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Oh yeah, Shingaurds---10U---the ball in the shins may not hurt much, but the slung bat will make you say a dirty word! BTW, sadly in the Atlanta area recently, a young boy I believe to be 13 was killed by a pitch while at bat. These balls CAN do damage.

Quote:

Originally posted by Dakota
Here is what I see...

No chest protector at 12U or below (<u>very</u> common).
No chest protector anytime (frequent, but not as common as for the little kids).
Use of soccer-style half-shin protectors (all levels).
No plate shoes (<u>very</u> common).

Personally, I've taken too many "foul tips to the ..." (using TV announcer-speak) knee caps, shoulders, shins, feet, etc., even with the little kids to go without the gear. Not to mention wild pitches (even though not real fast, they still don't feel very good bouncing off the shins!). But, I'm not into macho pain, and I prefer to stand in to see the pitch, instead of dodging and ducking.

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The duck and dodge.....THAT is what ticks me the most with these guys. I work from FED summer/JUCO to 9-10's . Same gear all games, had a guy working my kids 12U's on saturday, JCPenny pants, decent shirt, brown 2 tone loafer type shoes. No ball bag(carried the extra in his hand, clicker in other)....no plate brush( I guess his shoe sole worked better)...strong point, WV mask and hat worn properly. Looked like rookie, acted as one also, but......whatcha gonna do?????

I don't get nailed that often behind the dish but when I do it's a doozie. I've gotten to the point where if I'm watching a sports event on TV I put a cup on!

Thank God for equipment

I always wear the full complement of equipment. While working a 12U game last night, I took a wild pitch in the cup. It was a clean shot that nearly took me to my knees. There was a guy in our association that never wore a cup only shin guards and a mask. I can only imagine the pain I would have experienced without my cup. After gaining my composure, I gave the count in a high pitched voice. The crowd got a big kick from my little bit of self-humility!

Question...

Does anyone wear a cup in SP? I understand FP completely and can't understand how anyone cannot go without the proper equipment. I was working two 10U games today and I got nailed in the "yoohoo" twice :(and in the chest once. The girl who nailed me in the chest was about 3 feet tall and I had to squat like a catcher to see if the ball was in the strike zone for her (I'm 6'2) and BAM... right in the chest. It stung a little, but it was fine. ;)

Also, it was 85 degrees :cool: on the field today and I was ROASTING in the new ASA umpire shirts. Does anyone else think that these shirts are extrememly hot also?

Thanks.

Quote:

Originally posted by BigUmpJohn
Does anyone else think that these shirts are extrememly hot also?

I'll have to get back to you on that, John. So far, I haven't done a tournament where I didn't wear my jacket at least part of the time. http://www.stopstart.freeserve.co.uk/smilie/cold.gif

Quote:

Originally posted by BigUmpJohn
... snip ... Also, it was 85 degrees :cool: on the field today and I was ROASTING in the new ASA umpire shirts. Does anyone else think that these shirts are extrememly hot also?

Thanks.

Yes, they are hotter. Every chance I get, I wear a buttoned (Elbeco) shirt. But they are better than the old ASA pullover which absorbed more moisture and got very heavy.

[QUOTE]So far, I haven't done a tournament where I didn't wear my jacket at least part of the time.[QUOTE]

Honestly, I'll settle for being cold rather than being a soaked towel any day of the week. :D

I know I couldn't be the only one who thinks these shirts are really warm, Cecil.

Well, I was just making a little joke about our late spring up here in Iceland (actually, MN).

The performance of these shirts can be made worse by laundering - do not use any type of fabric softener with these shirts; they should be hung up wet out of the washing maching to drip dry; use simple soaps, not the complex do-everything modern laundry detergents that can contain softeners, etc., in addition to the soap.