Why Does Umpire Equipment Weight Matter?

Working the plate is hard. High temperatures and a scorching sun can make working the dish almost unbearable. The strain on an umpire’s body is significant, and plate gear is largely to blame. Heavy, suffocating gear can make life miserable, even hazardous.

Each year umpires at all levels go down with heat exhaustion; or worse, have heart attacks. For example:

Cincinnati, OH – 1996: MLB Umpire John McSherry, age 51 fatal heart attack on field

Oak Park, IL - 2005: Scott Marengi, age 47 fatal heart attack on field

Beaverton, OR –2008: Mark Cadonau, age 42 fatal heart attack on field

Sometimes the umpire suffers a health issue after the game and away from the field. MLB Umpire Nick Bremigan died from a heart attack in 1989 at the age of 43; and MLB Umpire Lee Weaver died from a heart attack in 1988 at the age of 51.

Wearing plate gear heats you up and makes your body work harder. Plate gear also slows you down. The heavier the plate gear, the hotter your body gets, the harder you work, and the slower you are on the field. But shedding weight from your equipment will make your job more bearable.

Sound silly? Take a look at how just a few different equipment choices can save you pounds:

Chest protector

The the All Star CPU4000, weighs 3 pounds, 11 ounces. The lightest hard shell chest protector is the Douglas which weighs 2 pounds, 9 ounces, but is hard to find. There are other lighter CPs available, including the Schutt AiR Flex and Champion P220 which both weigh 2 pounds, 13 ounces [soft shell protectors are even lighter!]

Savings: 1.125 pounds

Leg Guards

The Wilson Charcoal Leg Guards (A3417) weigh 32 ounces each. On the other hand, the DLG-LITE Featherweight Shin Guards weigh 13.5 ounces each.

Savings: 2.18 pounds

Mask

The Wilson Titanium mask with stock pads weighs 23 ounces. The Champro CM58 Magnesium Face Mask with stock pads weighs 15.5 ounces.

Savings: .47 pounds

Total Savings: 3.775 pounds

That’s like carrying an extra seven baseballs around! So when the weather starts heating up, consider wearing lighter, more breathable plate gear to make your job easier. Midwest Ump will continue to provide helpful information about plate equipment weight and breathability. In addition, make good choices like a regular exercise program including aerobic exercise, and hydrate properly.

MLB Umpire Ed Hickox Wins Product Liability Lawsuit

In 2005 umpire Ed Hickox was working home plate and wearing a mask given to him by a Wilson Sporting Goods representative. According to a complaint filed in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, during the game at RFK Stadium "a foul ball struck the throat guard of Plaintiff's mask. The impact dislodged the mask's metal frame from the rest of the mask. The ball's force pushed the frame into Plaintiff's ear canal, then pushed the entire mask completely off of Plaintiff's head and onto the ground. The Plaintiff suffered numerous injuries, including but not excluding, a concussion, broken bones in his left ear, and an inner-ear fluid leak from his right ear."  Hickox had surgery to remove the broken ear bone and have it replaced with a titanium prosthesis.

Nasty business.

Hickox sued Wilson Sporting Goods claiming the company was responsible for failing to adequately test the mask before issuing it to him, and because the mask failed to adequately protect his face. Hickox wrote in his complaint “An ordinary customer would expect the umpire’s mask, built to protect the umpire’s face from stray baseballs, not to harm Plaintiff when a baseball strikes the mask.”

Last Friday a D.C. jury awarded Hickox and his wife Lisa $775,000.

Patrick Regan, attorney for Hickox and his wife, told The Blog of Legal Times that Wilson performed more tests on the mask after the injury to Hickox, but did not say what, if any, changes were made to the mask’s design. Attorneys for Wilson say an appeal of the jury verdict is likely.

Get the Facts on Concussions

Why do we umpire? Mostly, I suspect, because we love the game, we enjoy helping youth and adults experience the sport fairly and safely, and we welcome the comradeship of our partners. At the same time we love it, we also know that there is a small but ever present danger of injury. Beyond the aching knees, bad bruises, and turned ankles, the most serious dangers come from lightning, heat exhaustion, and concussion. The first two of these are, fortunately, rare events and largely avoidable. The last, concussion, is, unfortunately, a risk on every pitch when we are behind the plate.

Can a Mouthguard Prevent a Concussion?

Long-time readers of this blog know I have a special interest in concussion prevention. Foul ball impacts to the face are an occupational hazard for an umpire. Unfortunately, umpiring is more hobby than occupation for the amateur umpire and a nasty concussion on the field can adversely affect your day job and your personal life.

Over the years several individuals have advocated that umpires should wear mouthguards as an added layer of protection to prevent concussions. The basic argument is that an impact to the chin will force the jawbone into the skull and concuss the brain.

Here at Midwest Ump we (why, yes. I do have a mouse in my pocket) appreciate these well-meaning folks, but it begs the question: it is true? We (the mouse and I) did a little investigating to find out.

Concussions Prompt Discussions

MY GOODNESS!!!

On April 18 MLB umpire Ed Hickox was struck by a foul ball. The ball hit him squarely on the forehead while wearing a Wilson FX hockey style helmet. Mr. Hickox continued to work behind the plate, but became light-headed two innings later and spent the night at the hospital. MLB reports that he will be out for one week. Jim Kirk, owner of Ump Attire has posted a description of the injury here.

Then on April 21 MLB umpire Kerwin Danley was struck in the head by a broken bat. The bat hit the side of his Wilson FX hockey style mask. It was reported that Danley was in severe pain and suffered massive headaches the next day. It is not immediately known how long Danley will be out.

Crew chief Dana DeMuth told reporters after the game that "[t]he bat got all helmet and that's a good helmet to have for it because a lot of us don't wear stuff where the protection is (over the side and back of the head) and I believe that's where it hit him."

DeMuth also commented on the Wilson FX and said, "That's a very good helmet to have, it's just very uncomfortable, but when you got a delicate head and you've had head injuries before, it's one of the best things to have."

DeMuth was referring to previous concussions Danley suffered on April 26, 2008, and in 2006.

These recent injuries again highlight the dangers associated with umpiring. In Danley's case the injury was immediately determined to be serious and medical attention was given. In Hickox's case the severity of the injury did not manifest itself until several innings later.

As umpires we all know that we're not "the show." There is great pressure to quickly shrug off a blow and not delay or disrupt the game. However, a concussion is a serious matter and repeated concussions have been linked to long-term emotional and behavior problems.

My opinion is that when the PU takes a serious blow to the head, it is the responsibility of the field umpire to stop the game and make sure the PU is ok. Here is a link to a Concussion Signs and Symptoms Evaluation from the Sports Concussion Program at the University of Pittsburgh. This evaluation sheet reviews concussion symptoms and provides some cognitive tests to help determine if your partner requires medical attention. Of course not every blow will require a trip to the hospital. However, if your partner displays some of these warning signs, get him off the field.

Like Sergeant Phil Esterhaus from Hill Street Blues said, "Let's be careful out there."

Umpire Concussions (Mama Said Knock You Out)

Ever notice how anal we are as umpires about checking for the NOCSAE stamp on youth equipment? Ever notice that our own gear doesn’t have that stamp?

Go check, I’ll wait.

Scary, huh?

What does a NOCSAE stamp exactly mean? Well, it turns out not much when applied to umpires as there are no test standards for umpire masks. To test a youth catcher’s helmet the tester mounts the helmet on an instrumented head model which is free to move, and an air cannon is used to shoot a baseball from close range into the helmeted head model at 60 mph. Impact accelerations are measured and a Severity Index is calculated and compared with the NOCSAE standard to determine if the helmet meets the requirement. NOCSAE guidelines permit a catcher’s helmet to pass if the peak severity index of any impact does not exceed 1200 SI (severity index explained here).

Unfortunately, there is strong evidence that a concussion becomes likely at a severity index of 300. Now I'm no physicist, but 300 happens long before 1200, right? And the safety test is rated at sixty miles per hour? Are you kidding me? When was the last time you were on the plate with a kid throwing 60?

Last year in the wake of the Kerwin Danley injury USA Today did two stories about MLB umpire injuries: here and here

USA Today states that through June 11, 2008, umpires had reported 36 blows to the head through a program set up by athletic trainer Mark Letendre, who works with the umps for Major League Baseball. In 2007, 38 were reported. Every year in the major leagues there are reports of umpires being concussed and leaving games. And we all know what tough sons-of-guns those MLB umpires are.

The threat of concussion is a real concern, even at lower levels of ball. Not only can a foul ball strike you in the mask, but a backswing can knock you out also. That happened to Jerry Crawford last season.

So who is protecting us? No one it seems. I have searched the internet for information regarding testing of umpire masks. I even emailed Wilson, the leading provider of umpire masks. After three days Wilson has not replied. All I could find was a commendable effort, but flawed test of a youth hockey style mask and youth traditional mask by undergraduate students at Kettering University. The manufacturer of the masks (All Star, apparently upset that they were singled out) responded to the report at the end of the article. Also Jim Kirk, owner of Ump-Attire and friend to the umpire, questioned the methodology and conclusions on his blog:

C- Grade to Safety Study on Traditional vs. Hockey Style Mask

What can we do? First, umpire masks and helmets need to be evaluated and tested. As consumers we are entitled to know the level of protection a mask provides. There may be some legal liability to the manufacturer as well. Personally I think it is reasonable for Joe Umpire that buys an MLB mask to believe that it will protect him from concussions in his H.S. JV games. The lesson of former MLB catcher Mike Matheny teaches us otherwise.

Some umpires are using the hockey style masks that offer some protection against back swings and perhaps more protection frontally as the design is more angular allowing for more glancing blows. An article in Men’s Health Magazine reports that the Wilson Shock FX hockey style mask with little “shock absorbers” built into the cage reduces impact force by up to 50 percent. However, I cannot find information or claims from Wilson that substantiate this and they did not respond to my email. If true, the Wilson Shock FX may be the most important piece of safety gear available to umpires. I can say that I have noticed more MLB umpires (and other umpires in the WBC) wearing the Wilson Shock FX including Kerwin Danley when he returned to duty after his injury.

It is simply speculation, but the lower profile masks offered by Wilson may be a contributor to umpire concussions. The lower profile mask sits closer to the face and is flatter with less angles. Jim Kirk asks the question best:

"Physics dictates a flatter low profile umpire mask will divert less force than a more curved standard one, but how much less and is this a significant difference?"

Jim asks a second very important question:

"More padding between the ball and you as in Wilson's wrap around padding is more protective than one with less padding but how much more protective and how significant is this difference to umpires at various levels?"

Hopefully we will have these questions and more attention focused on this matter in the future. In the meantime it looks like we're on our own.

Umpire Insurance Comparison

Yesterday's post got me to thinking about the different insurance policies advertised for umpires. Most of these policies are benefits for joining an organization or registering as a sports official. Here are a few:

NASO Insurance
Cost: $94.00 annually included in membership fee
General Liability: $3,000,000 per occurrence with a $4,000,000 aggregate
Errors and Omissions: $50,000 per occurrence (as an umpire or assigner)
Heart or Circulatory Malfunction Death Benefit: $5,000
Assault Protection: up to $3,000 in attorney fees on a 60/40 basis (you pay the 40% until the plan has paid out $3,000).
Game-fee-replacement insurance: up to $100 for each game lost within 21 days after the injury up to $500 total.
Accident medical plan: None
For an additional fee NASO provides Optional Game Fee Loss Insurance for injuries not related to assault. This plan pays up to $1,000 to $2,000 depending on the plan selected.Covers all sports official activities

ABUA Insurance
Cost: $45.00 annually included in membership fee
General liability: $1,000,000 limit
Errors and Omissions: None
Heart and Circulatory Malfunction Death Benefit: None
Assault Protection: None
Accident medical plan: $100,000
Game-fee-replacement insurance: $2,000 maximum benefit
Covers while working any level of amateur baseball AND softball

ASA Insurance
Cost: included in registration fee
General liability: $5,000,000 per occurrence with a $8,000,000 aggregate
Errors and Omissions: None
Heart and Circulatory Malfunction Death Benefit: None
Assault Protection: None
Accident medical plan: $100,000 with $100 deductible, $2,000 accidental death, $4,000 accidental dismemberment
Game-fee-replacement insurance: $2,000 maximum benefit
Covers while working ASA contests

USSSA Insurance
Cost: included in registration fee
General liability: $2,000,000 per occurrence with a no aggregate and legal defense fees included
Errors and Omissions: None
Heart and Circulatory Malfunction Death Benefit: None
Assault Protection: None
Accident medical plan: $20,000 per occurrence with $500 deductible
Game-fee-replacement insurance: None
Covers while working USSSA sanctioned events with USSSA registered teams.

NFHS Insurance
Cost:
General liability: $1,000,000 per occurrence and $5,000,000 Aggregate
Errors and Omissions: None
Heart and Circulatory Malfunction Death Benefit: None
Assault Protection: None
Accident medical plan: $50,000 Accident Medical/Dental Limit per injury with a $500 Deductible per injury; $2,500 Accidental Death & Dismemberment Benefit
Game-fee-replacement insurance: None
Covers officials currently registered with a member state association, or with an affiliate of the NFHS (if that association registers officials), in order to be eligible for the NFHS Officials Association insurance benefit.

So is that clear as mud?