Customer' Choice Items for Umpires Added

Every season we look at each item in each category and evaluate it on sales, returns and your feedback. Those in their categories that you buy more of, return less of and comment most favorably on receive the Customer Choice distinction.

This year, we are adding more Customer' Choice items for baseball or softball umpiring than we ever have making this year's selection our highest quality selection ever. And here they are:

Wilson Shock FX Titanium Helmet 2.0
No surprise here after all the changes Wilson made to this helmet designated by Midwest Umpire Blog as the best new item on the market. The only consistent concern with this helmet is that it does not fit those outside of the head size range of 7 to 7 5/8.

Wilson Titanium Umpire Mask with All-Black Padding
We have done so well with this new special order mask in a standard profile it has quickly become our best selling titanium mask. Umpires love the sleek silver and black look.

The only downside to titanium is that it does seem to bend a little more on balls traveling at high velocity than steel and aluminum alloy masks. I'm not talking alarming numbers, and masks are made to protect rather than to be indestructible anyway. I don't have concrete numbers, but I might guess 1 in 100 on the titanium vs. 1 in 300 on the others. Again, just a guess-timate.

Reebok Plate and Base Umpire Shoes
This year, Reebok has basically re-designed most of its umpire shoe selection. The reviews have been overwhelmingly positive, especially from the lighter plate shoe and new-found choices between a white logo or all-black look on both the plate and base versions.


The shoes have their limits, however, in a lack of choice of all-black looks being found only in low-cut shapes and very limited wide width options altogether (only in mid-cut with white logo), both issues I plan to encourage Reebok to correct for 2011. So let's place an asterisk on this selection shall we? And you guys with wide feet can simply ignore it (or you can send e-mails to Reebok via Sherry at sherry@ump-attire.com, and she will pass them along).

Shock Doctor Titan Cup
Who would have thought a protective cup that cost 2 to 3 times that of others would become one of our best selling cups? Well, helped by being featured in Referee Magazine and it's multiple features of consisting of virtually indestructible stainless steel and it's only 1 ounce heavier weight than the Shock Doctor Power Carbon Cup, it has.

Smitty Umpire Shirts
Although a little heavier in weight, they still provide good wicking even in hot weather. Those features plus the price make them truly the best value shirts on the market, a claim backed by the same designation in the Midwest Umpire Blog in-depth review of 7 umpire shirts on the market.

We, however, do admit to making the mistake of not adding more Smitty shirt colors for this year's selection. We will correct that in 2011 by adding a few additional shirt colors.

Items No Longer Receiving Customer Choice Designation
Wilson Titanium Two-Tone Umpire Mask
Although not a bad mask or seller in any way, the all-black mask mentioned above has just become the preferred choice for 2010 for most. If you prefer a two-tone, by all means, order one and you will be more than pleased with your choice.

Pro Nine Umpire Chest Protector
Each year, we sell more less of this chest protector and more of Diamond's iX3 protector. This year, we can't ignore the fact that the slightly more protective Diamond version is the one that umpires truly prefer.

View All 40+ Umpire Customer Choice Items

Get in the Slot for Safest Umpire Plate Position

We talk a lot about which umpire gear is more protective than others. Certainly Wilson's wrap around padding is more so than other brands, hard shell protectors are more so than soft ones as well as other things previously discussed. Of course, that is assuming you get hit at all. What if you could simply get hit less often?

In a recent conversation with 10.5-year MLB Umpire Veteran Marvin Hudson during Spring Training in Fort Myers, we discussed this very issue. His advice is simple, "You want to get in the slot and get as low as you can."

Slot Position
If you don't know, the slot is the position in-between the catcher and the batter. In other words, if you are new to umpiring, resist standing directly behind the catcher and staying high. If you do, you are going to take your fair share of foul balls.

While in the slot, you could choose whatever stance is more comfortable to you from the scissor stance to the more popular "box" stance. The point here is that you are in the slot and low. There, you are more tucked away from foul balls and better able to use your catcher for protection.

"How low do you recommend?, I asked Marvin. "For me", he said, "I like to try to get my head down next to the catcher's ear". That's pretty low.

And for that outside corner that is sometimes troublesome for umpires in the slot, Marvin replied that with experience, "that's simply where your judgment comes in".

Thanks to Marvin for sharing some great advice to assist umpires of all levels be more protected behind the plate.


(Marvin and I at UMPS CARE Cincinnati Children's Hospital Event in Sept. 2009)

If you are an umpire who is looking to emulate someone with excellent plate mechanics and presence behind the plate, Marvin is a great one to watch. He is on Derryl Cousins crew this year and will be in Milwaukee tonight through Wednesday for their series against Pittsburgh.

More information and pics on this subject can be found elsewhere:
Plate Umpire Positioning
http://cadistrict25umpires.org/plate.htm

Basic Stances Behind the Plate
http://www.umpire.org/mechanics/signals/signals.html

Slot graphic courtesy of the California District 25 Little League Umpires

When "Made in America" Is and When It's Not

New Balance has been in some hot water for a while with the FTC over labeling some of their shoes "Made in America" when in fact they have been made only 70% Made in America.

Is 70% enough to say that? Would 51% be enough? I don't know. I'm just asking.

Now New Balance's umpire and referee shoes are made in China, so it's a moot point as far as that's concerned, as all are officials' shoes to my knowledge (Reebok, Pentagon, 3N2, Official Footwear included).

My mention of this is not to badmouth New Balance in any way. They are our best selling shoes, are an excellent company to work with, and are trying hard to be competitive and true to their U.S. roots at the same time. So kudos to them.

Just something for you to be aware of with any of the products you buy, not just umpire or referee clothing or gear.

The issue with New Balance and the FTC has just been a disagreement in the standard of when you can say something is truly "Made in America". The FTC says that in order to label products with such the product has to be made entirely or virtually entirely in the U.S.. At that standard, 70% is not quite enough.

The FTC also says that if it's not entirely made in the U.S., then companies have to write a sort of disclaimer such as saying "Made in America with foreign components". In New Balance's defense, such an explanation can be found on tags of New Balance shoes in question, so says the article, which is an interesting read and can be found here.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36476797/ns/business-us_business/page/2/

When we say "Made in America" or "Made in the U.S." on our Ump-Attire.com products, including Ultimate Referee and Umpire Shirts, Ultimate Ball Bags, even penalty flags and bean bags for football officials, they are truly entirely made in the U.S. including using U.S. materials.

More specifically, they are made in our home state of Kentucky ultimately by Amish families, which is really an interesting and noteworthy story in and of itself.

Just some food for thought.