LLWS Uniform Question

[billken]

Saw a game on ESPN yesterday afternoon (Ohio vs New Jersey), the HP ump had on black and the base guys had on powder blue.

What's the deal with that?

[jicecone]

Some of my well connected inside contacts said the deal was this, the HP ump would wear a black jersey and the base guys would wear powder blue.

Whats the problem here?

[JR12]

I saw that game. I also recently saw a replay of a 97 Orioles-Mariners Playoff game. The HPU wore the red jersey and the other Umpires wore the navy blue. I thought it looked cool.
Whats the differnce? I often see the HPU wearing the blue or black jersey while the base Umpires wear the black pullover jacket.
Also HPU wearing the plate coat and BU wearing the pullover. Basically the HPU can do his own thing as long as the BU all match.

[kylejt]

Originally Posted by jicecone

Some of my well connected inside contacts said the deal was this, the HP ump would wear a black jersey and the base guys would wear powder blue.

Whats the problem here?

No problem, but is there a reason for it? I'd guess it was for TV, with the black being better for a baseball background.

[billken]

Uni=One or Same
form=clothing

A baseball team wears the same uniform. The pitcher doesn't have a red shirt and the centerfielder a blue or white shirt.

Umpires are a team--the uniform should be uniform! It's unacceptable in my neck of the woods to not have the same color. If it's cold and someone want's a black jacket, the rest of the crew may choose not to wear a jacket, but their shirts will be black.

It is very rare to see umps not in the same color. I don't really care one way or the other, but just found it perplexing. It was obviously on purpose...so I thought I'd ask and see if there was a logical explanation.

[johnnyg08]

Originally Posted by billken

Uni=One or Same
form=clothing

A baseball team wears the same uniform. The pitcher doesn't have a red shirt and the centerfielder a blue or white shirt.

Umpires are a team--the uniform should be uniform! It's unacceptable in my neck of the woods to not have the same color. If it's cold and someone want's a black jacket, the rest of the crew may choose not to wear a jacket, but their shirts will be black.

It is very rare to see umps not in the same color. I don't really care one way or the other, but just found it perplexing. It was obviously on purpose...so I thought I'd ask and see if there was a logical explanation.

It wouldn't be acceptable in my NOTW either, but I'm in your camp, I don't care either way what they wear....and it obviously was intentional...maybe it was so the kids would know who the plate umpire was. :-) After all, it's all about the kids right?

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by billken

Uni=One or Same
form=clothing

A baseball team wears the same uniform. The pitcher doesn't have a red shirt and the centerfielder a blue or white shirt.

Umpires are a team--the uniform should be uniform! It's unacceptable in my neck of the woods to not have the same color. If it's cold and someone want's a black jacket, the rest of the crew may choose not to wear a jacket, but their shirts will be black.

It is very rare to see umps not in the same color. I don't really care one way or the other, but just found it perplexing. It was obviously on purpose...so I thought I'd ask and see if there was a logical explanation.

Are you saying that a PU should not wear a plate coat unless everyone on the crew wears a plate coat? Or if the PU wears the pull over and the base umpires wear a jacket that is not OK?

BTW, Major League Umpires have been doing this for years. It was not uncommon when all these colors were coming into fashion that the PU would wear "cream" for example and the rest of the crew would wear "black" or some other variation of the power blue or even "red" when that was in fashion? And I know of umpires that do the same thing in leagues or tournaments all over the place. Nothing new at all.

Peace

[GoodwillRef]

Originally Posted by billken

Saw a game on ESPN yesterday afternoon (Ohio vs New Jersey), the HP ump had on black and the base guys had on powder blue.

What's the deal with that?

Not just one game...it has been done in every game I have watched. Personally I think it looks stupid...this isn't a volleyball game.

[Tim C]

Short memories here.

For many years MLB PU wore whatever they wanted and the BUs had to be coordinated.

If what some of you say (in your neck of the woods) if on a cool day the PU wanted to wear his polo blue shirt and the BUs wanted to wear pullovers that would be unacceptable?

Pure poppycock.

This BS of the "umpires being a team" is also dumb. I choose to wear a plate coat during my career. Does that mean in "your neck of the woods" everyone of my partners would have been required to have a base coat (not pullover)?

Again Poppycock.

What about the PU wearing a long sleeved shirt and the BUs wearing pullovers?

Against your fashion sense?

Pure poppycock.

T

[johnnyg08]

Originally Posted by Tim C

Does that mean in "your neck of the woods" everyone of my partners would have been required to have a base coat (not pullover)?

Yes, in my area, if we wanted to do the plate coat/pullover thing, we could do that.

In our three man games if I wanted to hear polo blue and and said that it would be okay if the guys on the bases wore black, I could never talk them into that.

In not saying it's wrong to do so...but it's a battle I don't care to fight in my area.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by johnnyg08

Yes, in my area, if we wanted to do the plate coat/pullover thing, we could do that.

In our three man games if I wanted to hear polo blue and and said that it would be okay if the guys on the bases wore black, I could never talk them into that.

In not saying it's wrong to do so...but it's a battle I don't care to fight in my area.

Then do not talk them into that if you cannot. But that does not mean that others are not used to the standard and do it that way. I would not need to talk guys into that, that is what guys do. Now at the high school level we do not have that option, but many games are played during the summer or at tournaments, that could be done and is acceptable here. Actually it is even talked about.

Peace

[johnnyg08]

I don't think I ever said it was wrong. In fact, I think it's kind of cool...all I'm saying is that change is difficult in our group. It might not be in your group and that's great.

It's not my problem that my group would be resistant to that...nor is it bad that your group has no problem with it.

[kylejt]

Some of you guys take this stuff waaaaay too seriously.


I set this crew up expressly because I knew some of these guys freak out for not being uniform. The guy at the far right is laughing really hard at the guys on the left, knowing they're uncomfortable. By the third inning, everyone was in black jackets, but my point was made. Lighten up, Francis. It's a game, usually played by kids, where 99.99% of the folks don't give a rat's @ss how we dress.

I promise you, only other umpires notice the plate guys is wearing a different colored shirt. In the above game, everyone came away with a good experience, and a lesson learned. Plus the food that night was exceptional.

[Welpe]

You've got enough for a college football crew.

Where'd you stick the 7th guy? Centerfield?

[kylejt]

The extra guy was an accident. The kid in cream was supposed to have the plate, but got there late. I was stuck on the stick, with six base umpires. The big guy on the left was going to working a Regional (ended up on the NW championship dish on ESPN), so I wanted him to see all the spots in a six man crew in one night.

We rotated positions every inning (well, not me), and the odd guy out got to eat dinner, and take the order for the next guy out. Plus, he was in charge of heckling the other guys on the field. It was really good fun.

The guy second on the left had the plate for Juniors World Series final game the other evening. That's a pretty good crew right there.