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Jewelry is one of my hot buttons. If the rule says no jewelry, then that means NO JEWELRY. ASA wording has softened from not allowed (at all levels) to dangerous in the judgment of the umpire. I feel that adults can make that choice for them selves, but children can not. For all girls fast pitch games I do all the jewelry comes off or they don't play. NSA allows jewelry if taped or hidden under tape, that is their rule. But in NFHS ALL jewelry must be removed including jewelry hidden by tape. At the plate meeting for a NFHS game this week one of the team captains in attendance (with the head coach) had a band aid on her nose. After I had asked the coach, "Are all your players legally and properly equipped?"
"Yes they are."
I then asked the player, "What is under the band aid?
She volunteered, "My nose ring, it don't come out".
"Well you need to remove it or you can't play."
"The other umpire let me wear it." (If I ever met this other umpire, we are going to have unpleasant words.)
"Well, today on this field, you need to remove it or I can't let you play." Out it came.
I then asked the coach again, "Coach, are your players legally and properly equipped? Because if we find they are not, both you and that player will be restricted to the bench." After the plate meeting before they took to the field, I saw in the dugout at least two other girls removing some piece of jewelry.
Bottom line, we all need to enforce the same jewelry rule. Kudos to the guy who got paid to not umpire the game because he was enforcing a rule.
Bugg
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