Umpire Gear

[Dakota]

Originally Posted by AtlUmpSteve

Frankly, I am not a fan of the hockey-style masks. Almost everything we are told to wear or not wear is to standardize, to be "uniform"; and that item just isn't a standard. The very few umpires I know that us it are often described by coaches as "you know, the guy with the hockey mask" ......

That said, there is a reason why a hat is a required part of the uniform; umpires simply look unprofessional, out of uniform, incomplete, when standing bare-headed. So, if you want to wear a hockey mask, you may have to so something that is a bit more trouble, like having a hat accessible....

I am surprised that the HSM has remained as rare among umpires as it has. It clearly offers superior protection.

Personally, on the "looking professional" front, an umpire who is without a hat only when the helmet is removed doesn't look unprofessional to me; he looks like an umpire who took his helmet off. Now a base umpire without a hat or an PU using a mask without a hat... sure, that looks sloppy or unprofessional, as does a hat sticking out of the back pocket.

If HSM-using umpires ever reach a significant minority, I would expect the requirement of having a hat also to gradually go away.

(FWIW, MLB umpires are apparently not required to wear a hat under their HSM, nor are they required to put one on when they take the helmet off... going by the pictures I see... obviously no first hand access to what MLB does and does not required for their umpires.)