfan? I'm not sure. He may be newly married or else he just doesn't have a freakin' clue about how women think.

I don't have cuffs on my umpire slacks, though all my other "slacks" do.

I think Kevin provided the most pragmatic advice. (I'm married.)

JM

Well I am not married but almost all my friends are. And I can tell you that all men do not have the same problems or communication style with their wives. I do not think you can tell that some are married or not by this conversation.

That being said, honesty is the best policy. Just tell her the truth and that you cannot wear them with the cuffs. Also explain how impractical cuffs are as stated. I really do not see it as a big deal if you have the kind of communication in your marriage that is healthy.

Peace

Sorry.

Currently on marriage #3.

You must have constantly used honesty. ;)

slightly off topic, but didn't think it was worth a new thread...

Do sites that sell umpire gear have noticeably better deals in the offseason or is it about the same year-round? First-year umpire here who will be getting promoted next baseball season, so was curious if there was a best time to upgrade.

I'll keep my eye out for deals on places like Ebay and such, but was curious about the basic Honig's, +POS, etc. sites. Thanks.

Honig's has always had 10% off in December as long as I can remember.

Hey, that rhymed!

"Does this dress make me look fat?"

"No, but your *** does."

Always took it one clause too far.

my job in life is to set you up for moments of triumph just like that one Matt.

Even better--10% off gift certificates. Buy one and use it later on to save 10% on something else you want.

When they get new shoe models in the old ones will often get marked down. I picked some New Balance base shoes that way this spring.

I did that in December '04 (bought a jacket) and felt a tad guilty for some reason, like it was against the rules or something. I moved twice (once in '05, and again in '06) without ever wearing it. When I attempted to locate it after the most recent move, it was not to be found. I consider that karma.

:D

Thatta boy

Let me guess...

"Honey thank you for the pants, they are great and will really help me look professional on the field. One small thing, could you re-do the cuffs?"

"Why do you hate the pants? :("

Amen brother, amen.

My wife wouldn't dare buy anything for me clothing-wise when it comes to basketball or baseball officiating. She knows better.

I am with Jeff on this one. You should be able to tell your wife about this without hurting her feelings. It's a matter of looking professional on the ball field. Doing what Kevin suggested really IS a big hassle, plus it's kind of deceitful. You would be better off thanking your wife for being so thoughtful and willing to help, but in this case the cuffs have to go.

Oh just wear the pants, sounds like a trend setter...... It was an act of love you know!!!!!;)

Wrong. Been happily married for 6 years. Been married for over 26 years! :eek: (disclaimer: statement made for humor purposes only, sorry dear!)

I just thought it sounded like something Dr. Phil would say. Was giving another option so he could pick one and give us some feedback.

Just tell her that the cuffs are a potential safety hazard.... And politely ask her (while protecting your face...preferably with your facemask on) to un-cuff the pants :-)

I would take that a step further and just put on all of your gear, and then tell here that you just can't wear the cuffs. Then hope she can't hit harder than a fastball. :D

31 years of Marriage - Pants getting rehemmed!
 

Being married for 31 years with the same woman allows me to believe she knows me pretty well. I would like to share with you all what she did is over and above what I would expect from her, or anyone, with the situation she is faced with and that is why I am making this little situation more that it appears to be. What is amazing is that she did all this: got in the car,drove thirty minutes to the store, (fortunately there is a supplier in town that provides Officiating Apparel), took them to a seamstress, packed and wrapped the pants, then went and bought an ice cream birthday cake. What's the big deal you may ask? She did all this right after her third round of Chemo, feeling weak and nauseated. Then last night she even dropped off my equipment bag at the ball park, since I was a last minute fill in for an ump who cancelled due to work. Then she mentions to me that I may not want to wear those new ump pants since she noticed that the other umps did not have cuffs. How sensitive is that!? Now today she is taking them back to have them rehemmed. I have learned as well, never to underestimate my wife and her strength, courage, sensitivity and thoughtfulness. She has this gift of grace.

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions, but as you can see I did not have to use them. But I agree, Honesty is key, and I believe that is one of the keys that has kept our marriage strong for all these years. God has really blessed me with her and He has revealed to me an even deeper understanding of her love and grace all because of a pair of Umpire Pants.

Great incite! Thanks for sharing!

-Josh

*speechless* God works in mysterious (and loving) ways.

Great post, JP54! And best of luck and God bless you and your wife during the treatments.
Sounds like you've got a real keeper there!

And here we thought only other umpires noticed how umpires dressed.:D

I have no doubt He has. I hope you know I was only poking fun, it sounds like you two are blessed to have each other. I would like to think the same about my own marriage.

Here's hoping and praying she makes a full recovery!

Well, that post sure takes the breath away.

JPaco54, you and your lovely bride will be in my prayers. May God (continue to) bless you.

Bob James

Great Story! May God continue to bless your union!

agreed....
 

sounds like she is a keeper.....

I will pray for your wife and your family that she and you will overcome this. My God be with your wife in this trying time.

Peace

Quick, tell Mr. Official's Choice your idea...he likes to set trends as well. He may even cut you in for a piece of the action! :cool:

I'd suggest you put the cup on first.

It's a female; what do you expect?

Fixed that for you. Luckily, I remembered my sixth grade English.

Darn skippy! November is the best time of year to tell Santa what you want for baseball gear and if you have any loved ones you get your stuff for a really good discount. Be REAL SPECIFIC. I got my last pair of plate shoes that way.

But, the cuff should be a different color (red, navy, polo, black, ...) to match the shirt and ball bags.

Did those moves coincide in any way with the ends of marriages one and two?:D

I didn't realize that "polo" was a color. :D

Ump Rube,

As they say, you can learn something new every day.

In the umpire world, polo IS a color.

JM

Thanks!
 

I spent the last 45 minutes of my work day reading these posts laughing my butt off, getting a tear in my eye, and then laughing again. I have to let everyone that posts, you not only educate me on umpiring, you also bring a smile to my face.
Thanks
Kevin

Hillarious!