MLB Umpire Andy Fletcher Uses Mouthguard to Prevent Concussions

Andy Fletcher is the only MLB umpire who wears a mouthguard.

During a recent conversation with him via phone, he tells me why he wears one and whether or not it has helped him to prevent injuries.

When I began looking into whether or not umpires could benefit from wearing a mouthguard or whether or not they even would wear one, customer and umpire Aaron Baggett alerted me that while watching an MLB game on TV he saw umpire Andy Fletcher wearing what he thought was a mouthguard behind the plate. I was not aware than any MLB umpire was, indeed, using one so I was eager to speak with Andy, an umpire from Mississippi who worked this year's Tokyo round of the World Baseball Classic. So, thanks Aaron for the heads-up.

I was able to talk with Andy while he was in Cincinnati for a recent Reds-Nationals series. Although he made it clear he was not attempting to champion the cause of umpires wearing mouthguards, he felt very strongly that the mouthguard he has used for 3 years has saved him personally from concussions and jaw injuries.

EARLY INJURIES
What was his motivation to start wearing a mouthguard? Andy was candid in mentioning that he experienced a concussion and several jaw injuries such as jaw pain earlier in his career (he's been at the MLB level for 9.5 years) as the result of blows to his jaw area. He began searching for solutions to prevent them from happening again. He first tried a hockey style helmet, but he admitted he didn't like the feel of the helmet vs. a traditional style mask, so he returned to the traditional.

At the suggestion of MLB Umpire Trainer Mark Letendre, he began wearing a mouthguard. He chose one that covered both the upper and lower teeth, so that it would absorb much of the impact and keep his jaw in proper alignment to prevent blows from causing concussions and TMJ type injuries.

ADJUSTMENT AND RESULTS
How did he feel about the result? After an adjustment period where he felt wearing a mouthguard "took some getting used to", he mentioned that he was "surprised" at the noticeable difference from blows with one in and those without. And although he is aware that there is some debate in studies as to whether or not mouthguards are useful in preventing concussions in addition to non-debatable teeth protection, for him he is a big believer in their use for umpires in doing so.

I discussed in detail with Andy the concerns several umpires have expressed to me in regard to wearing a mouthguard and how he had specifically addressed those.

AUDIBILITY OF CALLS
The most frequently discussed concern is the ability to audibly call balls, strikes and outs. Again, after a "very short time" of adjustment Andy said he had no problem doing so, even as a MLB umpire who he confessed is "one of the loudest out there."

TALKING WITH PLAYERS AND MANAGERS
Andy initially admitted that although some of his fellow umpires made fun of him when he first starting wearing a mouthguard, he said no player or manager has ever taken note or discussed this with him. He reasoned that with many players wearing mouthguards these days in the field, that to them, wearing a mouthguard for safety has become accepted practice.

MOUTHGUARD MECHANICS
What does he do with his mouthguard when he needs to talk to a player or manager? Andy says that he simply takes out the mouthguard using his hand and typically places it in his pocket. He admits he's often so quick with it that to an observer, he or she might only think that he is covering his mouth to cough. See photo on Bleacherreport.com of Andy that appears to show him with his mouthguard in his left hand.

I truly appreciate Andy's candor, openness and availability on this issue. I'll have more to report later as I talk with others in the know on this very important subject.

Staff Night at the Louisville Bats AAA Minor League Game

We have all been badly overdue for getting together outside of everyday work here at Ump-Attire.com. I was able to arrange for a luxury box at Louisville Slugger field for a recent Bats vs. the Toledo Mud Hens contest.

These guys work extremely hard and are very deserving of a little luxury, food, beer and baseball.

Here are some select pics from the night out.


In this picture: Anessa Arehart (customer service manager, second from left), myself and Chad Denton (stock manager, second from right)


Jeanne Nelson (operations manager) and Paul Nelson (warehouse manager), our resident married couple, catch some of the game


Sherry Spalding with husband Willie listens to funny story from Lori, my wife


Chad showing how not to wear an umpire cap with girlfriend Lindsey


Anessa showing her good side with U.K. friend Simon who attended his first baseball game ever


Sherry (marketing assistant) and I find it's hard to smile for the camera when laughing

Arizona Meeting and NASO Summit Starts Slow, Finishes Strong

Ever have one of those days where everything that could go wrong does go wrong? This was our Saturday morning when 1,100 officials showed up in Tucson for a mandatory meeting just prior to the NASO Summit.

What happened? The shipping company who handles shipments for the hotel where the meeting took place did not have our items and materials for us when promised, then everything started earlier than it was supposed to.

Not to worry, everything finally arrived at 10:30am and things could only go up from there despite it taking us a while to gradually set up as we were meeting with people. (Actually, there was a time where it appeared that everything had been lost. If that had been the case, the whole trip would have been basically worthless. So, things could have certainly been worse.)


Overhead View of Exhibit Area - Arizona Meeting
(Us on the left)
We sure did see many officials that day, more than we ever have at an event of this type. Besides most officials being there for football, many were interested in the baseball items we brought as well. What gained the most interest? The Diamond Silver Frame Umpire Mask, Wilson Titanium Mask and Ultimate Shirts (all sports) plus New Balance and Reebok plate and field shoes.


Kirby Bollnow and I
Kirby is a football official from Arizona who has also been a good customer of ours for the past year. I always enjoy meeting customers face-to-face, especially for the first time, as it makes the sometimes impersonal experience of ordering online much less so.


Richard Jackson and I
Richard is a football official and customer from Phoenix who says "love your shirts and my New Balance 995". We were looking out for him as he was the only one who had previously commented on our Facebook page that he would be stopping by.


Federico Orozco and I
I met Federico at the NCAA Umpire Clinic in Chicago in January where we talked for a while there and at the NASO Summit. He is a native of Tucson and currently resides in Pennsylvania. Federico is also one of those multi-sport officials that we like having around.


Richard "Dick" Davidson and I
It's always good seeing Dick Davidson. This is my 3rd year in a row seeing him at the NASO Summit. Dick is a baseball umpire and football official from New York with a big heart and big supporter of Umps Care (formerly Blue for Kids), the MLB Umpires' charity that we support.

2010 Wilson Umpire Gear Changes: What I Know Now

I plan to meet with Wilson in Chicago at the end of the month and will have more to report at that time, but for now here are some additions and changes to Wilson's Umpire Gear lineup for 2010 to keep you as informed as I can.

• The Platinum and Gold chest protectors will undergo minor cosmetic logo-related changes. This includes adding back the "WV" (West Vest) logo, that was on these several years ago, underneath the Wilson "W" and MLB logos. So yes, if you currently own a Wilson Platinum or Gold you'll need to upgrade to the 2010 model only if you want 3 logos instead of 2.
  
  The "W" logo also moves up on the Platinum for more prominent placement on the sternum or neck padding that is specific to the Platinum... again, all minor.
  
  
• The Shock FX umpire helmet cage is being changed to provide added durability to the shell and shock absorbers. I wanted to use the word "re-shaped" or "tweaked" but it's more than tweaked and less than re-shaped. Will share more when I receive new pics.
  
  
• There will be an offering of all-black full grain leather replacement padding option in wrap-around style. I know many of you have been asking for that. Your next question will be what the price will be, and the answer is it will likely be the same price as the A3815 deerksin pads.
  
  
• Shock FX umpire helmet replacement padding for forehead and chin padding will be offered. The helmet's been out for a while, so the time is ripe to have those available.
  
  
• Wilson will no longer being offering the Davis gear umpire chest protector and shin guards that we have sold for years, and instead will offer the newer Davishield and Davishins. We currently do not have plans to sell these items, and I'll share more info as to why in a separate post should that continue to be the case.

If you have any questions about Wilson, please feel free to post. And I'll answer them as best I can.

Why Us for Football? 4 Reasons You Might Not Know

So you probably already know about us as a leading supplier of baseball/softball umpire equipment. What you might not know is how hard we are working to also become as competitive in other sports, including football.

So, how are we doing? In comparing us to a leading competitor, I'll list 4 simple reasons why you, as a football official, will want to consider shopping with us this year.

1. We have better prices.
   If saving money is important to you, you can pocket over $22 when you purchase a football referee uniform from us instead of from our leading competitor.
   $195.43 vs. $217.50 for the following items: Standard referee shirt, upgraded knicker, Reebok Low Quag II shoes, NFHS/NCAA socks, 1 and 1/4 belt, wool blend cap, Fox 40 CMG whistle, lanyard, nylon chain clip, cloth penalty flag, down indicator, vinyl throw down bag, wallet, info cards and pencil.
   
   
2. We have better products.
   Just ask any owner of an Ultimate Referee Shirts in short or long sleeve who has worn other brand's shirts and they'll not hesitate to tell you whose shirt is best.
   
   Our ball center penalty flags are the same ones the NFL guys use, not a less quality version made overseas.
   
   Our referee socks are much improved this year. We were approached recently by the supplier or our leading competitor's football referee socks to buy from them instead of our current supplier. Sure, we would have saved money by switching but we'd rather have a better version and continue to charge you the same.
   
   There are certainly items that we can only say they are the same. And there is likely a product here or there a competitor has that is better than our best in a category. We're far from perfect. And lastly, I'm sure someone will disagree with me on any of our above assertions. If so, not a problem.
   
   But all in all, I feel very solid about the level of quality in our current football referee gear selection.
   
   
3. We have more specialty items.
   Items that make life more comfortable while on the field in any environment not available or hard to find elsewhere such as:
   -Waterproof "Rite in the Rain" Paper Information Cards
   -All-Weather Pen that writes in any weather condition
   -180s Exolite Acoustic Ear Warmers fit over your cap, not under
   -Manzella Trekker Gloves sheds rain and snow keeping your hands warm and dry
   
   
4. We have more U.S.-made products.
   If this is important to you, and for many Americans it is, I bet you didn't know that while most of our competitors' items are made overseas many of our items are made in the U.S. - in states such as Kentucky, Tennessee, Illinois, North Carolina and Florida.
   
   Which items? All of our Ultimate Shirts, referee socks, leather belts, penalty flags and throw down bags and most of our under apparel shorts and shirts are American made.
   

So there you go. Whichever reason you shop with us this year - for greater value, quality, specialty items or to support the U.S. or your home state's economy - we're looking forward to having you as our customer.

And if you have suggestions in how we can do better in football (or other sports), I'd love to hear them.

Umpires' High Marks on Hotsport Loose Fit Shirt

Just happened to notice the multiple very good reviews posted on Umpire-Empire.com reviews section for the Diamond HOTSPORT Loose Fit Short Sleeve Shirt. View that site for full reviews, but I'll post some highlights below.

The shirts are great. I used to use a competitor's brand, but I really like the Diamond loose fit... They do a great job of wicking the moisture away from my body and the anti-odor coating on the shirts also seems to make a difference...

I have two of these shirts and love them... I also enjoy the somewhat extended collar...not a mock but not a crew either. They come up far enough to keep my CP (chest protector) from rubbing on my neck... Plus the added height of the collar looks great while on the bases...

I have worn both the McDavids and the Under Armour stuff in the past. The price point of these is better and I love the fit and feel...

We currently have in the works with the manufacturer of this item to replace Diamond's logo with our shield logo in the left chest area for 2010.

New and Enhanced Football Packages Now Available

Just a quick note to say we added a new football referee accessory kit and enhanced one by adding 2 items.

Quick Pick Referee Kit
We noticed that the many of our football official customers buy a penalty flag, a throw down bag and a down indicator when they place an order. So with just a few clicks, you can have those 3 items in your basket then provide you with our popular pencil with pencil shield for free.

Football Accessories Starter Package
We also added a chain clip and hardback wallet to our football accessory kit that includes most everything you'll need from whistle and lanyard to flag and throw down bag to information cards and pencil plus indicator and the additional items. We also added in the capability to upgrade flag and/or whistle.

I'm not a big fan of complete packages because I think most companies abuse it by trying to throw too much in of things you don't need and because upgrade options are often limited leaving you to settle on something you'd rather not have. So, we don't have one that includes everything, but you can order the accessories you need in the new kit above saving a few bucks and clicks in the process then add in your shirt, knickers, socks, cap and shoes you really want. Then, you'll be ready to go.