Now, T may think this is additional material worthy of stand-up, but that's not the intent...

I completely understand why some umpires might wear cleats if footing is important to them. There isn't a single decent pair of base shoes on the market if solid footing is your most important purchase criterion, rated higher than appearance or fit.

Oh, for the return of the Spot-Bilt OS-50!

The Adidas Turf Hogs come rather close I think. Despite the name, they have soft rubber molded cleats that grip in both long, wet grass and Field Turf pretty well.

Academy - adidas Men's Turf Hog LX Low-Top Multipurpose Turf Shoes

I went to a LL Roadshow a couple of years ago, and a vendor showed up selling umpire gear. Lo and behold, he still had a few Spot-Bilt base shoes that he had marked down pretty significantly. He did have one pair of 10-1/2 EEs (I wear an E-width shoe), so I scarfed them up pretty quickly because the Spot-Bilts I had worn for the previous six or seven years to that point were showing their signs of age.

I finally broke out the "new" pair this season (even though my old ones are still servicable). No issues yet with the extra width, but that's because it's been so damn cold here, I've doubled up on the socks! I hope these last just as long as my previous pair!

Recently a constant drizzle made the grass slippery, the dirt clingy. I fell flat on my back moving into/stopping for a steal at 2B. That night I found my old soccer boots, cleaned them up and put them in the car. But then I remember the screwdriver that F1 was using to dig mud out of his cleats. How silly would I look, using that screwdriver to dig mud out of my cleats. How useless would my soccer cleats be if I didn't (cleats caked full of mud).

Maybe if I use the soccer boots and I stay in B/C the whole game and avoid the dirt/mud all together, it would work. :D The solution instead is to tread lightly. I may not get to where I'd prefer to be...those are the condition that game.