Spot-bilt going out of business (Ump-Attire blog)
 

It would appear that Spot-bilt (now a division of Payless Shoes) has decided to stop production of officials' shoes. fyi...

Spot-Bilt Going Out of Business

I wonder what ASA will sell in Spot-Bilt's place, and if we'll still have to take Sharpies to them.

Maybe they would get smart and simply remove that asinine rule.

Nah... probably not.

Do we need to educate you on the meaning of "uniform" again? :cool:

Uniform means 280 different shoes, including patent leather dress shoes bought at the thrift store and $19.95 walmart work boots but no MLB utilized plate shoes with with white lettering :rolleyes:

Not unless everyone is wearing the same design.

BTW, why would anyone give a damn about what other organizations do or wear?

I wondered what was going on. I certainly bought a pair of the low-cut Spot-bilt plate shoes from Ump-Attire. When I got my order, I noticed that the "tag" on the shoe was not Spot-bilt but the new Pentagon. When comparing the shoe to the Spot-bilt they are basically dead on. So it appears if you like the Spot-bilt shoes, you might consider looking at the Pentagon's.

Edit: Sorry, this is covered in the article above.

Well, ASA still sells the Rival shoes, and they are extremely comfortable out of the box. Unfortunately, they didn't last very long for me at all. The lace holes turned into lace slits, the fabric around the ankle started coming off, and the stitching started pulling out. All after one fall season.

At least Spot-Bilt would generally make it a full year for me.

So who's got good recommendations for shoes for the SP umpire? I like the fact that Spot-Bilt and Rival both have "nubs" under the bottom, because it gives better traction than simple New Balance black walking shoes.

I can't speak for their longevity, but I've gone with New Balance plate and base shoes this year. So far, so good, but that's only after about 40 games or so. If these shoes last as long as the shoes I've used previously, I'll highly recommend them.

What did you do about the logo? Sharpie it out or polish over it?

For now, just a Sharpie. That seems to be hold up OK.

I sent my 450's back (nice extra 30 bucks in shipping to and from).. but I'm just going to sharpie it. Its a nylon?/cloth? logo so it shouldnt be a problem. When I ordered them, I thought it would be a leather logo and more difficult to manage, but it isnt.

The point is... umpires can wear the same shoes they wore to the Cinco De Mayo dance without problem, but expensive and professional quality umpire equipment must be "sharpied" to comply..

Meanwhile, my ankle guards that have a white "W" on them and extend down the shoe.. legal.

If that same "W" was on the shoe, illegal.



Its senseless Mike.

I agree, and it baffles me that ASA wouldn't have struck some deal with Spot-Bilt like they did with Under Armour. Although, I did take a Sharpie to the white markings on the ankle guards of my shin guards. I don't think it was necessary, but I did it anyway to keep them from sticking out.

My throat protector has a big white W on it too :eek:
I'm a walking Wilson and ASA billboard. Logo's everywhere but my a$$ and my shoes :rolleyes:

It's all a matter of preference, I guess. I prefer to not run the risk of having someone make a comment about my "socks," even though they're actually the shin guards. :cool:

Shhhhhh......don't give them any ideas! :eek:

When I first heard about the ASA pants requirement and that there had been discussion about putting the ASA logo on the pants, I suggested that they put it right across the a$$.....just like those girls shorts that have "softball" across the butt......:)

Anything you heard about a logo on the pants probably came from.....

I bought my first sets of ASA pants (1 plate 1 base)... virtually same heather gray color as my Honigs.. but whatever.. will be trying them out the first time this weekend. Maybe I'll wear them to the hee haw dance after.

I call SP only, and I have 3 pairs of base pants. I wear shinguards underneath (which came in handy a half dozen times tonight), and there's more than enough room for them in the pant legs.

Just tried it.. no go.

But I wear Gerry Davis hockey goalie leg guards.

Yeah, mine are the soccer shin guards, courtesy of the soccer section at Dick's Sporting Goods.

And as for the New Balance 350s, Honig's has them in "solid" black. They still have a little grey on the back of the sole, but it's considerably less to black out. They also have them in EE for the same price as the regular width ($62.95). Seems to be the going rate, plus or minus a dollar or three.

They don't have the 450s in "solid" black.

Well this really bites! I've always worn Spot-Bilts. Guess I better buy me a pair of base shoes now while they may still be available. From what I hear, may start having to check out the New Balance array.

BTW, where can this Mexican buy a pair of "Cinco de Mayo" shoes??

Serg

Hay un tipo allá en la esquina, y vende zapatos "por barato." ;)

I dunno where they get em.

The mall? Payless shoesource?

Behold, Irishmike's legal cinco de mayo dance umpire shoes in action the night before the game:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/fricksworld/72466359/

Gracias!

¿Cuáles son zapatos de cinco de mayo?

Esos son los zapatos negros que se usan los mariachis. El estilo es barato, pero al menos esos zapatos no tienen otros colores, y no se necesita un "Sharpie" como los de "Spot-Bilt." ;)

:D

Veo. Gracias.

Slap that Wilson logo on each cheek - then when you bend over...

WoW

:eek:

Yeah, yeah. My Argentine wife's legal, Mike. ;)

Now back to shoes...

Well then, we can cancel the APB. Her shoes are probably legal also.;)