Jackets
 

Is it really accepted in softball for one base umpire to wear a jacket and another to be in short sleeves?

Caught a few moments of LSU/Georgia and only U3 is wearing a jacket. The PU and U1 are in short sleeves. Strange...at least to this baseball guy.

In my high school games I keep my jacket on while my partner takes his off, or vice versa, pretty frequently. As for college, I think the CCA manual says any umpire can wear a jacket even if the others don't.

Any different than one umpire wearing sunglasses...and another not?

One player wearing sleaves and another not??

It is strange, but in NCAA softball permissible. It's in the book under Rule 15...."individual umpires may chose not to wear a jacket."

Don't agree with it, surprised that you would see a crew working in a high profile DI conference like the SEC doing it, but the book (and I assume the conference coordinator) say it's OK.

Baseball umpires do it every night on TV. Some wear long sleeves, others short sleeves. Some wear jackets, some long sleeves.

What is wrong with accommodating one umpire who may be colder/warmer than another?

There's a difference between being uniform and being a clone.

Assuming you are referring to MLB, the plate umpire's uniform often differs from his partners' uniforms on the bases. The base umpires are almost always dressed alike.

In a 2-person crew, it's fine in baseball, although the plate guy tends to always be less dressed than the base umpire. If the plate guy insists on wearing a jacket, I'd never wear a shirt -- I'd be in a jacket, as well.

With multiple base umpires, those base umpires would always be in jacket together or in short sleeves together. The plate umpire could choose to wear a shirt since it's hotter work back there.

(And sunglasses are a red herring, really. Nobody I know considers those to be part of a uniform the way jackets and shirts are.)

I'm just expressing my personal opinion on this one particular topic.

Why is it that whenever someone posts a point of view different than yours you feel the need to label them a clone?

Because your commentary is one that I would expect from a clone. I can't see anyone other than a clone would care, let alone address it. That's just my personal opinion.

Quite frankly, the jackets were the least troubling aspect of the game to me. Not really troubling at all -- if that's acceptable in softball, then it is. Have at it.

However, I can't remember one call on a tag play the entire game (at least the half I watched) where a base umpire came set for the play. There was one steal of second where the ball got dropped where the umpire was still in mid-run when the ball, fielder, and runner came together.

Not sure about the softball world, but this would be a serious ding in NCAA baseball, where a major point of emphasis this year is coming completely set for all plays.

This is a very valid point. I noticed it myself while watching the game. Umpires should be set for the play. Set - angle - distance. While it is important that the umpire adjust as needed, they shouldn't be on the move right when the play occurs. That distorts the image of the play. I also don't understand being set for the play, then moving aggressively two or three steps to make the call. That gives the impression that you weren't set when you actually were.

For what it's worth, I don't find it necessary to take 4 steps up the third base line when asking for help on a checked swing. It looks a bit ridiculous and delays the call unnecessarily. Mask off - one step - point - "Did she swing?" done.