Put the old iron mule (mask) out to pasture tonight.

Wednesday night Woman's FP League, 3 (7 inning) games back-to-back-to-back. Only a short break between games, no time to change. So one does the plate for 3 games, next week has the field for the night.

Tonight was my night behind the plate and I was not looking forward to 4 1/2 hours of that heavy honker pulling down on my head and tangling with my hat, etc. I could have opted for a lighter mask, but I just didn't see enough difference to justify the bucks. Instead I broke with tradition and bought - (gasp) - the hockey style mask!

Did the first game with the iron mule, then switched for the 2nd game. The first thing I noticed was that everything was brighter - the view was so much greater. I also discovered that I was going to have trouble with the setting sun that the hat and mass of the iron mule had previously shielded. It is very light, and comes off easy. It doesn't even come close to conflicting with my glasses (I don't wear sport glasses, just my normal wire frame,large lens glasses.)

When I first tried these on at the stores, I hated them - they just felt so different. Today I didn't even try it on; I was so determined to change that I just bought it and decided to go with it. As soon as I had some pitches comming at me I forgot about the mask and focused on the game. After a couple innings I was so in love with the new mask I knew that I would never go back to the old iron mule.

I am not a trailblazer; a lot of guys I work with in West Michigan already are wearing the hockey mask. How 'bout your area? Anybody switching yet. You?

WMB

Heck, we can't even get guys around here to wear chest protectors and leg guards for "girls" games. A helmet? Hah! It's just not :cool:

In Indiana I have seen only 1 guy wear the hockey mask. He swears by it. There was some talk about if it was "approved" for ASA championship play. The UIC at the state tournament (B level) allowed it but he was questioning whether the higher level tourneys (national qualifiers and nationals) would allow it or not. I think the biggest hangup these guys had was no hat, which is a required part of the umpires uniform.

I thought no equipment PU's was only a problem in my neck of the woods.

I really wouldn't mind it if they would stay put. Unfortunately they usually either dance, bury themselves behind F2, or gripe about taking one in the shin.

-Kono

Up North...
 

here in the Traverse City area, we have one guy that wears that mask.
Most wear the Honigs lightweight single or double bar.
I need to wear a hat because I have long bangs and longish hair. Hat keeps hair out of my eyes and face, so the helmet is probably out for me.

I tried it and I liked it a lot
 

I made the switch from a traditional mask to the hockey helmet this year, and I've loved it ever since. If you've got long hair, it's probably not gonna be a good fit for you, but I do have short hair, so that's no problem for me.
To me, it's not as hot as a mask and cap. Yes, I still sweat, but I keep a small towel in my ball bag, to wipe the sweat off on, after wicking it away with my index finger.
The only time I take it off is in between innings and if I'm having a discussion with a manager. I make all of my calls at the plate with it on. The visibility is great, and I actually got hit with a couple of bad throws, on plays at the plate, that would have hit me in the head/face, had I been using a mask and cap.
It's worked well for me. I know I've read plenty of dissenting opinions about it, though. To each his/her own.

I wear my old full-strength steel mask and don't have problems with my cap, my neck muscles or foul tips in the face. It's off on every batted ball and every running play. What mine needs is a red/green light, so the pitchers know when I'm finished writing substitutions. ;)

Has anyone worn the hockey-style helmet in ASA Nationals?

Does the helmet meet the definition of a "mask" in ASA Rule 10? It would seem both a mask and a hat are required.Since the mask rule goes on to even specify the throat protector & allow a built-in wire protector, it would seem ASA did not visualize the hockey mask when they wrote this rule.

ASA will approve the helmet mask....
 

........as soon as the start selling their own version of it, with the ASA logo emblazoned on it.
Until then, I'll just continue to call my local league's games, using my helmet (and not wearing an ASA cap), and when that's over with, I'll move onto baseball.
Their (ASA) state/national tournaments don't appeal much to me anyway, so that's not an obstacle I'll have to deal with.

One umpire at the ASA Men's 45/over nationals last year wore the helmet/mask combination. He found a way to wear his cap under it, though.

The UIC and the assistant UIC both searched the book for a reason not to let him wear it, but could not come up with anything.

If you want to get a hat under the hockey mask, you can't wear a combo hat. You'll have to go for the short brim plate hat. I know most catalogs, well at least the ones I get don't have a good selection of plate hats in black or navy. Check out this one. http://www.lestersupstatesports.com/...uct_Code=BA065

I use the POS Ultra Light mask and also have a the hocky mask. I was allowed to use the hocky mask at the 14U Pony National's held in Sterling, VA earlier this month. The "no hat" with the helmet keeps me cooler.

Michael

I don't think the beanie (2-stitch) is allowed any more in any of my codes. The minimum is the 4-stitch.

more helmet stuff....
 

A few thoughts from my ASA Metro UIC on the helmet....

1) It brings to much attention on the umpire
2) ASA requires the plate umpire to wear a cap as part of the uniform, you can't wear the cap with the helmet.
3) When the helmet is new or shined, the reflection or glare could be distracting to the pitcher.

As you can probably tell, he is not in favor of allowing the helmet.

I have also heard that Southern California ASA has a written policy that will not allow their umpires to wear the helmet.

Change is never easy, and some things die hard. Remember that not too many years ago we were calling from behind the catcher with the "Pillow" in front of us. I held off for several years before I finally bought my first under-shirt protecter.

As a consultant, and thus an instigator of change to business, I constantly battled the "But we've always done it this way!" cry. I purposely titled this post "Broke with Tradition" because I expected to hear some of the same. But I was also curious as to how many had already beaten me to the new helmet.

There is no question in my mind that the helmet will be the mask of choice for umpires in just a few short years. It is such a superior option that it can not be ignored. Look at the rapid explosion of it's use by catchers. For awhile it was only the girls using it; then the boys started; and now the big boys are using it. They switched for good reason. And we will also. ASA may be dragged kicking and screaming; or ASA may lead the way. But it will be approved.

WMB

No one here said it would not be approved by ASA, only that it was not presently legal by the strict interpretation of the approved umpire's uniform.

Other than that, there were individual opinions on preferences, but if you didn't want that, why did you post the question in the first place?

Whether it is approved or not, there will continue to be those who will not use it for reasons of personal taste, tradidion, look / appearance, discouragement by the local UIC, cost, why buy new when the old will do, etc., etc.

This isn't an issue worth campaigning about, IMO. And, as an umpire, one of my first obligations is to adhere to the rules as they pertain to <u>myself</u>. Leading by example and all that. So, unless or until it becomes legal, I will not buy one / wear one for ASA games.

They specify what COLOR the mask will be?

Hahahahahaha.

Sorry, couldn't help myself. ASA leads the world in anal-retentiveness.

I went to a HS clinic (baseball) earlier this season where one of the umpires had one of the little beanie hats for use under the helmet. I walked up to him and said, "Hey, you know, the helmet is meant to be worn without a hat."

His response was that his supervisor told him that a hat was required. It was the supervisor's way of saying that he didn't like the helmets.

The helmets provide superior vision at the cost of heat. One day, most serious umpires will convert to the helmet. There are few that try the helmet and then don't like it. I've let two umpires use mine this season -- both went out and bought their own.

That said, on really hot days I still pull out my BLUE MASK WITH DOESKIN PADS and use it. With the new mesh fitted hats, I'm much cooler that way and don't have sweat running down my face.

Rich

That was BASEBALL, wasn't it? Ha ha yourself.

The clinic was baseball. His association worked both baseball and softball. Take one "ha" back.

:)

Rich

Only if you will graciously accept me going over to the baseball board and making fun of the pimply teenage boys in nike basketball shoes wearing leg guards over their cut-off jean shorts and using a ballon protector while "calling" a ~15yo boys baseball game in the field next to a girls 12U softball game called by a professional ASA umpire.

I think you, as a baseball guy, are throwing stones from a glass house if you come over here to make fun of ASA umpire uniform requirements.

I'm not, because I don't speak for other umpires.

It's not a baseball-only thing, either. I've seen plenty of rec softball umpires dressed badly, too. And rec baseball players, too.

My point is that the color of the frame of the mask and whether you use a helmet is irrelevant to the quality of officiating. It seems as though the trend is to judge style over substance in most situations -- but I'm much less interested in the headwear of an official than in knowing his head height when calling pitches, just to give one example.

Too many organizations are starting to dictate gear in this fashion and some are doing it in a blatant attempt to monopolize the clothing/equipment market (HS associations are the worst for this).

Not important to me. If someone told me I wasn't allowed to wear a helmet or something equally ridiculous, I'd just go home.

BTW, I've been a softball umpire just as long as I've been a baseball umpire. I worked my first college game on the softball diamond and worked my first state HS quarterfinal on the softball diamond. I can speak as one who's done a lot of both, even if I'm focusing on baseball right now. And never, never, did anyone care about such trivial equipment issues when I worked fastpitch.

Rich



[Edited by Rich Fronheiser on Aug 7th, 2003 at 12:28 AM]