Beware Umpires with Unprotected Knees

Within hours of receiving an e-mail from a fast-pitch softball umpire asking about where he could find a shin guard without knee protection, I saw Cincinnati Reds' shortstop Jeff Keppinger fracture his kneecap from a hit foul ball.

Story here | Video here

As an umpire, I know there are body parts that are often exposed such as arms, hands and thighs but in my opinion knees - that have no muscle or fat to lessen the blow - are not ones I'd suggest you'd expose unless you strongly trust your catcher and/or your stance in relation to him or her.

1st Annual Wrestle Against Autism Tournament

We get a lot of requests to donate money or items to worthy causes. We honestly are pretty picky about saying "yes" to many of these for one reason or another.

One recent request came from one of our customers who is a member of the Mad River Wrestling Officials Association (in Ohio). They are co-sponsoring a K-Open wrestling tournament on May 17th with the Ohio State Wrestling with proceeds going to autism research and support.

What I was impressed with most was that their officials will be donating their time to officiate the all-day event. As a father of 2, I understand how important Saturdays in the spring are.

We decided to provide a small donation to the event and some prizes to those who will be providing their time, but in all actuality, what we're doing as one the sponsors seems so very small that I hesitate to even mention it.

One thing about autism that I didn't know was that despite autism being diagnosed in 1 in 150 children, it receives so fewer funds than other childhood diseases and conditions that are much less prevalent. (Source: Autism Speaks)

Regardless, my hats off to the people behind the tournament and best of luck.

For more information on the tournament and the cause visit http://wrestleagainstautism.com.

Thoughts on MLB Umpire Kerwin Danley's Fastball to His Mask

If you didn't hear about Kerwin Danley, MLB umpire who lost consciousness from a 95 MPH fastball he took to the lower jaw area in a game 4/27, read the article.

He was treated and released from the hospital so he's ok. But after hearing about this the first time, I looked for the video online to figure what kind of mask he was wearing. I know that's not the typical thought someone has, but I'm also the only one at a game who watches the umpires as much as I do the players.

He was wearing a Wilson West Vest Dyna-Lite Umpire Mask with two-tone wrap around pads. So, did this mask fail him? Should umpires not wear it at this level? I hear that kind of talk from time to time, where someone says "I took a really hard shot and it really hurt (or I got a bruise or occasionally even a minor concussion), and I'm beginning to think this mask (or other protective gear) is not appropriate for this level."

Although such thinking could be accurate in some cases and perhaps even in this one (hockey style helmet with more angles?), Mr. Danley's mask had the thicker-than-most-other-masks Wilson padding that wraps partially around the frame that is typical of other West Vest Dyna-Lite masks worn by other MLB umpires. In other words, he could not have been more protected in a traditional style mask.

So how did this mask not fail him if it gave him a concussion and sent him to the hospital? My answer, is simple: The mask protected him from being severely wounded or killed from the 2,400 pounds of force a 95 MPH delivers. Saying otherwise would be like saying a bulletproof vest failed when a police officer suffered a broken rib and bruised lung when he (or she) was shot at point blank range.

One last note: I had commented about some competitors wrongly claiming that Wilson's mask padding were "anti-concussion" in a past blog post titled "Are Competitor Claims Putting Umpires at Risk?". It's worthy of a re-read in light of this story.

Pant Style Trends Stir Memories of My Sears' Husky Days

When I first bought Ump-Attire.com over 2 years ago, we had 1 umpire pant style each for base, plate and combo - all in heather grey and all pleated. That was it. I suppose that was the case for most competitors as well at the time. If someone had predicted then that we'd have 9 different styles now, I would have sarcastically replied "Yeah, right!?."

But with the trends toward dark grey and the frequent requests from some of our less "husky" customers for a more fashionable flat front look, then it's no surprise we now have so many styles.

No offense to our more "husky" customers with the statement above. I remember my Mom ordering from the Sears catalog when I was a kid and her always having to get the husky and not the slim, as I believe that's what the other fit choice was. Thanks Sears for always reminding me that I was the chubby kid in class when it came time to buy a new pair of pants!

All of my unresolved issues and new trends aside, pleated pants and heather greys continue to be our most popular choices. And my crystal ball tells me that although umpires will gravitate more and more toward the dark greys over the next few years, the heather greys will continue to be the main color of choice for several years to come.

And for me and the husky umpires out there, pleats will always be a preferred pant style of choice.