Ya know I like the Charcoal Gray as opposed to Heather Gray but in order to match my partner I need a pair of Davis, Hoenigs, Official choice and Smittys. They're all friggin different shades. I've given up trying to match my partner. Hey I have an idea lets all wear Heather Gray;)

I do not even know why people tried to match the color/brand in the first place. I bought the pants I liked and if it mattered to you that much, they had to match me. Also had a friend that worked for one of those companies that told me the brand he sold was not the best pair, so I never bought them. And I agree with you, I would almost rather go back to the Heather Gray for that same reason. I mean if I do not have the same brand of shirt should we by the same brand which are also different in color?;)

Peace

Can I wear Combo Pants?

I always say that plate pants are fine for the plate, base pants are fine for the bases, and combo pants are fine for NEITHER. I own none and never will.

Our main problem here is that there is no place to easily change. Bathrooms are far away and if your games are running late...

Wear tights and you can change in the parking lot without embarrassment (or unwanted attention from law enforcement).

It takes seconds to take the pants off and put another on. Trust me, they'll wait for you.

I wear tights, but a different pair on the plate. I change between my car doors, but there's always about 10 seconds where I'm a bit more, um, exposed than I'd like. And the Umpire's Locker Room is too much of a pain to use.

Still, combo pants suck.

On some guys, plate pants are too big -- the combos work here.

On some guys, the base pants are too small -- the combos work here.

For (almost) no one does the combo work for both the plates and the bases.

STL_UMP,

You can, but, based on personal experience, you'll regret it later. :o

JM

Curious... why would that be?

Because the legs are too baggy when working the bases and they're too tight when wearing shin guards.

I just found out (purely a coincidence) that I'm being provided one pair of combo pants for a tournament I'm working in August. I found out the model of pants and ordered plate and base pants (on my own dime) to use.

I'm sorry U99, but just so you know; I finally did get some longer pants, but they're still a lil tight. ;)

Sk the tourney director if you can get a pair of plate or base instead, tell em you'll buy a pair of the opposite.

Too late, the pants are already ordered and shipped. I found someone to take the combo pants off my hands once I return.

The question shouldn't be "would you take the field with this guy?" but "Why do some umpires show up to work looking like they slept in their clothes?" While I understand that certain people might be strapped financially, there should be no excuse for not washing and ironing shirts and pants along with dusting off shoes and putting on a little polish. For me showing up to umpire is the same as me showing up for work... While your apperance might not have anything to do with your performance it certainly sends a signal to those at the park and usually that signal isn't very favorable.