[umpduck11]

In Alabama, in the playoffs, you're very likely to be seen by a district director, or a district instructor. For this reason, I have seen umpires who are lenient on certain rules suddenly crack down on those rules. I guess this crew had no fear either of being seen by a state official, or receiving any type of punishment for ignoring ( or failing to notice) an obvious violation of a safety
rule. I suppose the coach's assurance that his players are " legally and properly equipt " covers these guys in the event of an injury, huh ?