Would you take the field with this guy?

[UmpJM]

umpire99,

Yes, I would - and have in similar situations.

I have seen umpires "dressed to the nines" who absolutely sucked and umpires who didn't know the first thing about how to dress who were quite good.

As a generalization, I think it's fair to say that generally there's a correlation between umpires who "dress well" and "umpire well". There may be a stronger correlation between umpires who "dress poorly" and "umpire poorly".

When I first started umpiring, I was a bit overwhelmed by the complexity of "umpire fashion".

Some guys are compulsive about appearance, some don't GAS. I try to be in the middle, a bit to the compulsive side. To me, it's part of being courteous and goes to respect.

While "game appearance" certainly influences my "first impression" (...you never get a second chance...) of another umpire, it is not determinate.

JM