AW CMON!! And to think I left you alone on all those Hosiers 1950 rules questions!!

I have used Leather Lustre on both NB 608's and 609's with excellent results. As long as you follow the directions and get the pores opened up before applying the lustre, the shoes will look great. I have had several people even ask where I found the New Balance shoes in patent leather. They do look good!

Yeah, but what's the best insole? Or what insoles have you tried and liked?

It's all about personal preferences, but I wore the personal ID Shox high-tops in black this year and was pleased with the performance and comfort. I recommend them.

IMO you don't have anything to worry about. Shoes have changed a lot in the last 10 years. Back then about 80% of the refs were wearing Converse Runnin Refs. Now it is more of a "whatever floats your boat" mentality as long as they are 98% black. If you looked closely there were refs in the tournament wearing Nikes with an exposed air bubble. Even that was sort of voodoo a couple of years ago.

Where are you guys buying the New Balance and are they in any stores where I can try them on? I'm totally a Nike man BUT when the dogs start barking during these long AAU days I'm open to try something else.

Ace, do u have Steve's email address, pls!

nike is coming out with a new shoe in june just for refs,, not sure what it looks like,,, nike got togther with refs from major basketball conf. and designed and shoe for use

VOODOO!?!? Is your association okay with this!?

I just ordered a pair. I'll see in 3-4 weeks how I did.

BTW, I hate the New Balance shoes. There is one thing we can be certain of, we're all built differently.

LOL. Good catch, Juulie. Hey, whatever it takes to move up the ladder. . . ;)

One other suggestion for those wearing Shox - If you want to shine the synthetic part of the shoe that isn't the shiny cobec (patent gloss), buy a can of the Armor All surface wipes. Works like magic...

I doubt that would hold anyone back -- what is the supervisor going to think, "Damn, that guy can referee, but those shoes... ah, too bad." ??

If yoru sup. really hates them that much I'm sure that he'll just say, "Lose the shoes."

I've had a few different kinds of the last couple of years -- not the shox, but I've considered trying them... I always get a few yahoos that make comments about my shoes, but they are just hella-jealous!

Rainmaker, I don't understand your question. If you are asking me if I've heard comments about this in the past the answer is yes. I had the bubble covered but the comment was made about someone who didn't cover it. If you are saying it is still a problem, no it isn't. It isn't a problem on the local scene and if you watched the tournament or the NBA games you should have seen it isn't a problem at the higher levels. If you still have those who oppose this....when in Rome........

Has anyone ever been told by a supervisor not to wear the visible swoosh or air bubble. I sold my soul to Nike years ago and love the look of MAX air.