If you've purchased anything from Ump-Attire.com in 2011, you might have noticed a little something extra in your package. We've had a lot of fun working on our Bad Call / Good Call collector's card campaign, which playfully points out an umpire making some "bad calls" with his gear and uniform choices, in contrast to umpires making "good calls" by sporting some of our featured umpire products for 2011. We could not have pulled off this campaign without the help of some local umpires who graciously volunteered to model for us during a recent photo shoot.
Cedric Coleman and Todd Teague
With photographer Ray Turner manning the camera, NCAA umpires Manny Gonzalez, Cedric Coleman, Scott Kennedy and Roger Fulks (alongside our volunteer catcher Todd Teague) showed off their mechanics in Wilson and Champro gear, and our Ump-Attire Ultimate shirts. They joined the ranks of umpires Brandon Cooper and John Bennett, who have also been featured in the campaign.
Meanwhile, NCAA umpire Nathan Huber has been a great sport playing our "bad call" umpire, making one uniform faux pas after another.
Nathan Huber, showing how not to wear shin guards.
From left: Manny Gonzalez, Roger Fulks, Cedric Coleman, Nathan Huber; kneeling, Scott Kennedy.
The Bad Call / Good Call cards are a limited edition set of 6; look for yours in your next package from Ump-Attire.com!
Tickets to the 2011 MLB All-Star Game in Phoenix and PGA Championship event tickets are among the highlights of more than 200 great items up for bid today in the UMPS CARE Charities 3rd Annual Online Auction. The auction starts March 9 and ends at 10 p.m. EDT on March 20 at www.biddingforgood.com/UmpsCare
In addition to the items mentioned above, there is something for everyone in this year's auction. We were happy to donate a Wilson Titanium umpire mask with tan wraparound padding, an Ump-Attire.com exclusive item.
Some of the other items up for auction include:
A Major League Baseball jersey autographed by President Obama
Game-worn cleats signed by Albert Pujols, a signed Roy Halladay perfect game baseball, and other signed sports memorabilia
Opportunities to watch batting practice from the field at many MLB ballparks
More than 50 suites or 24-ticket blocks from Minor League Baseball clubs for fans to see some of baseball’s rising stars up close
Several golf packages at some of the country's best courses, including a round of golf with ESPN anchor Scott Van Pelt
2-night stays at a number of luxury hotels
The auction is a major fundraiser for UMPS Care Charities, the official charity of Major League Umpires. All proceeds from the Online Auction support UMPS CARE Charities youth programs to provide Major League Baseball experiences for children awaiting adoption, Build-A-Bear Workshop® experiences for hospitalized children coping with serious illnesses, college scholarships for deserving young adults who were adopted as children, and financial assistance for families in need.
This year's Online Auction will also feature a number of "Bid for a Buck" items announced at random times via Twitter and Facebook. The bidding for these items will start at $1 and will be available for a day or less throughout the auction. Follow @UmpsCare on Twitter or Facebook for details.
After reviewing your collective purchases for January and February, this is our current Top 10 "What's Hot" List for Umpires in 2011:
1. All-Star System 7 Series MVP4000-SL Umpire Helmet
Currently our best selling umpire helmet, the System 7 is an upgrade in protection at least in the areas of its nitrile forehead padding and its polycarbonate shell. Price-wise, it sits in between the MVP2500 which doesn't have those 2 special features and the much more expensive titanium frame that we do not carry that is only 3 ounces later. If you want a System 7 series helmet this is the one you want for protection and price.
2. Champro CG1 Low Profile Triple Knee Shin Guards
When you add a pair of shin guards and it becomes your second best selling shin guard out of the bunch you take notice. It's triple-knee low-profile design at that price makes it hard for someone not to consider this shin guard when making a decision.
3. Champro CP135 Soft Shell Umpire Chest Protector
This year finds us pulling this chest protector out of our starter package to sell on its own, and the results are that it has become our second best selling chest protector to date for 2011. We are not surprised. The Champro is most similar to our Pro Nine CPU model and with it's better design and lower cost, it's an obvious one to look at when deciding on a soft shell CP.
4. Majestic Therma Base Umpire Jackets
People love this cold weather jacket, and I always love showing it off. Feels great. Looks great. If I had it in more stripe combinations it would be our runaway best seller in about any category. Next year hopefully this will come to fruition.
5. Majestic Cool Base Umpire Shirts
They sure do look different but I guess as Arby's says "Different is Good". Is it a fad or a trend? Stay tuned. It is what the MLB guys wear so the typical bet is these will trickle down in about 2 or 3 years...at least as long sales hold up. And right now, sales for these are solid.
6. Ump-Attire Ultimate Umpire Shirts
When you have a quality American made umpire product, you push it. Our marketing is paying off not only in sales but increased awareness I'm seeing in umpires knowing where their umpire shirts are made, especially as more competitors are moving production overseas.
7. Dalco Pink Umpire Shirt
Umpires are liking this shirt not just for breast cancer awareness but they just like it. Scary, yes, I know. Being featured in Referee Magazine was nice as well.
8. Wilson Tan Non-Wrap Around Replacement Mask Padding
I have already discussed the trend in replacement padding, and if I had to pick a poster child, I'll grab this one due to strong sales. The Wilson doeskin is still our best seller but this less bulky option is a close second mainly because it is more likely to fit better in any brand mask due to not having the wrap-around style that is geared to fit in Wilson masks only.
9. Robic Stopwatch
I hear more and more about faster college games due to less offense from the new bats that might make the new rule obsolete that led to a need for NCAA guys to wear a stopwatch in the first place. The inside tip if you get one of these is to set it to 23 seconds so that the first beep that occurs at 3 seconds left is the only one you need.
10. Shock Doctor CrushTech Forearm Guards
Umpires are liking the CrushTech Forearm Guards. Do you get hit on the forearm often? If so, consider the CrushTech forearm guard from Shock Doctor. Several umpires have asked us to sell some type of forearm protection as either a preventive measure or to protect a current injury, such as a bruise from a pitched or foul ball. We felt the Shock Doctor brand guard provided a more professional look, suited for umpires, could also be worn easily under a long sleeve jacket or shirt and that didn't look like a standard one used for football players. Featured in Referee Magazine.
What's Hot Criteria: 80% sales increase or more compared to last January or new products that are selling at top or close to it in their categories.
