PINK Umpire shirts?!?! YGTBSM!!

[CoachJM]

Nope, I am serious as a heart attack!

My association, Fox Valley Blues, will be providing the umpires for the CABA and USSSA World Series (U9, U11, & U15) being held in the NW suburbs of Chicago next week.

Rather than just collecting our game fees and going home, as a group we've decided (with the tournaments' blessings) to see if we can't accomplish a little good by helping raise awareness - and money (with ALL proceeds going to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation) - to help fight breast cancer.

Along with our wives, daughters and sisters, we will be promoting awareness of breast cancer early detection and engaging in various fundraising activities.

As part of the fun, during certain games at certain venues, the umpire crews will be wearing PINK umpire shirts.

If you'd like to find out more and how you can support your colleagues in this effort - check out: http://www.fvbumpire.com Who knows, sometime next week you might even see a picture of yours truly working a game in a pink shirt.

Thanks for your support!

JM

(Posted with permission of the moderators. Thanks, Richard!)

[Dano]

Real men CAN wear pink without fear of their manhood or orientation being questioned.


Best of luck!

[Scuzzyfeller]

Best of luck with the fund raising!

Several leagues locally will fund raise on Mother's Day Weekend...serious games that count but with monies raised going to Breast Cancer...several of us will wear some visual pink....usually sweat bands, ribbions...something....and MOST of us [some guys still show up just for game fees] will turn in the game fees at days end and donate it to the cause!

These leagues do the same for Father's Day Weekend as well...color scheme moving to the powder/baby blue for the Dad's!

Former FVB Umpire Larry Schaefer, NOW in Vegas, would approve I'm sure!

Again...good luck in the fund raising!

Scuzz

For a fund rasier like that ... It might look ugly but I would wear it, and donate all my money for the fundrasier. I have no problems wearing Pink.

[Majordave]

A team I regularly umpire for in tournaments here locally is in the 15U USSSA world series in that area. I asked the coach if the umpires were wearing pink and he said yes, some in fact, were. Said it did not look too bad. A lot of the young men I teach in HS wear pink shirts these days so they don't think anything of it.

[Assign]

I suppose that is a gret way to get rid of those Red shirts everyone hates...we can over wash them :`)

Seriously though: That is a GREAT idea...Good Luck!

[CoachJM]

Well, we've already received a few donations from those who frequent this website (you know who you are, and THANK YOU VERY MUCH!)

As a token of appreciation (and so you can all make fun of me), I thought I'd post a few pix. Perhaps it will inspire some additional generosity.

First up, me holding a "pre-plate conference" consultation with my crew for a "pink shirt" game.



Next up, getting ready to call the pitch (by the way, the batting team was a team from all over the province of Ontario in Canada.



The other team was from the Chicago White Sox academy, and this photo shows me briefly chatting with Ozzie during a "between innings" change.



Some of my colleagues didn't think a mere pink shirt was enough, so they took it a step further. For example, my partner for the game immediately preceding the pink shirt game can be seen here engaged in his routine pre-game mediatation.



Finally, the "tent" we had set up on the main walkway into the complex where our wives and daughters were selling T-Shirts, bracelets, pink glow sticks, etc. to raise additional donations.




http://home.comcast.net/~fvbcharity/...GKCharity.html

The response we've gotten from the fans, coaches, players, and tournament directors has been OVERWHELMINGLY favorable.

Thanks for your support!

JM

CoacJm I don't think the shirts look bad at all.

[MAump74]

Those look great. I've mentioned to some of my "umpiring" friends that they should wear pink shirts in the Majors on Mother's Day. They already swing pink bats and wear the pink wristbands. I've always thought the pink would look good with the gray-and it does. Even better is that it is for a great cause.

As a college student, I can attest that pink is currently in style for both guys and girls.

[umpire21]

I really do like the pink shirts a lot! where can you get them? I really liked the numbers attached as well.

[MAump74]

Originally Posted by umpire21

I really do like the pink shirts a lot! where can you get them? I really liked the numbers attached as well.

To me it looks like they are not umpire shirts per se, but a simple pink polo shirt embroidered with the association logo on the front and numbers attached. However, I wouldn't complain if Honig's started selling pink shirts, although with the way people feel about the scarlet(red) shirts I doubt they would catch on.

[Wharf_Rat]

Maybe if we called them "salmon" instead of pink they might stick around longer than the red shirts.

[MAump74]

Originally Posted by Wharf_Rat

Maybe if we called them "salmon" instead of pink they might stick around longer than the red shirts.

Yes, a little crafty marketing can get anyone to buy anything...see my grandmother's QVC account for proof