Quote:
Originally posted by Dakota
I can't speak for LL, but with ASA rules, the umpire in your game was within the rules, especially if he warned both team ahead of time about jewelry.
The batter has 10 sec from "batter up" (spoken or impled) to be in the box, ready to go. The rule is to prevent delay of the game. The team had been warned about jewelry. The batter showed up in the box wearing jewelry. She (or her coach) was unnecessarily delaying the game.
The ASA rule book gives the umpire the latitude to give warnings or call strikes in the situation of a batter not being ready. The ASA rules that apply here are ASA 3-6-F, 7-3-B, 7-3-C-EFFECT, and 7-4-J.
Having said all of that, however, in a "minors" (is that 10U or 12U?) game, I'd simply call time and have the jewlery removed, unless removal became a production.
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I saw the subject line and just KNEW I was going to have at least two cents to add here.
To start, pre-game is for the confirmation and exchange of line-ups, to review the ground rules and a coin toss, if applicable. If there are special circumstances, equipment or rules, they to should be reviewed if not previously covered. Telling coaches that no jewelry is allowed is an instruction or direction, not a warning.
I do not believe an umpire should issue warnings to teams in the pre-game conference. Everyone, including myself, likes to quote the rule book, but is there a paragraph suggesting, permitting or instructing umpires to issue "official" preemptive warnings? Of course, there are a couple of you out there thinking, "Well, there isn't one telling us we can't!" and you would be correct. I do not believe we can infer meaning, intent or direction by omission. If we did that, no two umpires would call a game in the same manner.
In NFHS, there is no jewelry, period. However, since Tom raised ASA's rules above, I will address them. Rule 3.6.F gives the umpire the discretion for determining what is dangerous jewelry which allows for the direction to remove whatever the piece may be.
However, the other three are going to be hard to enforce because two insist on the batter being directed by the umpire to the box when in fact, the umpire just directed them out away from the box. The third is only in effect AFTER the batter has entered the box and the umpire has forbidden that to happen. Actually, the only "official" remedy an ASA umpire has is found in 5.4 (forfeit) and I believe that may be a bit extreme in the beginning. There is no doubt that calling strikes is usually a great method to inspire a team's desire to do things as directed, it just isn't worded in the rule book to cover this particular situation.
I would like to think I would handle it by escorting the batter to the manager and tell them, "Coach, your team was instructed that no jewelry will be permitted. Have this jewelry removed from this young lady or give me a subsitute. By the way, coach, since I have now given your team a warning, the next infraction may be an indication that you are failing to control you team which means there is no reason to keep you here. And any further infractions, I may have to declare a forfeit."
Now, I'm not saying I will remember this if it ever comes time to act in this manner
, but I'm pretty sure that will result in one of two things. The team will fall in line and there will be no more problems, or you may end up getting rid of the manager earlier than anticipated
Please note that I always used the word "may", not "will", "shall", "going to" or any other word/phrase with a locked-in definitive meaning which leaves you no wiggle room.
I'm not saying that umpires should start tossing people and forfeiting games. I'm just suggesting a friendlier way of handling the situation. Also, I am only talking about the scenerio set forth in this thread, no other situations.
JMHO,
Mike