No Chest Protector
 

Last Saturday I was watching several Girls Softball 16/U and 14/U FP games. ISA umpires. They were wearing green shirts. Three out of the four PU's I watched were wearing no Chest protector. I would guess some pitches to be close to 60 MPH. These umpires were not young and dopey like some teenage umpires I have seen working the plate from time to time without a chest protector on. The one with chest protection on was the oldest of the four. He was probably in his mid 50's. The others were all probably in their late 30's or early 40's. While sitting in the stands a lady umpire sat next to me. She was getting ready to work the next game on the same field. I asked her if she noticed the PU wasn't wearing any chest protection. She said he never does. Then she told me she doesn't either. So I asked if she ever took a good shot to the shoulder, chest, or rib area. She said: " I took one to the shoulder over a month ago and it still hurts". She said she hides behind the catcher. :rolleyes:

My question is this...Is this pretty common with ISA? I have seen a lot of games and can't remember one single umpire at 16/U or 14/U without chest protection on. I am really puzzled that someone would risk getting hurt like that. Couldn't a ball hitting someone around the heart area be a major problem? ....Al

They probably keep it in their equipment bag with their indicator. :D

I must admit, that I have worked games with no chest protector, but that was years ago. I'm a little smarter now. ;)

Dunno 'bout ISA, but can you say damn fool? There is nothing soft about a softball. While I do not umpire levels younger than high school agge, I wear all the gear all the time. In the higher levels of ball, I'll wear a heavier chest protector - but I've got one on in all plate games.

Aren't you supposed to be in Allentown?

The game starts at 7, so we'll leave within the hour.

We have one guy in our crew who works Men's Modified ball without a chest protector. I don't think he even wears leg guards. All the protection I've ever seen on him was a mask.

We all think he's nuts for doing so.

We have some knuckleheads in our association that only wear a mask while behind the plate. It's quite the show watching them juke and jive back there with their happy feet.

My first year doing hs softball, I was encouraged by a mentor who did state games every year to work the plate with only leg guards and a mask. I had to call her to take my next game because I had a bruised rib. I don't even work slow pitch - mat-strike games without at least a mask.

her rationale was to get me in tighter to the catcher...it worked, i guess. I got the lesson at least.

No chest, nuts.

I moved to hockey shin guards a few years ago. Love them, much lighter. I was doing a little league game Wednesday, kid is throwing 60+ and catcher is over whelmed. I almost asked for a glove. I got hit with 3 STRIKES. One got me right off the knee cap. Well I know wish I had my old huge baseball shin guards. Bruised my knee through the guard.

My DD is playing an ISA tournament this weekend. Every PU has had a chest protector on. Some were more bulky and obvious than others, but they all had them.

Is this the tournament in Lexington? I call ISA (among others) and every year at the pre-season meeting the UIC and the State Director tell umpires they are complete idiots if they do not wear a complete set of protective equipment.

A few years ago in a Fall dome game in MA we had an umpire who did not wear a chest protector and had her collar bone broken.

Does the insurance cover this type of stupidity?

I don't wear a chest protector in men's modified either. None of the umpires in the league do. Some (including me) wear shin guards (or soccer shins) and all wear masks. I have never taken a shot to the chest or shoulders and have worked Men's modified from c to championship.

That's it.
I didn't check anywhere else. :o

I umpire both baseball and fast pitch softbal, BUT basketball is my primary officiating sport, so it is very important that I protect myself while umpiring that would keep me from officiating basketball, such as broken toes, ribs, and shoulders. That is why I always wear plate shoes and chest protector whenever I am behind the plate. Oh yeah, I also wear a breathing apparatus, :D .

MTD, Sr.

I'm a pretty big guy.....6'3,225 lbs and that ain't fat. I played D1 football. I would wear the Michelin man stuff if they sold it. :) And I wouldn't even dream off getting back there without my full on battle armour. Even with the gear I've taken shots that were not pleasant.....:mad:

They probably would, since all ASA requires is the mask. But don't ask me, since I've never really looked much at the policy. I've been fortunate enough to have never had the imminent need.

I only do slow pitch, and I still wear soccer-style shin guards underneath my pants. That ball always seems to find the same spot on the bone.

I was invited to help with a High School tournament that they were short of umps several years ago. One ump was working the plate with a mask and cup only. I didn't check him so I'm not sure he even had a cup.:-) If you hide behind the catcher your not using the correct mechanics. I do some ISA and there are guys who don't wear their equipment either. I am not one of them. I guess I'm a wimp but I don't care what level of ball it is I wear it all.

Can you say damn fool - but then I think I may be repeating myself.:D

I'm also too big to hide behind any catcher (6'3" 255, not all muscle). I always wear a chest protector, but one time, 2nd inning, I realized I wasn't wearing a cup!

I kept my hands over by crotch the rest of the game!

I used to never wear a cup when calling SP games. For 13 years, I never got hit. Then, after getting dinged twice in one week, I changed my mind. :eek:

I know a guy who works FP (HS and ASA) who does not don a chest protector, but recently added a throat guard to his mask. Strange, eh?

I took a shot today in 18G so hard in the collar bone area .... I'm really not sure how umpires do it with the light weight protectors, let alone with out one at all.
I dont think Im ever giving up my west vest. I start wanting a smaller lighter one, then something like that hits me and I'm all cured.

I wear a lacrosse chestprotector and I have had no problems with taking pitches off it... and the crappy catchers down here ... if you arent wearing a chest protector you must be asking ASA or PONY to be paying for your hospital trips. Back in the day I knew a guy in Baseball that was working 12 u AAU ball without one he got hit in the chest and his heart stopped. Luckily he was revived by the ambulance the tournement was requiring to be on site.

heck yeah - me too

I don't like pain - I have enuf without being hit by a ball!

No Chest Protector
 

It's very funny that that I see this posted this morning after the weekend I had.

For the last year I have not been wearing a chest protector. I found that it was a lot cooler and felt very comfy behind the catchers in the area. Well that all changed this weekend. 14U game with a very good pitcher (60 MPH +) and a very good catcher. I ended up take a foul tip to the chest. All I have to say that will never happen again. I will never do a game again without a chest protector.

Chalk it up to being stupid. I very thankful and lucky that I did not break my collar bone.

Don't believe everything you are told. (Average fastpitch pitch speeds.)

In the men's fastpitch league where I play, there are a couple of umpires that do not wear chest protectors. They compensate by getting really low (too low) right behind the catcher. As a result, there is no possible way that they can see the bottom half of the zone, or the outside corner, and their zones are really inconsistent in those areas.

Perhaps even dumber, there are several catchers that wear only a mask- no chest protector or shin guards. I'm out there just waiting to see a broken collar bone or cracked rib! One such catcher took one near the collar bone area and had to leave the game, but by the luck-of-the-draw nothing was broken.

wow - faster than some WCWS pitchers! :rolleyes:

Since we're picking on iowa, I wouldn't have thought that was possible! ;)

I learned my lesson about not wearing equipment in the first few games I umped. First night, 10U game, didnt wear a cup and even before first pitch of game I got nailed. Talking to UIC at backstop, pitcher threw wild pitch, catcher missed, hit concrete curbing at base of backstop and nailed me in crotch.

Got hit in top of foot about 2 weeks later with no plate shoes on, and since have been hit in the end of big toe twice. Plate shoes are on order.

Daughter also had to ump one night and she didnt have a chest protector, so I loaned her mine, thought I would be ok in a 10U game since most of them only throw maybe 35. Well, wouldnt you know it, I got the girl that was the exception and was closer to 45-50.

Last week 12U game, first 2 pitchers threw maybe 40 tops. Then the one team brings in thier ace. Big girl, easily throwing 55 or more. Was very surprised at how hard she threw for the age group. Catcher sets up on outside corner first pitch, pitcher misses on inside corner and gets me square in the shin gaurd. In 2 innings, I got hit 3 times in shin gaurd, twice in the foot, and 3 times in the chest protector. I finally asked the catcher what she was doing setting up outside, she said for the outside pitch. I told her, well, in case you havent noticed, she isnt hitting her spot and Im tired of getting beaned.

So, I have quickly learned to wear all of the equipment all of the time. I have gotten beat up more in the little kids games than I have in the older girls games.

Let me add my voice to those that wear all the gear, all the time....

When I first started out, I had some old timers tell me that it was macho to go without the chest protector, so I tried it. I found that I was more worried about not getting hit than in calling balls and strikes accurately.

I have also been told by a doctor that it only takes about 40 lbs of force to snap the collarbone...I don't know how much force the pitched or fouled ball has, but my guess is that it's a lot more than 40 lbs!

Put me on the list of being over macho and STUPID during my 1st year. I was doing the full gauntlet of games including men's fastball with only mask, cup and hockey shin pads.
Never took any shots to the chest or shoulders but took a couple real good shots to the upper shin that put me down for a bit, that's when I decided to get proper shin pads. During the off season I was checking out a used sport equipment store for shin pads and they happened to have an old chest protector for $5.00 so I thought i would spend the money. What a difference in feeling comfortable, never again will I be behind the plate without proper protection. Now I wonder how consistant my strike zone was as I've worked games with other PUs who refuse to wear protection and I can see the inconsistance in their strike zone because of their moving around, or moving their legs.

Dale

When I started umpiring I asked an old pro if he wore a cup on the bases. His response was "Son, I wear a cup if I go watch a ball game." :cool:

not wearing protective gear is not macho - its dumb

"Hiding behind the catcher"--I must have missed that position when going thru training...sure seems safer than "work the slot".

Was F1's father working the radar gun?

Could be. And maybe he worked for NASA (programming the radar gun in KPH, but giving the answers as MPH).