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Originally Posted by AtlUmpSteve
Toss no gloves.
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I used "toss" more or less as a shorthanded way of saying, "Tell the player or her coach that the glove either has to be replaced or corrected".
Quote:
Originally Posted by AtlUmpSteve
1) Use common sense judgment (like the state interpretor telling you it doesn't matter in any case but the pitcher, 2) at worst, say that glove cannot be used as-is by the pitcher
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Our state interpretor is telling us exactly the same thing that the FED rule book and point of emphasis says: This rule applies to ALL players.
I don't necessarily disagree that it should only be a possible issue with the pitcher's glove, but if we don't address it uniformly for all players then we are going against what we've been instructed.
Quote:
Originally Posted by AtlUmpSteve
3) let them cover or change the color of any marking you deem offensive (sharpies do well)
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Naturally. That is a common fix and can bring the glove into compliance.
Quote:
Originally Posted by AtlUmpSteve
4) use common sense, and 5) did I say use common sense?
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Common sense isn't always so common. My own personal notion of common sense is that the rule is ticky-tacky, unnecessary and that no little swatch of green cloth on the outside of a glove is going to make me think that a player has the ball inside of her glove. I would also say that neon green isn't the same color as optic yellow.
Absent a more precise definition or guideline, one man's illegal glove will be another man's legal glove. That will lead to uneven enforcement of the rule.That's the kind of thing that can make teams think the umpires don't know what they're doing or lead to agruments.