Shoes

hen you look at your partner, what is the first thing you see? Take a second to answer that question. If I'm doing the looking, I don’t go from head to toe. I start from bottom and work my way to the top.

The reason is you can tell if an umpire is prepared for the game just by looking at his shoes. When I play, the first thing I do is look at all of the umpires' shoes. I believe that if he took the time to take care of his plate or field shoes, he is ready for the game and takes pride in the job.

Shoes that are polished look professional. We might be either Professional or Amateur Umpires, but it does not matter. It is a matter of making sure you portray the image you want to give to the teams that are playing and the spectators in the stands.

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