Umpire Articles

All-Star Cobalt Skull Cap Featured In Referee Magazine

Jul 27th, 2021

All-Star Cobalt Umpire Skull Cap. 360-degree protection. Featured in Referee Magazine (August 2021).

My Time at The Wounded Warrior Umpire Academy

Jun 29th, 2021

Our own Brandon Lawson shares his experience at the 2021 Wounded Warrior Umpire Academy.

Smitty Fold-Em Travel System Featured In Referee Magazine

Jun 22nd, 2021

Smitty Fold-Em Travel System includes Instructional Folding Board for Shirts & Pants. Featured in Referee Magazine (July 2021).

KoolBlues Highlighted in Mental Floss Article on MLB Umpire Secrets

May 20th, 2021

KoolBlues Umpire Chest Protector Cooling System featured as 1 of 10 MLB Umpire secrets.

All-Star 4-Dial Die Cast Metal Umpire Indicator Featured In Referee Magazine

Apr 22nd, 2021

All-Star 4-Dial Die Cast Metal Indicator is the heavy duty umpire indicator with no-look notches.

Top 10 Umpire & Referee Videos from 2020

Jan 5th, 2021

Watch the top videos of 2020 from our library!

HeatShields Shoe Inserts Featured in Referee Magazine

Oct 21st, 2020

HeatShields Shoe Inserts are the latest innovation for umpires and referees to keep their feet cool on turf surfaces.

Baseball Rules Academy: Advanced Rule Lookup & So Much More

Sep 30th, 2020

Cincinnati Red commentator Chris Welsh and MLB umpire Ted Barrett have created an online platform where every baseball rule - from MLB, NCAA, NFHS, Little League and more - can be easily searched and compared. We are proud to be the Official Umpire Gear Supplier of BRA.

Mid-American Umpire Clinic Raises $2800 for UMPS CARE Charities

Sep 21st, 2020

Not only does the MAUC do a fantastic job training umpires to make them better, they give back more than perhaps any other clinic in the country!

Crew How-To: Adjust Your All-Star Cobalt Umpire Chest Protector

Sep 21st, 2020

Another video on the NEW All-Star Cobalt Umpire Protective Gear line, this one shows how to custom fit your Cobalt Chest Protector!

Jim Goes Parental with Umpire Cap & Bill Length Warning on Umpire-Empire Post

Sep 3rd, 2020

What umpire cap bill length should you wear when working the plate? Eject your traditional thinking. New style umpire masks are changing what cap stitch you should (and shouldn't wear) today.

VIDEO: We Went "Beyond the Basics" at the NASO Summit @Home with 5 Officials Sporting Goods Trends

Sep 3rd, 2020

Trends for all-sports of officiating include COVID-19 Wear & Essentials, Product Storage & Care and Shoes; for umpires, supplemental protection and cup systems.

Wounded Warrior Umpire Academy to Host 1st Annual Virtual Summit

Aug 24th, 2020

Join WWUA on September 9th, 2020 for a live, virtual summit featuring retired MLB Crew Cheif Mike Everitt, LLWS Crew Cheif Kelly Dine and our own Jim Kirk.

UMPIRESTRONG Bracelet Proceeds Benefit The Randy Harvey Fund

Aug 15th, 2020

Thank you for supporting the fund with your purchases August 8th through August 15th.

Plate Pants Catching on Your Umpire Shin Guards? The Fix is as Smooth as Silk

Aug 5th, 2020

Try this quick fix suggested by MLB Replay Coordinator, Justin Klemm, to prevent your plate pants from getting caught on your shin guards.

"The Dish" on HeatShields Shoe Inserts

Aug 3rd, 2020

Jim Kirk & Ty Unthank discuss the origins of HeatShields and the benefits they provide to umpires and referees.

Inventors of HeatShields Serve All Walks of Life Through Cooler Feet

Jul 21st, 2020

A Tennessee family invents shoe inserts with aerospace technology that solves the sports officials’ hot feet problem from high temps on turf.

Crew How-To: Measure and Size Your Umpire Chest Protector

Jul 20th, 2020

Ty shows you how to easily find your size for an umpire chest protector.