BC-BBO–Keeping Umps Cool, BBO

By Abbey Westbury
January 09 2025 05:37 AM

CP18826758 — In this photo taken, June 7, 2012, Randy Marsh, left, director of umpiring for Major League Baseball, jokes with umpire Mike Muchlinski as he wears a cooling vest in the umpires dressing room prior to a baseball game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Pittsburgh Pirates in Cincinnati. New technology allows umpires to wear cold packs under their shirts, an innovation that umpires say makes it feel 20 degrees cooler. (AP Photo/Al Behrman)

BC-BBO–Keeping Umps Cool,126

Cooling technology helping umps handle the heat

AP Photo OHAB202, OHAB201

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By JOE KAY

AP Sports Writer

CINCINNATI (AP) — Those summer scorchers don’t make plate umpires melt down anymore.

Cooling technology that’s been used by the military for years is now helping the umps get through those days when the temperatures soar well above 90 and the humidity makes handling the plate a very sweaty job. They can wear vests with cooling packs or tuck one of the packs under their chest protector.

Umps were a little skeptical of the equipment at first, but have quickly taken a liking to it. Some say it makes the temperature feel 20 degrees cooler for them.

It’s a vast improvement from the days of broiling games when umpires got so dehydrated their fingers would wrinkle and did all they could to stay on the field for nine innings.

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