RefStripes.com
Other Sports => Baseball => Topic started by: FrankNFHS on November 22, 2011, 09:30:40 AM
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Before I get the barrage from folks who are quick to say that if I had their level of expertise and skill in my behind the plate positioning, I wouldn't have the need for what I am going to write about...but...since I am no where near even being close to good...Plan B.
Umpire/Catcher Padded Shorts
Love 'em. They have a pocket for a cup, act as compression shorts which I really like (I have a tendency to pull my hamstrings...old sports injury)...and...they are padded in the thigh area to include the inner thigh. I wore these the other day at a highl school scrimmage game and took a pitch right off the inner left leg upper thigh area...no issues! I certainly felt the impact but it was dispersed over a very large area which was very nice.
It's funny because during this same game, a 6' 2" (maybe taller) batter with the hit and run sign on tried to do a overhead tomahawk swing at a pitch that was almost a foot over his head! He just nicked the ball which was fouled backwards and glanced off my unprotected head behind the mask.
Now I realize that this was one of those wierd situations...but...had the ball been even an inch in another direction it would have been lights out.
One of the guys in the Association I am in uses a Diamond brand mask and really likes it. I know a few guys who have the FX shock...but one of them told me that he hasn't noticed much of a difference from his previous hockey style mask.
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It's funny because during this same game, a 6' 2" (maybe taller) batter with the hit and run sign on tried to do a overhead tomahawk swing at a pitch that was almost a foot over his head! He just nicked the ball which was fouled backwards and glanced off my unprotected head behind the mask.
Now I realize that this was one of those wierd situations...but...had the ball been even an inch in another direction it would have been lights out.
This is what concerns me the most. This exact scenario is why I went to a hockey mask a few years ago. Bruce Froemming made some intersting comments regarding masks. He held up one of the super-lightweight composite jobs, a steel frame, and a hockey mask. He said, imagine you are driving down the street and get smashed into by an 18-wheeler. The first mask is like if you were driving a high-performance sports car, the second is like a mid-size steel frame sports car, and the third is like a Hummer. Which would YOU feel safer in? I am so over these traditionalists who make cracks that wearing a hockey mask isn't a "good baseball umpire look." Ill save my head every day, thank you.
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On a related note, my mask is >20 years old and has a metal frame that easily weights 3.5 lbs. Balls that have hit it flush ricochet off without too much of the force being transmitted backwards. I replace the padding about once every 3 years.
I've picked up some of these new masks understanding that back in the day fo the dinosaur when I got my mask, these new masks weigh so little and the wires are actually stronger than steel.
One thing I have noticed on the hockey style masks is that they appear to give the wearer a wider more unobstructed field of view.
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I like how it provides more shade as well. You're right about the wider view, but having the shade inside of there helps me focus more closely on the pitches.
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Retired about 5 years ago, but when we went to pleated pants behind the plate, on a whim I went to our local football coach and got a pair of football practice pants and some extremely thin thigh pads. Cut the pants off just below the thigh pad pocket and wore them under my plate pants. Worked great on those foul tips the catchers couldn't handle. I suppose with the girdle pads now you could do the same thing.
Switched to a hockey style mask too and loved it, both in cold and hot weather. In fact, a gentlemen you might know, Atlanta Blue, bought it from me when I retired.
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Oh yest...Atlanta Blue...there's someone who posts good stuff that I find very helpful. I'm going to start another post for anyone who might have a mask for sale...just seeing if I can save some $$$ before buying a new one.
I like that football pants idea...my son plays football and we still have some of this practice pants when he was younger that fit me. We have some new officials coming up and in my opinion, the more protected they feel, the more confident they will be when standing in the slot.