Hey, what's with the Mid-Atlantic reference, Mike? I run a tight ship here, and I don't put up with any bullsh1t on my field!
Speaking as someone who only calls slow pitch, I have to say that the attitudes of the players has been in steady decline for the past few years. Bat doctoring has seen a huge explosion in what used to be a cottage industry. Players are more frequently getting ejected for poor behavior, and I think some of the local leagues are letting them get away with it.
Maybe it's the fact that we have so many different associations that players think that if they don't like how one is run, they can just take their business elsewhere: U-Trip, NSA, ISA, etc. This isn't the fault of the other associations, per se, but rather a byproduct of the mere existence of options. You see it in other areas of life, too: if someone doesn't like one small behavior of one company, they threaten to go to the competition. And when you have one organization that seems to let anything go (no names, please), it creates a huge vacuum effect.
For the record, I'm not suggesting that ASA loosen up their restrictions. Not at all. I think that in terms of expectations (rules, approved equipment, etc.), they're either where they should be (establishing a 98 MPH standard for bats), or they're well on their way (.52 COR/275 lb standard for softballs).
But back to the subject at hand...
It is getting increasingly worse. We've got guys on the juice in our area, all for the sake of winning a slow pitch league championship t-shirt. We've got guys who think they can get away with bringing doctored bats to C-league games, and their attitude is, "if you don't like it, don't play here." Go to softballfans.com, and watch the forums there. The attitudes and behavior are disgusting. I throw my 2 cents in every now and then when someone asks a rule question, but I'm careful in what I tell them. I won't delude myself into thinking that I'm somehow "reaching these guys." They're grown men (at least as far as age is concerned), and no one is going to tell them what to do.
The upper level leagues will squawk just as much, but at least they know when they're reaching an umpire's line in the sand. The lower level league guys just keep going...