|
We had this discussion at our state clinic a couple years ago.
ASA does not have a rule that allows you to pull a player (exception, concussion). What we were told is that you need to document everything if you feel a player is not fit to continue in a same with non-concussion symptoms. Document exactly what is said to the coach and when. Document what is said to other umpires/crew members/UIC. Document exactly what you witnessed. The key part was that you need to do this immediately when it happens. The reason for doing this is two fold. One, you won't forget what is said. Two (and more important), this should get the hint across to the coaches (and parents), that this player should not be in the game.
One of our umpires actually had a situation with a serious injury and he did stop the game, refusing to umpire until the injured player was removed. The player in question slide into 2nd base and immediately grabbed his hand in pain. He said he was going to stay in the game, but decided to take off his batting glove. When he did (it was blood soaked by this time), the middle finger was obviously broken with exposed bone. The player insisted he was fine, but the umpire (who is a nurse) knew better. He refused to let the game continue until the player left the game (which meant they had to play shorthanded).
In that case he felt player safety trumped anything that could come from a protest over his decisions.
The point I took from it, is if worst comes to worst, I may not have the authority to stop the game from continuing, but I would rather have to deal with being a bad umpire for not following the rules, rather than have someone die on my field.
|