Please ditch the blue pants

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by bigwes68

On Saturday in Knoxville, North Carolina wore light blue jerseys with navy pants. They looked just like the umpires.

That, in and of itself, is reason enough to ditch the navy pants. Umpires in general, whether it be baseball or softball, should wear grey. I don't know why softball thinks it has to try to be different in every aspect of the game.

Where did you guys come from? They don't call umpires "blue" for nothing.

The grey is unforgiving, and I really don't care what they do in Republic of Texas. The powder over navy is a good combination.

The powder over grey looks like something a group of nuns put together for a parochial school uniform.

And BTW, baseball is another game, why should softball even associate themselves with it?

BTW, the UNC blue is not the same color as the powder blue.

[NCASAUmp]

Hey, the uniform is better than what it was 7 years ago. Polyester shirts with big collars... Looked straight out of the 70s!

I think it's better than the USSSA uniforms. Black slacks with a red shirt? I did a USSSA tourney years ago in the middle of July, and I darn near passed out! Hot, hot, HOT!

Mike's right, Carolina blue is not the same as powder blue. It's *very* close, but I'm wearing a Carolina blue shirt today (I'm not sure why - maybe I need to do laundry more often). Definitely not the same.

[CajunNewBlue]

Since when did anyone start caring for umpire comfort? I didnt get that memo! and heck they cant even standardize baseball umpire uniforms. but if we are voting im with y'all on the grey slacks and powder blue shirts. navy is so 80's.

[NCASAUmp]

If I were to vote on a switch, I'd vote for the heather grey slacks with the new navy pro-style shirts. Our organization prefers that we show up in the navy/powder blue combination. However, if both umpires on the field agree to it beforehand, they've been willing to let us use the heather grey/navy shirt combo. Don't know if this is still the case, but I wouldn't mind switching to that. Sure, I'll spring another $100 for 4 more shirts out of my pocket for that.

[CecilOne]

I don't care what color we wear, yellow shirts over green pants would work, as long as we stop wasting money on changes just to be pretty and every sanction having to be different.
You fashion dilettantes should give up, it's a job not a fashion show.
As far as heat, fabric means more than color and yes the old, old shirts could be uncomfortable for wimps. Although I agree the new fabric is more practical, less sweat damage, no ironing, etc.
There is no ball game anywhere that can not be umpired in the same uniform as any other game, regardless of what color that is, including powder blue over navy.

[JEL]

I don't have a problem with any of the color combinations. Powder over heather is fine, but navy shows up less dirt. I can get 3 0r more games from a navy vs the powder.

Anything but STRIPES!

[CajunNewBlue]

we could just wear orange jumpsuits with numbers stenciled on them... maybe carry some shanks... that might help with crowd control.

[radwaste50]

Originally Posted by IRISHMAFIA

Where did you guys come from? They don't call umpires "blue" for nothing.

Actually from the history of the game stand point umpires were called "blue" when the wore white shirts, correct spelling is blew
ie blew the call
it is not a term of endearment

[bigwes68]

Originally Posted by IRISHMAFIA

BTW, the UNC blue is not the same color as the powder blue.

I was there all weekend. It was nearly identical.

[NCASAUmp]

Originally Posted by bigwes68

I was there all weekend. It was nearly identical.

I worked at UNC for 4.5 years. Trust me, it's not the same. Close, but not quite.

[Texas Aggie]

I'm surprised to see even one person defend the blue pants, but hey, there's no accounting for taste.

Except for protective equipment, the baseball/softball umpire uniform is less a matter of function than in other sports. In basketball and even football, you have officials on the field standing next to players and they need to wear something obviously different to stand out so they don't, for example, receive a pass (though I've been passed the ball several times in hoops!!). In baseball/softball, you are pretty much off the field and contrast isn't a big deal. At that point, in my view, its just a matter of looking professional. In my opinion, navy blue pants with navy jackets that often don't match (not to mention a blue cap) doesn't look professional. That's why I think baseball is finally on to something with black. They have 2 colors: black and gray, and that's it (including shoes, with the occasional white trim). Black is also a good authority color.

But, as I said, that's just me. If you guys like them, great. I sort of thought that the general response would be something like, "yeah, we've been trying to get ASA to do that for years..."

[IRISHMAFIA]

Taste? Hell, from what I've read, all you taste is in your mouth!

Obviously, I disagree with your assessment. A properly worn, well maintained uniform is what makes the umpire look professional. Yes, some colors make it difficult, but I don't believe navy blue is one of them.

Also, as Steve M noted, the navy is much more forgiving. How professional does it look when an umpire is wearing grey and sweating like a bottle of cold water in the desert?

I don't necessarily disagree with your view of the jacket with the navy and I really don't have an answer to a possible change.

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by bigwes68

I was there all weekend. It was nearly identical.

And I watched the UNC lacrosse team, in their all-blue uniforms, chase the Duke players around the field in Annapolis this past weekend. It isn't the same.

[NCASAUmp]

Originally Posted by IRISHMAFIA

And I watched the UNC lacrosse team, in their all-blue uniforms, chase the Duke players around the field in Annapolis this past weekend. It isn't the same.

Of course it wasn't. They weren't carrying cameras asking about strippers! Sorry... Haven't worked at UNC for 11 months, but still can't get the Duke jokes out of my system.

[Blu_IN]

I prefer the look of blue over grey. . . . however, I do not like the western cut/no pleats. . . and I haven't seen blue pants any other way. Haven't looked in awhile though.