Some umpire associations, in their infinite wisdom, are telling umpires that they are welcome to wear a helmet, but a uniform includes a hat and the umpire is required to wear a hat.

Ha ha ha.

Last three games -- mask twice, helmet once. I like switching it up.

Rich

Lonewolfe:

The reputation of better vision coaxed me to try. The peripheral vision WAS better, but as far as calling balls and strikes, my westvest was just as good. Since I take my mask off when making other calls, the helmet came in second in regards to vision in that regard.

I learned long ago not to take head shots straight on, so the extra side protection meant little to me. With the helemt slipping problems, it was an easy decision to stick with my mask.

I tried the helmet- it just wasn't me. What I did see though was the ump whose mask it was had a sweatband attached to the inside of the mask on top of the forehead padding- like in a hockey goalie's helmet- I'm sure you could find one in a hockey store for barely anything.


Bainer.

Joe Cool.....
 

I am a mask/cap person. Helmets are for catchers.. why would an ump need head protection, unless he's blinkin and dancin back there? JMHO... What I do not like from my perspective is the few guys I've seen using helmets is the reluctance to pull them off for plays, the "joe cool" attitude encompassd with not pulling them off and the fact that I've seen guys discussing stuff with the skipper with the helmet on. Sorry, I like to discuss whatever with a skip face to face, not hiding behind a mask...JMHP

Garth has a point with the noise issue, those things rattle like a bad jalopy cruising the ol route 99! I've had F2's get wacked and it sounds like his head shoulda come poppin off!, I could imagine my ears in one of those, no thanks!! To each his own.....BUT,beware guys..ASA has required tourney umps to wear a cap under the hel/mask...beanies may come back:)

Re: Joe Cool.....
 

Three times in my life I have seen umpires get struck in the head with a bat. Once was in Major League Baseball. The other two in local games. One of them was a broken wooden bat.

I'm considering going with a helmet. A lot of our leagues, MSBL and Rhode Island Amateur League to name two, have gone to wooden bats. I've been struck twice by broken bats, once on the arm, the other on the leg. Neither caused injury because they barely grazed me, but the one that hit my leg tore a small hole in my plate pants where the jagged end hit me near the top of my leg guard.

I have a real concern that I'm going to take one in the noggin one of these days.

Umpire helmets and sweat
 

I have the POS Ultra Light mask and also the new Titanium Umpire Helmet.

I use the POS mask about 60% of the time. There are several fields in my area that have a short backstop and a couple of the fields have a looping backstop that ends about 25 feet high and right over the catcher's area. It's on these fields I wear the helmet. I'm finding that I actually stay cooler in the helmet than I do with the POS mask and hat combo. My field of vision is also better using the helmet. So far I've only taken two shots off the helmet and there was no rattling involved.

Michael

I've been a catcher for the past 12 years and an umpire for 7 and I'm too used to the hat/mask (or for catching, the helmet/mask).

I have no problems at all with my +POS single bar mask and have no intentions of switching to hockey style. Too me it seems like too much of a hassle and I can't see it being better than what I am used to. I am sticking to the hat/mask combo until we are forced to wear the hockey style, which I doubt ever happens.

Re: Umpire helmets and sweat
 

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You be talking about those "clamshell" backstops, we had a field with one of those, the top front of this thing was right over the plate. I had some pop ups nail the big pipe and come down very fast and hard....thank goodness that got changed!!! Never got one on the noggin, but it coulda happened.....

Never used the helmet/mask, but have a problem with sweating and the resultant pulling down of the bill of my combo cap by the weight of the mask (ultralight), which makes me readjust almost every pitch. This is the second year I've used fitted caps. Although I've found that I have to buy them one size smaller to keep them jammed on my stupid head for any time at all. Any smaller and it's 'brain-pinch' time. Been thinking about either a surgically attached velcro patch on the back of my head or a composite mask which is even lighter. Ideas/comments?

Would using a longer bill hat help you? I've always used an 8-stitch behind the plate and never have a problem with the hat not holding up the mask.

Rich

Maybe. It seems that it would just be more to pull down on though. I've got a couple, maybe I'll try it this fall. Thanx. The major part of the problem is the dreaded head-sweat.