Hi guys.

First time on the baseball forum. I am a basketball ref who is considering umpiring this year. I've got the bug.

What type of equipment do I need when starting out? For example, are umpires pads and chest protector the same as the ones worn by catchers? Are plate shoes a necessity?
I get the feeling that it might take my first year to recuperate my start up cost. Any comments appreciated.

Jay

What gear you get depends on the age groups you do. For younger ones, chest protector and shin guards like catchers will work. You can also get fairly inexpensive gear from any officials supply store. I would spend my money on a good lightweight mask first then add guards and protector. I use black steel toed tennis shoes I bought at WalMart for about 30 bucks and haven't gotten dinged yet. My shin guards have a protector for the top of the foot. My first year was with a used mask and $30 chest protector. I now have a new POS carbon fiber mask and Gerry Davis shin guardw with 2 straps rather than 3. I like them alot and they were $50.

In summary, if you aren't doing older kids, work up to good quality gear one piece at a time. By the way, DO NOT FORGET THE CUP!!!!!!!!
Gordon Raney

<i> Originally posted by Jay R </i>

<b> Hi guys.

First time on the baseball forum. I am a basketball ref who is considering umpiring this year. I've got the bug.

What type of equipment do I need when starting out? For example, are umpires pads and chest protector the same as the ones worn by catchers? Are plate shoes a necessity?
I get the feeling that it might take my first year to recuperate my start up cost. Any comments appreciated.

</b>

What type of ball are you calling? If you are calling ball for kids who do not shave, IMO you don't need plate shoes right off the bat.

If you visit any of the equipment sites, ie; Gerry Davis Konigs, +POS, etc. they each have a starter kit with the basics that should get you started, that's what I did.

For example; from the Gerry Davis Catalog - Starter Kit section. Here's what you get for $299.90

Gerry Davis Mask (Black or Navy)
Davis Chest Protector
Davis Lite Protect-Shin Guards
GD-12 Convertible Shoes
Umpire Pants (Combo or plate or base)
Cliff Keen Shirt (Navy or powder or red) - Check with your association
Umpire Socks
Indicator
Plate Brush (wood or plastic)
10" Ball Bag w/o pockets (navy or gray)
New Era Umpire Cap (Combo or base)

IMO not a bad package for $299 and that should get you started. Once you start getting some funds, then updrade.

Since you already officiate basketball and if you are going to call ball for kids who shave perhaps you have the "bucks" for the better equipment already.

Pete Booth

You can try talking with your local association members...

I know I have given away old equipment/clothing so a newby could get started. It also gave me reason to purchase new and upgrade.

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I would reccommend at least a steel toe shoe. I got a broken big toe from a 10 year olds uncuaght pitch 6 years ago wearing my base shoes......

My first year of umpiring was definitely profitable. Here's what I used:

Shirt: powder blue elbeco, from thrift store: $3
Pants: Heather gray dress slacks, from thrift store: $3.50
Chest: bottom of the line Diamond chest protector: $20
Mask: basic Rawlings catcher's mask: $25
Legs: basic noname catcher's leg guards: $25
Hat: Gerry Davis plate hat: $12
Shoes: Pair of fairly new hard-toed black leather work boots a friend didn't need: $0
Accessories: Rawlings starter kit ballbag, brush, and indicator: $12
Belt: already had a belt, don't you? $0
Gear bag: already had a big bag: $0

You probably can't get away with the Elbeco anymore, so the shirt might cost more for ya.

After a couple games, I had broken even. I have of course upgraded my equipment gradually as needed. Once you do a game or two in the shoes, you will know whether you need new ones.

If you find used equipment, you could even get a better deal.

P-Sz