Umpire wearing equipment.

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May 29, 2015
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Shamefully ... Been there, done that. 14u on turf, no less. Thankfully I didn’t go three batters in though!

First pitch came in and I thought “Damn, I had a good look at that!”

Second pitch came in and I thought “Oh, I’m tracking the ball well this game!”

Third pitch came in and I realized it. My thought then was “Oh ****.”

The only person who noticed it was a coach warming a team up past the outfield fence and he was yelling the whole time. Nobody on the field noticed until I called time and walked back to the fence to grab my mask.
 
Mar 1, 2013
393
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I came out for an inning once, called play ball and waited for the pitcher start her motion. Catcher is down, I'm in the slot and ready. She's looking in confused. Looks over at the coach, shrugs and he says, "ask for time". So she asked for time, I granted it and stepped out, catcher came out to her, they talked and the catcher nodded, came back and said, "Blue, you don't have your mask on". Duh. It was hanging on the hook at the bottom of my game bag behind the fence. I stuck it there when writing down a lineup change and forgot to pick it back up.

So, I owe the pitcher one on that :)
 
Feb 8, 2019
9
1
The only required equipment for the plate umpire is the mask with an adequate throat protector (NFHS Rule 10-4-1).
The chest protector is recommended, and I would add the shin guards are an excellent idea. So you can complain about his not wearing proper equipment but if he has a mask and it protects his throat he is legal.

As for the umpire dancing around, the umpire's head should be still when he sees the play on which he is to render judgment. We have all ducked one right at the head and have all been hit square in the face and/or shins, part of the job. Professionally you accept that you are going to get hit and it's going to hurt. You have to learn to stand steady as possible and make the proper call.

Meh wish I did just mask today wouldn't be so tired. Last couple days I got bad habits jumping put doing more 10u games... with rec ball. My Game today Friday much better not perfect though.
 
Jun 7, 2019
170
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This past wkend in a tournament the plate umpires that were on our field for every game was only wearing a mask and plate shoes. Each one never had a chest protector or shin guards. We are a 2nd yr 12u team that was playing up at 14u

That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard! Oh, wait a minute. It's the 2nd dumbest thing I ever heard!

19 years ago, pretty much the only girls softball I was umpiring was in the rec leagues, and maybe some 12U & 14U ASA Class B ball. Then someone asked me if I could fill in a slot in an older, better tournament. He forgot to mention that the "older kids who are better" part meant an 18U ASA National Qualifier. At the time, I always umpired the rec leagues without a chest protector or shin guards. That league back then was not today's 14U class of ball. The worst I ever got was hit in the shin in the same spot within a week. They were the only times I ever even considered shin guards.

So now, like a Class A idiot, I do the same in this qualifier. At one point, the catcher set up outside. Me, like the moron I was, thought to myself, "I'm not hiding behind the catcher. I'm going to stay right here in the slot." Pitch comes in, waist high fastball on the inside corner that the batter just gets a piece of and fouls it straight back into my chest protector. Oops, since I wasn't wearing one, I wasn't afforded its protection. So what I meant to say was that she fouled it straight back into my left collar bone. I stood bolt upright and released one of the loudest and longest "Fuuuuuuuuu**'s ever yelled! We had 2 fields side by side, and everyone on both fields just froze. The 1B coach came jogging down to me and said he was an EMT, and that I should just stand still. He asked me to raise my left arm. I couldn't. He then checked me out and told me that I had to go to the nearest ER right away. I knew the tournament director and he drove me over there, eliciting from me a loud scream every time he went over a bump or hit a pothole while he was speeding to the ER. Yep, broken clavicle, can't put a cast on it the way it broke, so, basically, just don't work. Stay home and do nothing for a couple of months. It broke 2 more times while I was doing all that "nothing". When it finally healed, THEN I went out and bought the chest protector!

Side note: The TD who drove me to the ER that day was my base ump in two of my 18U "showcase" games today.

YES, I was a dope. This post reminded me of how dumb I used to be, and I figured I'd share the story just in case recovering dopes aren't allowed on this forum.
 

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