Umpire Uniforms
 

There is some talk in Florida about the FHSAA making it a requirement that officials buy uniforms from Honigs and no where else to make everyone match in color and style. The word that I got, is that officials will be forced to wear the poly-wool pant, $70, and they can not be washed, they must be drycleaned.

Keep in mind, Florida officials have not seen a game fee increase in 7 years. The mileage/travel fee does not even match the federal rate per mile. Any thoughts from Florida officials? Many I have talked to said that if they are forced into this specific pair of pants they will quit due to the high cost per pair of pants along with the requirement for dry cleaning driving costs to the point that umpire will have to pay to call ball rather than be paid to call ball.

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All you need is some cheese.

T

I've worn poly-wools from Honig's for years and I machine wash and tumble dry them every time I wear them, and they hold up just fine. Just my 2 cents.

JJ

Here's your change...

The high school state association where I live "requires" blue shirts only, and all-black shoes. I ignore them both, and work 30 dates in an eight-week season.

They can require whatever they want in a uniform, but compliance is voluntary. You're an independent contractor. They can exclude you from the state tournament, but they can't keep you from working.

Publius:

I don't know where you live, BUT, you may be an independent contractor, but if your StateHSAA has a required uniform I would advise you to wear it. The OhioHSAA can fine an official up to $100 for not wearing the correct uniform, i.e., wearing a powder blue or red shirt to umpire a baseball or fastpitch softball game, or wearing the gray with black pinstripe shirts for a basketball game (and I really do prefer the gray shirts over the zebra shirts myself). Meaning, that they can keep you from officiating.

MTD, Sr.

The only way that uniform standards can really be enforced at the high school level is by local associations. The state bodies don't have the time or manpower to ensure that every official is dressed properly. That may be different in some places, but I know that a lot of baseball umpires in this area ignore the navy-only shirt/jacket/hat rule that the state governing body has. The only time everyone follows it is in the district and state tournaments.

incorrect I wash my polywools all the time.. use cold water, and hang dry them.. done easy.. how do you think MiLB guys do it while on the road?

The coaches, however, could report such instances to the state.

Enforcement is a separate issue. Publius's point concerns a legal principle: whether state associations can mandate uniforms for independent contractors.

I will patiently explain again: the mandate is not for independent contractors as such. The mandate is for licensed officials. It is then up to member schools whether they hire independent contractors who have a state license.

Around here, schools want licensed officials, so the mandated uniform is de facto required if you want to umpire high school baseball.

In this area, no coaches that I know of care what uniform we're wearing. I guess if one really had a vendetta against a certain official, they could report it, but I haven't seen that happen.

I get what you're saying. I realize enforcement is different than the principle. Around here, the associations come right out and say that as long as you match, it doesn't matter

My Poly-wools went through a rough Spring and still look brand new. I machine wash and hang them to dry. Dry cleaning is over kill.

Uniform, by its very definition, means everyone looks the same. I am not a fan of having to buy six different color shirts so that I can match my partner. Still, I am with you on having only one vendor to buy from. Competition is good in this economy.

'Round these parts, every umpire is required to have the navy shirt so at least all have one matching shirt. However, if you and your partner want to wear something else, any color is fair game as long as you match. The coaches couldn't care less, nor could the state association.

If they tell you to wear Navy you gotta wear Navy. That aside ever since the switch from heather gray to gray they're making me nuts and I've given up trying to match my partner. There are a half dozen vendors out there all of the gray pants are different. I have Honigs for no particular reason. But I'm not buying plate and base pants from Davis, Smittys, Officials Choice etc. just to match my partner. However if a particular conference or organization says I must wear a particualair pair of pants I'll do so if I want to work for them. If you don't want to buy the pants don't work for them.

You don't like it don't work for FHSAA. We didn't have this problem with heathergray did we? FYI I dry clean my poly wools depending upon conditions you can go pretty far between dry cleanings so to speak.:D