[TheSlav]

the lack of knowledge out there....and I am wondering where it comes from. I know coaches don't get and are only interested in the rules as much as they can formulate a strategy around them that will lead to more wins. I was somewhat guilty of that when I coached.

I do officiate by the rules, it's just that in areas like this the rules seem to lend themselves to wildly divergent opinions re: enforcement. That can't be good.

Separate example, today I have PONY tournament games and the catcher sports a skullcap and mask instead of a one-piece, so I tell him "I hope you have a one-piece mask to wear, because the skully is not going to work today." Both he and his coach say "Nobody has made him change all year", No big deal, they changed. I hate to put myself in the position of throwing other guys under the bus for allowing it. I do know some of these guys (coaches and players) will try to pull the "our league allows it" line.

Do you think these guys just testing to see what they can get away with or are we hurting ourselves with uneven enforcement?

It just seems as if more and more I run into those who seem to embody what Yogi Berra was saying when he compared baseball and church, "Many attend, few understand".

Maybe I'm just having a run of new coaches and fans with the growth of travel ball around here. No that big a deal, they make me shake my head sometimes.

JRutledge - you work in my area. Do you see any of this?