Dirt in the eyes
 

Does anyone here have a rule for field preparation? I just worked a game (alone) where the wind never stopped blowing the finest dust I've ever seen into everyone's eyes. Especially mine and the catcher's! Of course, the game was razor close and went 7 innings with at least 8 close plays at the bases. I must have stopped the game a dozen times to let the dust storm settler down. No exaggeration. The only saving grace... both coaches were reasonably compassionate. They could see I was doing my best. I wear contact lenses. The game ended 2 - 1, visitors. When I was driving home, I could barely see the street signs, my eyes were so beat up by the dust. I tried sunglasses for about 2 pitches, no good. Any other suggestions? I never heard of wearing gogglesto ump, but you can bet your a$$ I'm going to put a pair in my bag after this.

Someone (Easton I believe) makes a pair of sunglasses with interchangable lenses. I'm sure others make these, and as I recall, one of the sets of lenses is very light colored. I have a partner who wears them often.

Thank you. I'll certainly check on those glasses. I probably would have paid $100 for a pair of them by about the 3rd inning! The whole infield was about 2" deep in ultra-fine dust. I was hoping for a five-minute rain to dampen it down a bit. It never came. Of course, it's raining there now.

Isn't that just karma for you? ;)

Yeah, I've held up pitches for dust swarms to settle. To me, it's a safety issue, and I'd say you're fully justified in holding things up for a reasonably short time (5-10 seconds or so, not that I'm timing). And if they want to whine about time, screw 'em. It's not just their safety I'm worried about. It's everyone's. :P

BuggBob, a contributor to this board, had some info about his goggles here just a short time ago. Bob has been wearing the goggles for several years and has everything down to a science. Yes, his real nickname is Goggles Bob, but they work for him - and maybe they will work for you.

There are actually quite a few umpires who wear googles. Most are those prescription lens athletic googles.

Tifosi makes bicyclist glasses with interchangeable lens, one set of which is clear. I buy them at a bike shop. They're light, they don't slip down your nose, and they're about half the price of Oakleys. :cool:

Thanks for the plug John,

I was doing a tournament game in Pasco, WA. The field, if left unwatered, deteriorates to FINE Volcanic dust (thank you Mount St. Helens). I was on the bases. Batter hits a double slides into 2nd. POOF! Everything -- I mean everything has disappeared in a thick cloud of fine powdery dust. I was less than five feet away from the base, and I can see nothing, no players, no ball, no base. When the dust settles every one looked the same. Gray dusty girls, with a gray dusty man looking for the ball. 2nd base was buried under about four to five inches of dust, the ball was half buried in dust. We were all couching to clear some of the dust from our mouths and lungs. Ten minute delay while they finally put some water on the field.

Bottom line when I took off my goggles, my face was dirty as heck, but the area around my eyes was clean. I have never had any trouble with dust, dirt or mud while wearing the goggles. Just an occasional fog-up in the early spring and late fall games. I wear the blue ones (all Pro APX about $75 from Amazon), because I am blue. I had always been tought to not wear sunglsses on the field, so I don't.



Bugg

eh? sometimes sunglasses are an essential part of the equipment ... there are some days you can't go without them

I just noticed that I had typed "googles" instead of "goggles." A sign of the times, I guess. :D

:cool: I wish this old "rule" would die a quick death. Sunglasses help prevent damage to the eyes. Speaking from experience, cataract surgery is no fun. The PGA used to ban sunglasses for pro golfers, but they wised up a few years ago. :cool:

:cool: I don't know about the rest of you, but in the spring and fall in Florida, you need sunglasses just to be able to see from the C slot on many fields. If they help me see the play better and protect my eyes, I'm ignoring the senior guys who say they aren't professional-looking. Now, at the plate conference, or if a coach comes out to talk, I take them off so we can look eye-to-eye. :cool:

Before I got my goggles, I would wear photogray lenses in my glasses. I'm not bashing the wearing of sunglasses, I just don't. However I do think that mirrored lenses are a bit too much

Bugg

No argument there. No mirrored lenses. :cool:

Agreed! I had LASIK surgery a couple of years ago and I'm much more sensitive to light now. I wear polarized sunglasses on the field and at the plate.

As a blond blue-eyed ump, sunglasses are almost mandatory for me - and since I wear prescription lenses, what I now do is wear my 'regular' pair during the pregame, and then switch to the shades before first pitch...although I wear them less often behind the plate, than on the bases.

I think its great a lot of the old fashioned 'rules' like this have gone by the wayside, and common sense has been allowed to surface. I never understood why umpires were not allowed to wear sunglasses, when 3/4 of the so-called
'idiots' were wearing them!

The same thing applies to drinking water or whatever during a game- that supposedly was a sign of weakness too! Hell, a couple of times in the middle of July or August, I actually have had in my ballbag one of those 'half pint' bottles of water some companies sell! But, of course, I am gun shy because I actually conked out on the field once....